Speaker 1: Hello, dear listeners of Nothing Much Happens. It's me Catherine Nikolay,
Speaker 1: and Bob's here too. I'm sending you something a little
Speaker 1: different today. It's an episode of a show I've created
Speaker 1: called First This. First This is a way to start
Speaker 1: your day or a good listen for any time you
Speaker 1: feel like you need to reset. Each episode is about
Speaker 1: ten minutes long and is a guided meditation. I was
Speaker 1: a full time yoga and meditation teacher for twenty years,
Speaker 1: so I have a lot of simple tools like first this,
Speaker 1: then that to share with you. There will be a
Speaker 1: new episode every Monday, and you can find the show
Speaker 1: just by searching first This on your podcast app or
Speaker 1: checking the links in the show notes. Now listen. If
Speaker 1: you are trying to go to sleep right now, well,
Speaker 1: you may have a Pavlovian response to my voice, so
Speaker 1: you might be fine to listen to this now. If not,
Speaker 1: skip it till you're ready, And I want to let
Speaker 1: you know in case you didn't that pretty much all
Speaker 1: podcast apps let you do things like create a playlist
Speaker 1: or use a sleep timer, take episodes out of the
Speaker 1: queue if you don't want to hear them. A quick
Speaker 1: Google search will usually set you up. Now, I invite
Speaker 1: you to listen to episode one of First This. Welcome
Speaker 1: to First This, a short mindfulness practice and message for
Speaker 1: any time. I'm Catherine Nikolay. I'm glad you're here. Let's
Speaker 1: start by getting comfortable. You can sit or lie down,
Speaker 1: or slide your legs at a wall. Just adjust your
Speaker 1: body so that you can be mostly still for the
Speaker 1: next few minutes. You can even pause this if you
Speaker 1: need to, and start it again when you're ready. Once
Speaker 1: you're there, let's take a deep breath in through your
Speaker 1: nose and sigh it out through your mouth. Nice. Let's
Speaker 1: do one more breathe in and out. Good. Now, for
Speaker 1: the next minute or two, your only job is to
Speaker 1: notice the touch of your breath on your upper lip.
Speaker 1: See if you can feel it right now. It might
Speaker 1: be subtle natural breath coming in I'm going out. You
Speaker 1: might notice that it feels slightly cooler as it enters
Speaker 1: your nostrils, and a little warmer as it goes out.
Speaker 1: As soon as you realize your mind has moved somewhere else.
Speaker 1: See if you can without starting a story about why
Speaker 1: it doesn't matter, why, just go back to noticing the
Speaker 1: very next breath and the one after that. Don't force
Speaker 1: just allow I breathe in, and I notice it, I
Speaker 1: breathe out, and I'm aware. Now, let that awareness of
Speaker 1: breath move into the background of your mind and senses,
Speaker 1: and let's bring up the lights on this simple idea
Speaker 1: I have for you today. It's a technique for are
Speaker 1: managing a long to do list, for staying calm and
Speaker 1: focused when you feel overwhelmed creeping up. It's very simple,
Speaker 1: and it goes like this, first this, then that, first this,
Speaker 1: then that. When there's a lot to do, it's easy
Speaker 1: to shut down, to not know where to start or
Speaker 1: how to proceed in that moment. And try saying to yourself,
Speaker 1: first this, then that, and maybe you start with the
Speaker 1: most manageable task, something you can do without a huge effort,
Speaker 1: and when it's done will give you a little boost
Speaker 1: of energy and momentum. And then say it again, first
Speaker 1: this and then that, and work on the next bit.
Speaker 1: Let me also remind you that how much you get
Speaker 1: done in a day has nothing to do with your
Speaker 1: value as a person. Some days you can't get anything done.
Speaker 1: Those days happen, and when they do, you are still
Speaker 1: worthy and valuable. So be gentle with yourself. Shift this
Speaker 1: idea back in your mind, and again, just notice the
Speaker 1: natural movement of your breath, the touch of it on
Speaker 1: your upper lip. M It's always there, just waiting to
Speaker 1: steer you back home. Mind wanders, of course, correct. Just
Speaker 1: pivot your attention back to the small space below the
Speaker 1: tip of your nose and above the base of your
Speaker 1: upper lap. A few more moments here wherever your mind
Speaker 1: just was already doesn't matter. Just noticing breath coming in.
Speaker 1: I'm going out now to finish. Bring your hands together
Speaker 1: in front of you and start to rub them back
Speaker 1: and forth. Go a bit faster, get some heat and
Speaker 1: friction going between your palms. Then take a deep breath
Speaker 1: in through your nose, and as you sigh, place hands
Speaker 1: over eyes. Feel the warmth, soothing the muscles of your face.
Speaker 1: Massage a bit with your fingertips around your temples and
Speaker 1: the joint of your jaw. Then, as if you were shampooing,
Speaker 1: work your fingertips into your scalp. Let it feel good.
Speaker 1: We're waking you back up the way everyone likes to
Speaker 1: be awoken, gently and gradually. Now, one more big breath
Speaker 1: and let it go good