Hello and welcome to session one, Finding calm in moments of chaos. My name's Megan Marcel Haywood, and I'm gonna guide you through some movement, breathwork and meditation over this 30 minute session to help you to discover some calm moments in times of potential chaos. So, this session is gonna be focused around, Creating a space for stillness and awareness.

So first things first, time to pause. So for the next 30 minutes, I would like to invite you to disconnect from the external stuff to reconnect with yourself. And in order to do that, just a few things, turn off your mobile phone.

Switch off your email notifications, and it's time for some self-care to reconnect with yourself for the next 30 minutes. So I'll just give you a moment to do that, to turn off any notifications that may distract you. From this time for yourself.

And it's really important that we dedicate this time guilt free, so we often have a tendency to feel a bit guilty if we're spending time on ourselves. So just turn off any distractions, dedicate this next 30 minutes to yourself. OK.

So, we will begin. So the reason I've invited you to create a little bit of stillness, I'm gonna read a quote from a Buddhist monk T Nat Han. If we are not calm, we cannot listen deeply and understand.

But when our mind is calm, we can see reality more clearly. Like still water reflecting the trees, the clouds and the blue sky. Stillness is the foundation of understanding and insight.

So this is what we're going to do over this session is just create some space and stillness so that we can become more aware. Awareness is the greatest agent for change, and that was from Eulal. I recommend his book which is The Power of Now.

So when we are aware, we drop into the present moment and we become aware of how the body's feeling, the mind is feeling, and then we can use tools which I'm going to share with you on this session to help to bring more moments of calm. So I'll just go back to the question there that was just fading in. So just stop for a moment, put both feet on the floor if you're sat on a chair, just close the eyes, take a long, deep inhale, whether it's in through the nose or the mouth, it doesn't matter.

And a long deep exhale. Just like to invite you to ask the question, how are you feeling today? How are you feeling today?

And the first thing that comes up for you is the right thing in this moment, to try not to overthink it, just to question you drop into your awareness, how am I feeling today. And then by the end of this session, where would you like to be? Where would you like to be?

Maybe calmer, more relaxed, more present. Again, there's no right or wrong, just ask yourself that question, where would I like to be at the end of this session and how would I like to feel? Good.

So over the next few exercises, we're going to explore different ways to become aware. And the first one is breath awareness, so the breath is a great indication, an indicator of how we are. Feeling and it's also a great tool to use to manage stress, anxiety, feelings of overwhelm, and what the breath can do is it can help to enter us into a state of rest and digest.

So the nervous system can be in fight and flight when we're a little bit stressed and anxious. The breath can help us to go into that state of the parasympathetic nervous system which is rest and digest. So when we take a breath and when we become aware of it, breathing in, I calm body and mind, breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment. OK, so Just wanted to start off with that quote. I've dropped a few quotes here in the session just to summarise what we're trying to achieve in each part of the session.

So this part we're going to, I'm going to guide you through a three part breath awareness. So I'd just like you to again get comfortable, have your feet on the ground, both soles of the feet flat and hands onto the lower part of the tummy. If it feels comfortable, close the eyes down.

Otherwise just lower the gaze down towards the ground. And bring all your awareness to the tummy. So just bring the full awareness to the tummy and notice the movement of the tummy as you breathe in and as you breathe out.

And if you can without strain, try to encourage the breath to expand the tummy on the inhale. And on the exhale, allow the belly button to draw back towards the spine so you're expelling any stagnant air out of the body, you're drawing it out of the body, so you inhale the diaphragm flattens and extends, the tummy expands. And as you exhale the diaphragm relaxes, creates a dome shape and that belly button moves back to the spine.

So you want to encourage expansion on the inhale into the tummy? And relaxation on the exhale. Just in the tummy.

Full awareness here. Good, and when you're ready move the hands up now to the chest. This is the thoracic breath we're now working with the middle of the lungs to start to take a breath into the centre of the chest.

I know. And again if you can feel that expansion as you breathe in, how the chest rises, maybe gently pushes against the hands and as you exhale it softens and falls away from the hands. And as you bring your awareness to the centre of the chest.

You might want to move it from the chest, back down into the tummy. And from the tummy back up to the chest. And again encouraging that expansion into the tummy, expansion into the chest.

Also feeling the rib cage broad and then expand on the inhale and then notice how they soften and fall on the exhale. Now this type and style of breathing may feel a little bit uncomfortable for you to begin with and that's absolutely normal. This is just takes time, patience and practise.

Just by simply coming aware, we are slowing down, we are calming the mind and the body. And then to finish off, take your hands to the top of the chest. This is the clavicular breath.

So this is the often just the part at 20% of the lung capacity that we use to breathe, but we are trying to encourage fully lung capacity. So here bring awareness to the clavicles and notice how they expand and separate on the inhale. They draw away and then they draw back together on the exhale.

Broaden on the inhale, draw back together on the exhale. When it's at the top of the chest? Right up to the clavicles.

And that brain, give me one it's from the clavicles. To the centre of the chest, to the tummy. From the tummy, the centre of the chest, to the clavicles.

Who full awareness of that full three-part breathing. Tell me chest. Clavicles, clavicles, chest, I mean.

Take 2 more full breaths in your own time. To fall out breath. Goods and if the eyes will close, gently open the eyes and just take a moment here just to check in.

Ask you a question on the previous slide. How am I feeling right now? I'm just quickly asking yourself that question now.

If there are any changes. And how you're feeling physically, mentally? And then we'll move on, so well done that was breath awareness and as I say, that might feel a bit unusual for you to breathe in that way to begin, so it just takes time, patience and practise.

OK, so now we're going to move into bodily awareness. The body benefits from movement and the mind from silence, so we carry a lot of stress and tension in the body, especially in the head, the neck and the shoulders. So whether you're vet vet nurse and you're standing all day or leaning over, you can carry a lot of tension, but the same goes as well if you're the practise manager or if you're sat for long periods of time at the computer, it still affects our spine and can cause tension in the head, neck and shoulders.

So that's what we're gonna focus on in this session is just releasing some stress and tension in the body and becoming aware of where that stress and tension is. So I'm just going to stop sharing my slides for a moment. And then I will pop myself on the main screen.

So all these exercises can be done seated, so I'm gonna do them in the chair so you can do these in the chair, but of course you can do them standing as well. So we're gonna just start with the head and the neck, so use that breath that we just practised on an inhale, look up towards the sky, and on an exhale, bring the chin in towards the chest and lengthen the back of the neck. So you inhale, lift and create space in the throat.

Don't drop the head all the way back cos you're compressing the back of the neck, keep the back of the neck long and then chin in towards the chest and lengthen through the back of the neck. And then come back into a neutral position and take the gaze over the left shoulder. And then take the gaze over the right shoulder.

These are so simple, but you will notice that there is stress and tension just in the head and the neck, so these simple exercises just repeating that again are really beneficial just to get a little bit of movement into the body. And we don't need heaps of space to be able to do this movement. And then drop the right ear down to the right shoulder, so you'll feel that all the way along the left side.

Try to keep the shoulders in neutral position so you're not slanting over to the side. It's simply just the head being heavy here. And lengthen all the way along the side, yeah, so the left side, then the head and neck and you might feel it into the shoulder and then just bring the chin in towards the chest and away, so gentle movements here and just notice and become aware that key word of awareness where any stress and tension is in the head, the neck.

The shoulders and then just hold it in a space where you feel there's a bit more tension and tightness and breathe and hold here remember that breath into the tummy. To the chest, the rib cage. Try not to hold the breath, so the more we practise and become aware of our breathing, more likely that we're to do it throughout the day.

Good, and just one more inhale, one more exhale, might feel a bit unusual to hold for this period of time. Very slowly bring it back into the centre, just take a moment to become aware of your right and left side. Do you feel any difference.

Does one side feel longer than the other and then drop the left ear down to the left shoulder. Again, shoulders just stay neutral, the head just becomes heavy. Move the chin to the chest and then the head back, moving it gently forwards and gently back.

And then when you find that little target area of tension or tightness, breathe and hold here, so mine's a little bit further back there. Of course, be mindful with these movements. If there's any pain, shooting sensation, then we just come out gently and rest.

Good, just a couple more breaths wherever you are. And then slowly, gently bring the head back into a neutral position. Lovely, then taking the hands just behind the back now, so you're opening through.

The chest. So hands just come behind the back the back of the head resting here. On an inhale, squeeze the shoulder blades open and broad across the chest, and on an exhale, bring the elbows together and chin towards the chest.

So you inhale broaden and open up across the chest and then exhale draw the elbows together, pull the scapular, pull the shoulder blades apart. 2 more times, inhale. Open up and exhale.

Good and then open. The elbows and take the hands onto the shoulders now. So drawing circles now with the elbows, just getting a little bit of mobility into the shoulders.

So drawing the circles as big or as small as you like, and again it just depends on how you're feeling the shoulders today and then take it the opposite way so you're drawing them back and around into circular motions. Using a breath. To inhale and exhale and get that movement.

Good. And then relaxing the shoulders down. And the arms coming down to the side.

Now taking hold of the chair and lift up and lengthen with the right arm. As you inhale create space here in the waist, lift up and let them draw the shoulder blade down. Keep that lift as if you're trying to reach and grab something, and then gently lean over to the sides.

We're not collapsing here, we're creating space in the intercostal muscles, right, expanding through the rib cage. Very gently leaning over to one side. And then come back into the centre, taking your right hand now onto the outside edge of the left leg.

Take the other hand at the back of the chair. Now if you have any spinal injuries, please check that this this exercise is OK for you, and I recommend chin stays in line with the chest and you don't take your head back. So inhale, lift and lengthen, and then exhale just gently twisting, we're twisting from.

The middle to the upper spine, not the lumbar spine, and you can take the hand on the back of the chair, keep the legs in a neutral position so you're not pulling the knees to the side, they stay in line with the hips, and you're twisting and the chin is staying with the chest, and that hand can come behind. And with each exhale you're rotating around the spinal column, so the spinal column is upright. So make sure it's in a nice upright position before rotating around the spine here.

Last inhale, last exhale. And then coming all the way gently back into the centre. Taking a full inhale.

And exhale lovely opposite side, bringing the left arm up, inhale lift and lengthen and exhale, take it over to the opposite side, remember to create space and lengthen through the side body, breathe it into the ribs. Shoulders down the back, lift and lengthen, then come back into neutral position, taking that hands onto the outside edge of the other leg, so onto the right leg. Hand at the back of the chair and as you go a little bit deeper, you might take it all the way around.

So inhale lift, keep the spine in an upright position, twist, chin stays in line with the chest. If you feel that you've got the availability to go a bit more, you can guide the hands a bit further behind the back of the chair, keep the knees an extension from the hips, so they're not coming closer together or moving to the left or right. Full breath in.

Full breath out. Good, take another inhale and on your exhale that's when you return back to the centre. And then just giving the shoulders a little bit of movement, the head, the neck, gently, just seeing how it feels after.

Such simple and slow movements today, so just a little taster of some movements that you can do to free any tension and stress in the body and also just pay attention and be aware of where you might be carrying any tension and stress. So now we'll move back. Onto the slides.

Great. Perfect. So that was our bodily awareness.

So we've moved from breath awareness, bodily awareness, and now full awareness. So I'm going to guide you through a meditation now to finish off the session. So get yourself in a comfortable, seated position, so you can sit on a chair, you can sit on the floor with cushions and pillows if you prefer just to lie down, then you can lie down.

Meditation is resting in full awareness. The fruit of meditation is stillness. And that just sums up today's session that we've had together.

So when you're ready, gently closing the eyes or lowering the gaze. Bring awareness to the spine, make sure it's upright, alert, and the muscles are relaxed. Pay attention to the breath as it moves now just naturally in and out of the body.

Maybe bring the awareness to the tummy, the ribs, the chest, just as we brought awareness to those parts of the body in our breathing exercise. And this meditation is called Mind the Gap. We're gonna become aware of those subtle pauses, those moments of stillness.

With pure awareness. So I'd like you just to bring your awareness to the mind and notice the thoughts. The common gown.

As they will naturally. Notice the thought naturally arising. Those thoughts that are present in this moment.

And how they move into your awareness. And as they move into your awareness, see if you can spot. The pauses between one thought and the next thought.

There will be a subtle pause, a space. And it's that moment, that pause where the stillness is. So one thought will arise.

And then another. And then another, and just see if you can spot that gap. Between each thought.

And welcome and acknowledge. Those gaps, those pauses between each thought. Your mind will want to attach the thoughts and create stories.

See if you can. Try to unhook from those thoughts and just observe them. Now I invite you to move away from the awareness.

Of the thoughts, bring the awareness to the body. And any sensations or feelings that you may have in the body. I'm noticing.

The pauses between sensations. You may feel An itch or a scratch. Or maybe a subtle pause where you no longer feel that itch or scratch.

You may feel sensations in the head, neck and shoulders. But then your awareness may be drawn to the feet. And see if you can stand between any subtle differences in feeling.

Or awareness. When a thought is present to what? It is Paying attention to.

Those subtle pauses between thought, between feeling. And then see if you can prolong the pause in between each thought. Extend that gap.

And we can do this by introducing intentional thoughts. And an intentional thought would be, I am thinking this thought. I am thinking this thought.

So as a thought enters into your awareness, an unintentional thought. Bring an intentional one. Say I am thinking of thoughts.

And notice what happens. And repeat, I am thinking of thoughts as many times as you need and try to slow it right down. I am thinking this thought.

And this begins to increase the gap of those unintentional random thoughts that come and go all of the time. But often we just don't pay any attention to them. Slowing it right down.

I'm just trying that one more time. And then any sensations or feelings that you feel in the body right now. Zoom your full awareness into that sensation.

I am feeling a sensation. I am feeling a sensation bring that intentional thought in and notice what happens to that sensation in the body. Does it intensify before it dissolves?

Or does it disappear or does it remain the same? Just paying attention there. Fully aware of the bodily sensations, fully aware of the thoughts.

And resting with full awareness in the stillness. When you're ready, bring your attention back to the breath, which is where we started this session together, full awareness of the breath, breathing in and out. And take one long deep inhale.

One longer deeper exhale. And when you're ready if the eyes were closed, you can open the eyes and that was your. Meditation to finish off the session today.

So thank you very much everybody. I hope today you found a little bit of calm in this 30 minute session. Take away these tools, these tips, whatever, resonated with you and practise them.

Remember, patience and practise helps to begin to create more calm in our day. So thank you very much, that was session one. And just to finish off here, become aware of the pauses, the pauses between two thoughts, sensation, and the brief silent space between words in a conversation.