Welcome to this deep rest practice.
This is a guided journey into stillness designed to gently support your nervous system and invite your body and mind into a place of ease and restoration.
We will begin with simple practices that help tone the vagus nerve,
One of the body's natural pathways to deeper resilience and rest,
And then move into a body scan that invites curiosity into our awareness.
Everything I guide is an offering.
Please follow what feels supportive and leave the rest.
You can shift to open your eyes or pause at any time to support yourself in finding more comfort.
As we begin,
You might start to notice what is here for you right now.
Perhaps you notice the temperature of your skin,
The texture of your breath,
Or any sensations that feel present in your body.
We will begin by arriving into the physical space with our awareness.
Allow your gaze to softly wander around the room without rushing.
Notice if there's a color,
A shape,
Or an object that feels pleasant,
Comforting,
Or safe to you.
Let your eyes rest there for a moment,
Soaking it in.
As your eyes soak in this object,
Color,
Or shape,
See if anything shifts in your body,
In your body,
In your sensation.
Perhaps your shoulders ease or your breath slows.
What is it like to let your attention rest on something that feels supportive in your surroundings?
Let's bring our awareness to the sensation of sound with a humming practice.
Inhale slowly,
And as you exhale,
Let a soft hum move through your chest and throat.
Repeating this two to four more times.
Notice the vibration as if it is massaging your heart,
Jaw,
And skull.
What happens to your body when the sound fades into silence?
Now let us begin to travel through the body.
Simply notice each part as it is named.
No need to force sensation,
Just allow your awareness to rest there for a moment.
Bring your attention to the crown of the head,
The forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eye,
Nose,
Lips,
Jaw,
Throat.
Awareness down the right arm,
Shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Thumb,
Wrist,
Thumb,
Each finger,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger.
Awareness down the left arm,
Shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm,
Each finger,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger.
Now the chest,
Heart space,
Arms,
Ribs,
Solar plexus,
Belly,
Navel,
Pelvis.
Awareness down the right leg,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
And each toe,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Awareness down the left leg,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Each toe,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Notice the whole body resting from crown of the head to toes,
From toes to crown,
The whole body resting.
Now we return,
But this time with more detail,
As though you were shining a small beam of light onto each body part.
Left foot,
The little toe,
The fourth toe,
The third toe,
The second toe,
And the big toe.
The sole of the foot,
The arch,
The heel,
The top of the foot,
The ankle,
Heel,
Shin bone,
Calf muscle,
Crease behind the knee,
Thigh,
Hip joint.
Right foot,
The little toe,
The fourth toe,
The third toe,
The second toe,
And the big toe.
The sole of the foot,
The arch,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Ankle,
Shin bone,
Calf muscle,
Crease behind the knee,
Thigh,
The hip joint.
The pelvic bowl,
The lower belly,
Navel,
Solar plexus,
Rib cage,
Heart space,
Collarbones,
And the upper chest,
The left hand,
Left little finger,
Forefinger,
Middle finger,
Index finger,
And the thumb,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Bend of the elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder joints.
The right hand,
Right little finger,
Forefinger,
Middle finger,
Index finger,
And the thumb,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Bend of the elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder joints.
We bring our awareness to the neck and the head,
Starting at the throat,
The jaw,
The lips,
The corners of the mouth,
The tongue resting in the mouth,
The cheeks,
The nostrils,
The space between the eyebrows,
The eyelashes resting against the skin,
The forehead,
The temples,
The crown of the head,
And the space just above it.
The whole body is present,
Each body part gently bathed in white light,
Complete and at ease,
From toes to crown,
Crown to toes.
Now that the body has been seen part by part,
Let us rest in the spaces in between,
Where sensation grows more delicate,
Almost invisible.
You might begin to notice movements within,
The soft rhythm of your breathing,
The steady pulse of your heartbeat,
The quiet hum of life within.
Notice the breath as it moves itself,
The gentle rise of the inhale,
The soft release of the exhale.
Notice the breath as it moves itself,
The gentle rise of the inhale,
The soft release of the exhale.
Like waves lapping at the shore,
Drawing in,
Rolling back,
Again and again.
Allow your body to be breathed without effort,
Without control.
Perhaps you can sense the pulse of the heart,
A steady rhythm in the chest,
Or a faint throb in the fingertips,
The lips,
The soles of the feet.
Even if you do not feel it directly,
Simply know it is there,
The heartbeat carrying you moment by moment.
Sense the warmth of your body,
The tingling of aliveness beneath the skin.
Notice how the edges of you seem to blur,
As though your presence extends just beyond the surface.
A gentle field of energy surrounding and holding you.
And beneath all of this,
Notice the stillness that never changes.
A vast,
Quiet space in which breath,
Heartbeat,
Sensation all rise and fall.
Yet something deeper remains,
Steady and unmoving.
And as you rest in this vast stillness,
There is nothing more to do.
Allow yourself to drift,
Softly,
Gently,
As though your body is a field of warm,
Radiant light.
Drifting,
Drifting,
Drifting.
Each breath illuminating you from within.
Each heartbeat spreading light through every cell,
Every limb.
Feel the light holding you,
Supporting you.
Simply drifting brighter,
Lighter and deeper into ease.
Feel now the whole body once again,
From the smallest details to the entire field of the body as one.
Notice the body as a constellation of sensations.
Noticing or resting in these sensations without effort.
The whole body breathing.
The whole body resting.
