Repeat the word ‘trouble’ in your head over and over again for a minute. Notice what happens in your body.

Tune into what happens to your tummy, your heart, your breathing, your head, your shoulders and then other parts of your body. Sit with that feeling for a moment.

Now repeat the word ‘kindness’ in your head over and over for a minute.

Tune into your body. Do you notice any changes in your tummy? How about in your breathing? Do you feel your shoulders dropping and your body softening?

We all have a part of us that likes to keep us safe by pointing out trouble so we can protect ourselves, but sometimes that part of us looks too carefully for trouble and danger and needs to be gently encouraged to stand down. By repeating the word ‘kindness’ we can soothe that part and act from a place of love and openness instead of fear. Try it and feel yourself relax. It might take a lot of practice – that troubleshooting part of you likes to be the boss!

Good morning children and adults! Jane Evans has kindly made us our own guided meditation. She takes us on a little journey and shows us how to relax and be kind to ourselves. I really enjoyed it and hope you do too so grab a blanket and a pillow, get yourself comfy and let yourself go.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/172ZEmnxRsX8K9YkIaUKoVRmKQmgfLLKx/view?usp=sharing

This too shall pass.

We have had beautiful weather recently: blue skies, lots of sunshine and such warmth. Today the sky is grey, the clouds are full of much-needed water for our thirsty Earth and everything smells perfectly of ‘after the rain’.

You might prefer one to the other and that’s natural. Remember that we need both. We need balance.

If we are the sky – the truth – then our circumstances, emotions and moods are the weather. They all pass – the times where things feels light and the times where things feel dark and heavy.

What always stays the same is right now. The choice you make to close your eyes, to put your hand on your heart, to breathe in deeply and out with relief. What you do today is how you live your life, so why not take a few minutes to bring yourself into now.

Rest your thinking mind

Tune into your breath, your pulse, your body

Don’t worry if thoughts appear. Your thinking mind is used to being in control and looking out for you. Each time you practise bringing your attention back to your breathing, you are strengthening your ability to do so. Welcome the thoughts into your ocean and let them bob there.

Sit here and go nowhere

Just for a minute if that’s all you have. Be here, be now, notice your breathing. We create our futures with what we do now so give yourself a little bit of breathing space. Remember to notice your thoughts – they are a wave in your ocean and belong there. But they can ebb.

I am enough.

Sit quietly and repeat this to yourself. We can sometimes feel like we aren’t enough. Not good enough at sports, writing, maths, making friends, sharing, looking right, getting things done. The list could go on and on. But these things are not what make you who you are.

At the very core of yourself, the part of you that is yours and yours alone, the part that lives under all the layers protecting you, you are perfect.

You are enough.