Welcome to first this, a short mindfulness practice and message for any time.

I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Come, sit with me.

Settle your body into any posture that feels good.

Even if it's not sitting, that's just fine.

Riggle out the snags and roll your shoulders back a time or two.

Give your jaw a big stretch if you need it

then let's take a deep breath in through the nose

out through the mouth

again big in

and a sigh. Good. The way I've thought about teaching, meditation, and yoga for the past 20 years, can be summed up in two simple approaches.

Empty your cup and keep it empty.

Or empty your cup and fill it with something specific.

Either way, the empty bit comes first,

and we'll get there by stepping back from your thoughts and just watching them pass by.

Since you're not going to cling to your thoughts,

let's give you something else to hold on to, your natural breath.

Just be aware of it as it comes in and goes out. Notice the touch of it on your upper lip. It becomes a steady point in the sea of thinking. Really? Relaxed, inhales and exhales.

I'm gently course correcting back to the rhythm of your breath when your mind wanders off. When you're aware of thoughts, but not identifying as them, the cup tips and empties. You may catch a few seconds here and there

a few seconds here and there

when it's just your breath.

Very little thought.

...