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

I'm Catherine Nicolai, and I'm glad to be with you today.

Please settle your body into any shape that is comfortable,

and remember that you can adjust at any time.

No big deal.

Let your shoulders drop and your jaw unlock.

And take a deep breath in through your nose.

And sigh.

Once more, breathe in, and out.

Good.

So... Good. So if you've been sitting with me for a while,

you've probably noticed a pattern to how this goes.

And if you're new here, welcome, there's a pattern.

And that helps us do this more automatically.

We're building a habit. And the less you have to think and debate on what you're doing, honestly, the better.

So we've gotten comfortable. Next, we need a point of focus.

And of course, that can be your breath.

It's well suited as a focal point since it's always there.

But really, anything that you can pick up with your senses and is happening now

works too. I'm going with my breath today and with where I can most easily feel it in my body.

For me, that's my abdomen. We're just going to spend a couple minutes tuning into that focal point.

Just observing it.

...