You Are the Sky: Finding Calm in the Storm

Hey there, friend. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here with me today. You know, Saturday morning in late September is such a particular kind of day, isn't it? There's this weird energy where the weekend is supposed to feel restful, but instead we're carrying all this week's tension right into it. So let's just pause together for a few minutes and let some of that go. Go ahead and settle into a comfortable seat wherever you are. You don't need to look a certain way or sit like a pretzel unless that feels good. Just find a position where your spine has a little dignity but your body can actually relax. Maybe adjust your shoulders. Maybe wiggle your toes. This is your space. Now let's just notice your breath for a moment. You don't need to change it or fix it or make it perfect. Just notice the natural rhythm of your inhale and your exhale, like waves rolling in and out on a beach you love. In and out. No judgment. No performance. Here's the thing about stress that nobody tells you: it's not actually the stress itself that gets us stuck. It's our resistance to it. Our tension around the tension. So what we're going to do right now is invite your stress to sit with you, and we're going to befriend it instead of fighting it. Take a slow breath in through your nose for a count of four. Hold it for four. Then release it out through your mouth for a count of six. That longer exhale? That's the magic. It tells your nervous system that you're safe. Do this three more times at your own pace. In for four, hold for four, out for six. Now, as you breathe, think about any stress you're carrying right now. Don't push it away. Just acknowledge it like you'd acknowledge an old friend at the grocery store. There it is. You see it. It's real. And here's the part that changes everything: you are not your stress. It's something you're experiencing, like weather moving through the sky. You're the sky. You're the space where everything passes through. With each exhale, imagine releasing one layer. Maybe it's worry. Maybe it's expectation. Maybe it's just the weight of trying so hard. Let it move out and dissolve into the air around you. Take one more deep breath together, and when you're ready, slowly open your eyes if they've been closed. Here's your mission for today: every time you feel stress creeping back in, remember this practice. Find that four-six breath. Even just once. It's a little anchor you can drop anywhere, anytime. Thank you so much for spending these minutes with me on Stress Relief. This podcast only grows because amazing people like you show up. So please subscribe, and I'll see you next time. For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWT