Welcome to this deep relaxation process where we scan the body for any glitches or nuances that annoyingly inhibit us from relaxing beautifully and we calm the mind and spirit through the flow of the breath and the guidance of my voice and thoughts.
Ideally lie down on your back for this session somewhere peaceful and warm and where it is unlikely that you will be disturbed.
Cover yourself in a light wrap or blanket snuggling in as would a small child for comfort and a sense of security and ease.
Your feet are separated about hip-width distance apart,
Your legs are long and loose and the little toes are gently falling outwards towards the floor.
Your arms are nestled beside you and your palms are facing upwards in an attitude of giving and receiving.
And the yoga tradition lying down in this manner is known as Shavasana.
Translated from Sanskrit it means the corpse pose.
Symbolically it simply implies letting go of behaviors,
Habits,
Beliefs and thoughts that are no longer useful to you,
Letting them die away.
Your eyes are softly closed,
Drop the jaw and again and again.
Feel all tension leave your face.
Roll the head from side to side with full awareness,
Relaxing the back of the neck,
Throat and the shoulders.
Spread your shoulders broadly and soften the lower back.
It is as though the whole body is melting into the earth that supports you,
Melting like butter left in the sun.
Inhale and fill the body with breath.
Exhale and release all tension and fatigue.
Release your chatty mind into the ether.
Absorb the beauty of Shavasana.
Absorb the stillness of Shavasana.
Absorb the silence of Shavasana.
A half waking half sleeping state in which we restore our body,
Senses and mind to the natural condition and we surrender to the earth completely.
We lose the sense of separation as we enter a state of wholeness,
Serenity and well-being.
Through letting go we transform and grow.
Feel the gentle rhythm of the heart and sense the breath flowing through you like a perpetual wave.
Bring your attention to your toes,
See your toes in your mind's eye.
Gently relax the toes one by one.
The soles of the feet,
You may even sense a tingling or warmth in the soles of the feet.
What can you feel?
Sense the top of the feet,
The heels,
The ankles.
As you breathe out,
Exhale all tension,
All fatigue from the feet.
Soften the calves and shins.
Sense the spaces behind your knees.
Yes,
You can sense space.
Release through the back of the thighs,
The front of the thighs.
Relax the buttocks,
The heaviest muscles of all.
Release all tension.
It's as though you're falling deep into the earth.
Deep,
Deep into the earth,
Gravity drawing you inwards to the heart of the earth.
Sense the lower back and allow it to soften.
The middle back,
The upper back.
Let go.
Let go.
And draw your attention to the hands.
Relax your fingers one by one,
Sensing a gentle pulsing in the palms of your hands.
You may sense a tingling or pulsing or warmth or cool.
What can you sense?
It's as though your heart is beating in your hands.
Relax the wrists and notice the energy flowing around the wrists.
Relax the lower arms to the upper arms to the shoulders.
Drop your concerns,
The weight of the world,
The burdens and worries.
Come into the moment and release all that binds you.
Bring your awareness to the face.
Drop the jaw.
And again,
And again,
Soften the cheeks.
Relax the wings of the nose,
Sides of the nose,
The bridge of the nose.
Soften the eyes,
Above the eyes,
Behind the eyes,
And deep within the eyes.
Relax the forehead from temple to temple,
Smoothing out all frown lines and restoring your mind to a state of tranquility and equanimity.
And bring your awareness to the back of your head and around behind the ears.
Follow the hairline to the crown of the head.
You may be able to sense a tingling or warmth or a cool at the crown of the head.
Sense softness,
Calm and harmony at the crown of the head.
Relax your breath.
Allow the breath to gently guide you inwards.
Go within,
Deep within,
That place of safety,
Peace,
Comfort and ease.
Place of pauses,
That place of pure rest.
Nothing to think about,
Nowhere to be.
Arriving,
Staying,
Just being.
Sometimes the most important moments we experience in our day are the pauses between the breaths.
And the spaces between the thoughts.
Pause.
What is a pause?
A pause is when something ceases just for an instant or two.
Life's intermission,
A stillness between two moments.
When things are calm,
Quiet,
Floating.
An instant in which we can restore and refresh.
A suspension of life's play.
When we allow ourselves to loosen our grip on life and be free.
For freedom is our destination.
Freedom from all pain,
Tension,
Fatigue,
Worries and sadness.
How often do you pause?
Really pause.
I invite you to,
To pause to take a deep breath.
Pause to arrive.
Pause to settle.
Notice the pauses sitting between the breaths.
In your imagination pause to look around you and be aware.
What can you see in your imagination?
What can you remember at this moment?
What do you see,
Hear and sense around you?
Pause to hear the sounds around you.
Is it the sound of the breeze,
Birds chirping,
Dogs barking,
Children laughing,
Distant conversations,
Walls gently creaking,
Music softly playing,
The puttering of a candle,
Distant planes,
The beating of your own heart or the sound of your own breath.
Just pause to take a deep quenching breath.
Pause to hear the rustle of the wind through the trees.
Pause to sense the cool air on your skin and the tip of your nose.
The body whispering its messages.
And imagine the warmth of the sun on your back.
Sometimes we just sit in the pause awaiting the arrival of the next breath.
Sometimes we lengthen the pause just to cherish the moment of stillness.
And sometimes we don't notice anything at all.
Imagine you are out and about and you pause to notice the playfulness of children.
Pause to say hello.
Pause to connect,
Acknowledging those around you.
Pause to reflect upon the beauty in your life.
Pause to laugh and be playful.
Pause to taste,
To hear,
To notice the little things.
Pause to expand your heart and offer a helping hand.
Pause to listen to your own body.
Does your body need rest?
We need to pause to learn to know to grow.
Pause to be still.
Pause to stretch time and live more fully.
Pause for our children,
Our family,
Our friends.
Pause to create.
Pause to understand.
Pause to be a human,
Just being.
Pause.
And now,
Gently bring your awareness back to the room.
Softly lift your hands to your heart and rest them there.
Notice the gentle rhythm of your heart.
The pauses between the breaths.
The spaces between the thoughts.
Feel the warmth and calm penetrating your being.
Sense a feeling of peace.
Be aware of how you are feeling.
And whisper to yourself the ode to self-compassion.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be free.
Free from pain and strain and old tension.
May I walk through this world in a state of grace,
At ease and with an open heart.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om.
Peace.
Peace.
Peace.
