And so I invite you to pause wherever you are,
Taking a moment to check in with your posture,
And gently beginning to turn your attention inwards,
Towards your own internal experience,
Letting the body settle as best you can.
You're welcome to close your eyes if it feels comfortable,
Or simply resting your gaze on the floor a few feet in front of you.
It's okay if you'd like to let the body get still and quiet,
If it supports you in paying attention.
Or if it feels better,
A little bit of movement is okay too.
Perhaps swaying slightly from side to side,
Or front to back,
And inviting attention to come to rest.
Feeling the sensations of your feet pressing into the ground,
Or your thighs on the cushion,
And noticing gravity in your body.
Noticing any sensations of pressure,
Heaviness,
Or lightness you may feel.
Becoming aware of the weight of your hands,
Your shoulders.
You might even choose to roll the shoulders a few times,
Lifting the shoulders up towards the ears as you breathe in,
And exhaling as you bring the shoulders together.
Dropping the shoulders,
And doing this a few times,
Both directions.
And as you bring the shoulders down,
Just letting yourself sigh as you release your shoulders.
Letting the arms hang by their own weight.
Noticing gravity in the muscles of your face,
Your jaw,
Your eyes.
Spending just a few moments here with attention on the sensations of gravity.
Giving yourself permission to rest into the earth beneath you.
Becoming aware of the support that is available from the floor,
Or the chair.
And seeing if you can allow yourself to be supported just a little more.
And now,
Bringing the full focus of your attention to the sensations of the breath.
Taking a few deep breaths all the way in,
And all the way out.
Feeling your chest and your belly moving.
Noticing the movement of air in through the nostrils.
Perhaps feeling air hitting the back of your throat.
And sustaining attention with the sensations of the breath as best you can.
Knowing that there is no need to breathe in any particular way,
Or to make anything special happen.
And now,
Letting yourself rest in the air,
And allowing the breath to open.
Simply allowing the breath to breathe itself.
And seeing if you can take the perspective of the observer.
Watching the breath as it comes and goes.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
And at a certain point,
You may notice thoughts arising,
Or that your attention has been pulled back.
Or sensations in other parts of the body.
And know that this is completely normal.
Reminding yourself that this is time that you have carved out for yourself.
You don't have to go anywhere,
Or do anything.
And just gently acknowledging that attention has been pulled.
And without judging yourself,
Gently guiding attention back to the sensations of the breath in the body.
Keeping attention on the breath may be challenging.
And as best you can,
Just allowing this to be information.
If keeping attention with the breath is distressing,
Or is increasing your anxiety,
You can choose to shift your attention to another anchor in the present moment.
Such as sound,
Or the sensations of your feet on the floor.
And then when you're ready,
Returning your focus to rest on the sensations of the breath,
As best you can.
Coming back again and again.
Simply noticing when attention is pulled away,
And then gently redirecting,
Bringing your attention back.
And if you're struggling to keep attention with the breath,
You can choose to place a hand on the hand,
On the chest,
Or on the belly.
Noticing the sensations of movement as the lungs and diaphragm expand and contract.
Seeing if you can hold attention with just one breath at a time.
All the way from the beginning of the inhale,
To the completion of the exhale.
Noticing the space between breaths.
And this allowing the breath to come and go.
You are welcoming yourself to be just as you are.
Not having to be anything for anyone,
Or prove anything.
Just allowing yourself to rest in the human experience of breathing.
And I invite you,
If you haven't already,
To place a hand on your heart,
And another hand on your belly.
And just holding yourself with care and some tenderness,
As if you would hold a small child.
Noticing the experience of being held,
And also noticing that you're holding someone.
And if it's helpful,
You might even bring to mind the image of yourself as a child.
As you rest within the warm embrace of your own caring attention.
Welcoming you.
And now,
As we come to the end of this practice,
Expanding the attention to include the entire body sitting,
The body breathing.
And taking a moment to thank yourself for showing up for yourself in this way.
Perhaps offering some words of gratitude.
Repeating silently or out loud,
Thank you.
I see you.
I love you.
All of your human experience is welcome here.
All of you is welcome here.
