Let's start by finding a comfortable posture. This could be sitting down in a chair or on the floor, or it could be lying down in a bed or standing, if you prefer that. But something that allows you to feel alert, but also at ease. And if you're sitting, we might say sitting upright, but not uptight. If it's comfortable, you can invite your eyes to close.

And we'll start by taking a deep breath together. In through the nose. And slowly out through the mouth. Inviting the jaw to relax. The teeth don't need to be clenched right now.

Inviting the shoulders to be at ease. As well as the hands and the belly. And we'll let the breath fall back into its natural rhythm. You don't need to try to deepen it or breathe in a way that you think is appropriate for meditation. Just let the breath be natural.

And all you're doing is bringing a gentle awareness to the fact that you're breathing. If you'd like, you can even place one hand on your belly to feel the breath more vividly. As the mind wanders, you just gently notice it with kind awareness. The thoughts will come up. You just say, Hey, thoughts.

And direct the attention back to the breath. Just this moment. Just this breath. And in this meditation, we're really exploring developing our stress container. That is this capacity within us to hold what we're experiencing with love and compassion and care, rather than forcing it out or creating more tension by resisting it.

So take a moment to notice any stress that might be in the body or in the mind. And just what that feels like. It could be an accumulation of stress from earlier today or stuff from years ago that's just weighing heavy. Whatever you notice any stress that's there. You might feel the tendency to contract around it, to try to turn the attention away from it.

Instead, just meet it with a smile. Say, Hey, stress. I see you. I know things have been tough. I know you're worried.

I know there's a lot going on, but we're okay. I appreciate you doing your job. I'm just going to be here with you. Just notice what it's like to take that relationship to your stress. Recognizing that who you are is different than the stress and bigger than the stress.

There's a part of you that can hold the full experience without drowning in it. And you're just practicing connecting to that part of you. So let's take one more deep breath together. In through the nose. And out through the mouth.

And when you're ready, you can allow your eyes to open again. As you go about your day, see if you can practice cultivating this stress container. When you feel stress, instead of immediately fighting it or pushing it, just meet it with kindness, with compassion and connect to that part of you that is bigger than the stress. Thank you for your practice. And I'll talk to you soon.

Take care.