The Journey to Peace: Day 2

Welcome to the second day.

Begin by finding a comfortable position,

Seated,

Lying down,

Standing or walking,

With a relaxed and awake posture.

You might want to stretch your back carefully and soften your shoulders.

See if you can relax your belly a bit and open your chest wide.

Now close your eyes and direct your attention to your breathing.

Focus on the physical sensations in the belly and chest of air that is flowing in and flowing out.

If you want you can put a hand on your belly.

Let your thoughts take care of themselves for a while and keep returning to your breath.

Now close your eyes and direct your attention to your breathing.

Just follow the inhalation and the exhalation again and again.

Our thoughts can often be a tight mess if you don't take care of them every now and then.

Just like leaving our headphones in our pocket too long,

They become entangled.

And the more you pull in one end to free the knots,

The harder they stick.

The more you try to resist and get rid of the thoughts,

The more they persist.

I suggest another strategy.

Give your thoughts space.

A breathing space.

A room where all thoughts are welcome.

Even the most frustrated and worried thoughts.

Just open the door in your mind and let them pass through.

Return to your breath when you notice that the thoughts pull you away.

Your breath is your anchor in this moment.

It's so easy to mistake the thoughts for truth.

I have to do this and that.

I must finish all of those things otherwise.

Instead of getting caught by a stream of thoughts,

Put your feet firmly on the ground and feel the weight of your body.

The contact with the floor and the earth beneath your feet.

Feel the strength in your breath.

All these thousands of muscles that expand and contract inside you every moment.

Finish by taking a few deep breaths.

Inhaling and exhaling.

You might want to stretch your body and your arms before moving again.

How does your breathing feel right now?

Congratulations!

You have finished day 2.

Remember that you can always return to your breath room throughout the day to give your thoughts and feelings some extra space.