Hello and welcome.
This meditation is best done laying down on a flat surface,
Perhaps with a pillow underneath your head,
Your knees,
With something soft at the spot where your hips touch the ground.
You can lay on a bed,
On a floor or on a couch,
Whatever you prefer.
As we set ourselves up for this relaxing exercise,
I'd like you to take a moment to notice whether there are any anxious,
Controlling,
Obsessive thoughts going on in your head about the speed or the quality of your relaxation.
And if you have any expectations of your body,
Just notice them without judging yourself.
And then see if you can ask this part of you,
This part that is trying to protect you,
Trying to tell you how important it is to relax,
If you can ask that part to trust me,
To trust you and to step aside for a moment and allow us to make space for your body to relax at its own pace.
As it is often that if we stop trying to control and open up space for relaxation to happen naturally,
We know and we learn that our body knows how to relax.
Our body knows how to sleep,
To recover.
To recover,
All we need to do is step aside and allow it to happen at its own pace.
So see if you can soften the way you engage with this moment with your body.
Take a deep breath in through the nose.
Open the mouth and sigh out.
Slowly in.
And release.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Allow your breath to soften,
To flow like waves on a shoreline,
Waves rolling in and out.
Placing your awareness on the soles of your feet,
Nose,
Your heels,
Your toes,
Front of the foot,
Ankles.
Trust your feet.
Your feet know how to relax.
Just allow them to release into the surface beneath you.
Notice your calves,
Your shins,
Your knees.
Allow them to soften.
Notice your upper legs,
Front and back,
Your hips.
Notice your bum.
And just allow all those parts of you to release.
No more work.
Allow your lower back,
Your belly,
Your ribs,
Front and back,
Front and back,
Your chest,
Your shoulders to release.
Feel a lightness,
Perhaps even a floating with every inhale.
And a letting go,
A heaviness,
A sinking down with every exhale.
Trust your body.
Your body knows how to relax.
Relax.
Release your shoulders,
Upper arms,
Lower arms,
Hands and fingers one by one.
Release the back of your neck,
Your throat,
The back of your head,
Top of your head,
Your forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eyes,
Cheeks,
Nose.
Release your ears,
Jaws,
Lips and tongue.
Feeling your whole body like a cloud of sensations.
Letting the waves of your breath roll over you and through you.
Rolling over and back.
Picking you up and releasing you.
Surrender yourself to these slow waves and allow your body to slowly fade into the distance.
You can stay here for as long as you like.
Thank you for practicing.
