Life is not easy. For any of us. There is more than enough to do, day in and day out. Stressors at work, at home or elsewhere.
So cut yourself some slack. Give yourself permission to rest.
Start with just 5 minutes. Do this at least once a day. Do it twice if you like. But do it consistently.
You might want to set a particular time for this. Perhaps at mid-day, or early evening. It’s not often you need to rest first thing in the day and this 5 minutes isn’t meant for sleeping, so not too close to bedtime either.
- Either lie down or sit in a comfortable position (*see below for
specifics). It’s preferable to lay on the floor but if you’re unable to do so, a bed or sofa is fine. - Set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
- Begin to breathe in and out through your nose (close your mouth).
- Be here for 5 minutes, just breathing naturally. Don’t try to change anything about your breath.
- Notice where you feel your breath. It might be most noticeable in your nostrils, maybe in your chest or perhaps your abdomen.
- Notice how your breath is moving. If there’s any particular quality to it such as smooth, interrupted, easy, strained.
- Then just breathe. And just notice.
- If your mind wanders, as it’s likely to do, just bring your attention back to your breath. Feel where it’s moving through your body, where you notice it. Try not to judge the wandering of your mind as anything either good or bad.
- And just breathe. And just notice.
- When the timer goes off, slowly open your eyes. Roll over and stand up.
Notice what you feel. Mentally or physically make a note of what you experienced or noticed.
Keep practising for a week.
Check in with me next Tuesday and we’ll expand on this practise.
If… you can’t find 5 minutes in your day? You might want to look at that.
If you have any questions or comments, post them below.
* Positioning if seated
- Sit forward on a chair so your back is not touching the back upright portion of the chair.
- See if you can feel your ‘sitting’ bones (ischial tuberosities) and let your weight be supported there.
- Have your feet planted on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Hands comfortably on your lap.
* Positioning if lying down
- Lie on the ground, perhaps on a carpet or mat if available. If you have back pain, you may want to use a rolled up towel, yoga mat, etc. to slip under your bent knees for support.
- Hands can be by your side or placed on your belly.
- Notice the parts of your body supported by the hard surface of the floor (heels, hips, shoulder area, head).