Hello and welcome.
This is Carolyn Wallace.
Thank you for being here and practicing with me.
If you can,
Please lie down and settle into a comfortable position.
Allow your body to be supported.
If sitting is more comfortable,
That's perfectly okay.
Let's begin.
Let the breath move in and soften as it leaves.
Now close your eyes gently.
Let the world outside be as it is and stay here with your breath.
You are safe to be here.
Feel your body resting.
Feel the quiet rhythm of breath.
Nothing to fix.
Nothing to do.
Just arriving.
We begin at the top of your head.
Bring gentle awareness to the scalp.
Notice any sensation.
Contact.
Temperature.
Stillness.
Whatever you feel is allowed.
Now move to your forehead.
Let the muscles there soften.
Notice how this area responds to attention.
Allow space behind the eyes to relax.
Let thoughts simply pass through.
Bring attention to your eyelids,
Your temples and the small muscles around your eyes.
Let them rest without effort.
Now your cheeks.
Your lips.
Allow the jaw to release any tension.
Let the tongue rest naturally in the mouth.
Notice how the face feels when there is nothing to hold.
Bring awareness to your throat and neck.
Sensation may be present or there may simply be quiet.
Both are okay.
Simply noticing.
Allowing it to be.
Move gently into your shoulders.
Notice if there is heaviness,
Lightness,
Tightness or ease.
Allow them to soften without forcing anything.
Let awareness move into the upper arms,
The elbows,
The forearms,
Down into the wrists.
Let these areas be held by the surface beneath you.
Simply noticing.
No need to change.
Now bring attention to your hands.
Let your palms soften.
Notice the natural state of the skin,
The muscles,
The temperature,
The energy in the hands as it settles.
Feel each finger,
The thumb,
Index,
Middle,
Ring,
Little finger,
Separate and distinct,
Quiet and alive.
Bring attention to the center of your chest.
Feel the movement of breath.
Rising on the inhalation,
Releasing on the exhalation.
Let the breath be exactly as it is.
If emotions are present here,
Notice them.
If there is just quiet,
Notice that too.
Everything is allowed to exist just as it is.
Lower awareness to the belly.
Feel the breath more naturally.
No need to control anything here.
Simply sensing the body's own rhythm.
Move gently into the lower abdomen and pelvic space.
This area supports grounding and stability.
Let the hips settle into the surface beneath you.
Allow yourself to be held.
Bring attention to your thighs.
Notice their weight,
Their temperature,
Their contact with the surface.
Whatever you feel is okay.
Let gravity support you.
Move to your knees,
A place of movement and support.
Allow your awareness to flow down into your calves.
Sense the muscles,
The bones,
The skin.
Simply feel the movement of your body.
Observe how this part of the body exists in this moment.
Bring attention to your ankles and heels.
Notice the connection to the surface beneath you.
These places carry you through daily life.
Notice them.
Offer them ease.
And now your feet.
The arches,
The balls of the feet,
Each toe one by one.
Let them rest.
Allow them to be exactly as they are.
Take a slow breath in and a gentle breath out.
You have given your body attention.
You have listened without judgment.
You have made space for yourself.
Let the awareness you cultivated here accompany you as you move into the rest of your day.
Soft body.
Steady breath.
Present mind.
When you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me today.
From the peace within me to the peace within you.
Namaste.
