The Long Exhale

Sit or lie down. Whichever the body wants.

Begin to lengthen the exhale. Inhale for four counts through the nose. Exhale for six or eight counts through the mouth, like a soft sigh.

Let the body soften with each exhale — the jaw, the shoulders, the hands, the belly.

The invitation today is from Jesus, to the weary, to those carrying something heavy. He does not say fix yourself first. He does not say earn it. He says come.

So come. As you are. Tired, distracted, half-believing, half-hoping. Come.

Let the breath keep lengthening. The nervous system is listening. It has been waiting for this signal — the signal that it is safe, now, to rest.

Stay with it for a few more rounds. Notice what softens. Notice what does not. Both are okay.

When you are ready, sit up slowly. You have just given yourself a small, real gift.