Take some time to be still. Find a comfortable pillow to sit on or sit up tall in your chair. If you are sitting in a chair, place both feet firmly on the floor. Bring your hands to a comfortable place in your lap or palms up on your knees. Keep you chest open for deep breathing.
Take deep breaths. Focus on your breath. Feel it start at the bottom and reach up and out of your head. Hold it for a moment and then slowly exhale, releasing staleness and the negativity of your day. Notice your inhale filling the belly, filling the lungs, and exhale following it out of your body. Sit here for a while. Let the rhythm of your breath envelop you. Let it clear your mind of the noise and chatter that keep you from God.
Isaiah 30:15 (NLT) states: “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.’
Take some time to meditate on this. Meditate on the Sovereign God. Focus on each phrase. Let this be your mantra today.
Bible words such as those definitely help me to relax and feel more at peace. And taking deep breaths sure does relieve my stress. But I have a problem with the position. My back gets tired if I’m sitting erect. I feel more relaxed if I’m either stretching my back one way or another, or I’m lying down.
Good point. Sitting up tall is not right for everyone. You can also lie down on your back with a pillow under your knees. But fighting the temptation to sleep is more difficult in my opinion.