It’s that time of year! Christmas is upon us!

And by upon, I mean upon. It is starting to press down on me.  Making it hard to catch my breath.

The days are long and dark, and the walls have started to close in.  They are actually closing in around me.   There is a big tree in the middle of my living room.  Decorations. Gifts.  My already tiny living space has been reduced by a third.  I have to walk around things to get from room to room.

There is no space in my house, or on my calendar.  It seems like every hour of every day is committed to something on my to-do, to-go, to-get, or to-see list.

I don’t want to find myself wishing Christmas were over already, wishing it were January 5th so everything could be back to normal. I want to try my best to be present in each and every moment of the holiday season.

I have to take the time to just breathe, and just be in the moment.  And I know it only takes two minutes.   But I hardly ever seem to find those 2 minutes.

Let’s do it right now! 2 minutes!  Take 2 minutes with me right now to breathe.

Ready? Here we go…

Take a deep breath in now.
Then exhale it very, very slowly.

Inhale deeply and slowly.
Exhale slowly and completely.

The inhale is nourishing and cleansing
The exhale is soothing and relaxing

Breathing in the sunlight
and breathing out the darkness

Inhaling serenity
and exhaling stress

Breathing in patience
and breathing out intolerance

Inhaling forgiveness
and exhaling resentment

Taking in the present moment
and releasing all moments that have past

Breathing in hopefulness
and breathing out sadness

Breathing in moderation
and breathing out excess

Inhaling fearlessness
and exhaling hesitation

Inhaling pure joy
and exhaling depression

Taking in a healthy breath
and releasing illness and toxins

Breathing in freedom
and breathing out compulsions

Inhaling peacefulness
and exhaling frustration

Inhaling the truth
and exhaling your illusions

Taking in acceptance
and letting go of all judgment

Inhaling everything you need
and releasing the things that don’t serve you

Breathing in what you want
and breathing out what you don’t want

Breathing in contentment
and letting go of worry

Taking in the good stuff
and letting go of the bad stuff

Breathe in this moment,
and then let it all go.
(Repeat this as necessary.)

 

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.
Peace.

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Let’s Just Breathe by Pearl Jam

 

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