Short & Simple: A humble practice for busy times

A HUMBLE PRACTICE FOR BUSY TIMES

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Hello my friend,

We all have those days ….

Your day has started not quite as you had planned and find yourself in a bit of a mess.  You had every intention of getting onto your cushion or mat to do your practice but things have gone a little awry.  For those days when this happens, here is a short little practice you can do which combines movement, breath, mantra and meditation all into one c practice which can be done in a few moments.

‘I receive. I release.’

So here is the practice …

Standing tall, feet pelvis distance apart, hands resting at your chest in Prayer pose (Anjali Mudra).

Take a moment to feel your feet on the ground, gently rocking forward and back on the soles of your feet to get a sense of the support of the earth beneath you.

Allow there to be a softness behind the knees, let gravity to have you here.  Imagine the spine lengthening skywards, a sense of dignity radiating through the body.  Bring length into the back of the neck and head, top of the head moving towards the sky.

 Turn your attention to the breath and pay attention to the sensations of the breath in the body.  On your next inhale, slowly start to open your arms outwards, palms opening skywards, lifting your chest and lifting your gaze – a sense of opening to the moment, to the day just as it is.  As you breathe out, allow the arms to soften and lower, hands to Prayer Pose, lower your head and soften in to a sense of release and surrender.

 As you breathe in, opening your arms, say to yourself either aloud or in your own mind ‘I receive’.  

As you breathe out and bring your hands back to prayer, say to yourself ‘I release’.

 Continue for as long as you wish to here.

‘…it is all about finding simple ways of bringing presence and sacredness into our every day, in any way we can.’

 When finished, take a moment to thank yourself for making the time for this short practice and remember why you need to take this time for yourself and who it will benefit.

A beautifully simple practice to return you to your natural, wise rhythm through tender movement in the body to bring you back into the present, slowing down of the breath to soothe and quieten the nervous system, use of mantra to focus the mind and allow the overworked brain opportunity to quieten and focus, and the combination of these bringing a sense of presence and care towards ourselves as we step back into our day.

Use this humble practice when there is simply no time to practice – it is all about finding simple ways of bringing presence and sacredness into our every day, in any way we can.

Take care of you, it’s the most important thing you can do today.

With love

Sharon
xxxx