Take a moment to get really comfortable,
Setting up in a position that feels like Shavasana,
Perhaps laid on your back or your side,
Making sure that the mind feels at ease with the shape the body has chosen to take,
Using any props you might need as an accessory,
Entering into your rest nest,
Grabbing a blanket so that you stay warm for the duration of the practice,
And perhaps a light covering over the eyes,
And just making any final adjustments so that you can begin to move towards stillness.
Let the body rest for the duration of this practice just knowing that there's nowhere else you need to be,
There's nothing else you need to do,
That right here,
Right now,
Nothing else is required of you other than to simply be.
Start by taking three deep breaths,
Full-bodied breaths,
Just breathing a little deeper,
A little fuller than you might normally breathe,
And allowing these breaths to anchor you into the now.
Feel the support beneath the body,
Contact points between your body and the ground,
And really allow yourself to soften down into that support,
Nothing to hold,
You are held.
Bring your awareness to the tips of the toes,
Relaxing the skin surface,
The muscles,
Skeletal structure,
Relax some more,
Relax some more,
And allow that feeling of relaxation to travel like a wave along the soles of the feet,
Heels,
Through the ankles and the top of the feet,
Relax the feet,
Both on the surface and deep down inside of the feet themselves,
Relax.
Feeling that relaxation like a wave travelling up the lower legs to the knees,
From the knees up through the thighs to the hips,
Both legs completely relaxed,
Nowhere else to go.
Awareness shifts to fingertips,
Relaxing the tips of the fingers,
The skin surface,
The muscles of the fingers,
The skeletal system relaxed.
All the nerves and the capillaries,
Palms of hands,
Back of hands relaxed.
Relax the hands some more.
Both hands relaxed,
And feeling that sense of relaxation travel like a wave up through the wrists and the forearms to the elbows,
From the elbows up to the shoulders,
Both arms relaxed,
Both arms relaxed,
Nothing left to do,
Just be.
Bring your awareness to the ears and the ear canal,
The part of the brain associated with hearing,
The temporal region,
Relaxed,
Nothing left to hear.
Sensing the light seeping through the eyelids,
Relax the eyelids,
The muscles surrounding the eyes,
Behind the eyes,
Eyes relaxed.
The neural network from the eyes to the brain relaxed,
Nothing left to see.
Relaxing the outer corners of the nose,
The tip of the nose,
The nasal cavity,
Relaxed,
Nothing left to smell.
Relaxing the corners of the mouth,
The lips,
The tongue,
Mouth,
Jaw,
Relaxed,
Nothing else to taste.
Relax the shoulders,
Both on the surface and deep down into the shoulders themselves.
A wave of relaxation travels down the back of the body as easily as the breath that travels through you.
Belly relaxed,
Torso relaxed,
Right side of the chest relaxed,
Left side of the chest relaxed,
Centre of the chest relaxed.
Relaxing all physical and all emotional tension here,
Relaxed.
Throat centre relaxed,
Nothing else to say.
Centre of forehead relaxed.
Physical sensation softens across the brow,
Across the forehead and then just behind the forehead itself,
Midbrain relaxed.
Nothing left to think.
Space inside of the head relaxed.
Entire body,
Entire being spacious and relaxed.
And resting here in this awareness,
And I will let you know when it's time to come back around.
Start to bring your awareness back to your body now,
Where it sits in space.
Beginning to sense the temperature of the room against your skin,
Texture of the clothes you're wearing,
The skin that you are in.
Light dancing behind eyelids,
Residue of taste on your tongue,
Fragrance of the air.
Noticing how as you bring your awareness back to your body now,
Naturally the breath begins to deepen once again.
Start to encourage a slightly deeper breath as if you're able to breathe a wave of renewal right down to the tips of the fingers and the tips of the toes,
Slowly waking the body back up,
Slowly inviting a sense of revitalisation,
Cell deep.
Gently rub the finger pads together,
Wiggle the toes.
Run the tongue around the teeth to encourage saliva back into the mouth.
Softly roll the head left to right,
Encourage blood flow back to the brain,
Letting you know that it's time to start to come back around.
Take your time with this coming around process,
And if you prefer to stay where you are,
By all means do.
If and when you're ready,
Roll to your preferred side and pause there for a breath.
Keeping the head nice and heavy,
Press into your top hand and slowly rise to a seat,
Keeping the eyes closed if that's comfortable.
Bring the hands together,
Generate some heat by rubbing from heels of hands to pads of fingers.
Once you feel that warmth in the hands,
You can gently cup the hands over the eyelids,
Blinking a few times to slowly allow the world back in.
And then taking that inner awareness with you as you slowly remove the hands and bring yourself back into the external world.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
