Let's first begin by closing your eyes or lowering your gaze.
Taking a deep breath in through your nose and slowly exhaling out through your mouth.
Again filling your belly with air and expanding it to be as big as you can.
When you can't breathe in anymore,
Exhale out all of the air through your nose.
Tightening your stomach to take the out breath all the way to the end.
One more deep breath in through the nose.
Then let it all out.
Bringing your breath back to its normal rhythm and bringing your attention onto your body.
Feeling your chest rise and fall with the motion of your breathing.
Feeling the cool air on your nose as you breathe in and the warm air on your nose as you breathe out.
Feeling your shoulders lower and relax.
Feeling your cheeks soften.
Feeling your jaw release and letting your tongue fall down from the roof of your mouth.
Feeling your arms get heavier and sink further into relaxation.
Feeling your stomach soften and relax.
And then feeling your legs get heavy and relax.
Feeling your body melt deeper into your relaxed position.
Just breathing out any extra tension or pain that might be lingering.
And as you sit here,
Thoughts may be popping up into your mind.
And maybe these thoughts look like headlines or images that you've been seeing in the news.
Or maybe these thoughts look like numbers.
The statistics that you read about.
And maybe these thoughts are about the impact that what's happening in the world is causing in your life.
How it can or already is affecting your life.
Maybe your health.
Or your business.
Or your kids.
Your schedule.
Your family.
Your community.
Maybe these thoughts are heavy with visions of all the worst case scenarios painted bright in your mind.
Just see all of these thoughts inside your head,
Watching as they swirl around,
Creating a hurricane of worry,
Of stress,
Anxiety,
And fear.
Feel how powerful that hurricane is.
Feel the energy it has.
Feel the movement,
Its intensity.
All this energy of the hurricane is what you've been carrying around with you.
And it's impacting everything else in your life.
Your focus.
Your sense of safety and health.
Your regular activities.
Your work.
And your connection to others.
So look at this hurricane as it swirls loudly in front of you.
And notice that you see something very important.
The distinction between the facts and the emotions.
The facts are standing still outside the hurricane.
And the emotions.
Well,
The fear,
The stress,
The worry,
The anxiety,
They're what is causing the motion of the hurricane.
And they are completely normal emotions to be feeling.
So take a deep breath in this moment.
And look at the hurricane of emotion as it exists outside of you.
And realize that you are in charge of whether or not you allow its energy to penetrate you today.
You decide.
You have your life to live today.
And although what's happening in this world is very real,
And it deserves attention from you,
This moment right now is when you get to decide whether to invite the facts that will help you navigate your day.
Or whether you will invite in the chaos of the hurricane of emotions.
And no matter which option you decide on,
It's all okay.
It's a practice.
It's a practice to control what you can and to let go of what you can't.
And so as you continue your day,
And recognize the emotions when they arise,
The worry,
The fear,
The obsession,
Simply honor them.
And then place them into this hurricane that is swirling outside of you.
Let this hurricane be your container to hold it all.
And while you get connected to the present moment,
To what is actually in your life right now in this moment.
Can let the beauty of what is in your life at this moment pull you into the present moment.
So you can choose what to pay attention to and what to let go of.
It's really empowering to know that you get to decide and that you are not your emotions.
And so you can begin now to just wiggle your fingers and toes and allow your relaxed body to awaken and feel your body rise and fall with your breath.
And just breathe in gratitude for this moment,
Trusting that you will have everything you need to deal with the facts as they evolve.
And in this space of peace,
Say a silent prayer of compassion,
Of love,
Of healing for all of those whose lives have been impacted.
And imagine the healing spreading all over the globe as you root yourself in love.
