This meditation is the short version of an exercise called Relax,
Expand and Nourish the Heart.
Begin by finding a quiet,
Calm place to lie down or sit down.
Check that the mouth is closed and you're breathing in and out through the nose.
The tongue is resting against the roof of the mouth and the tip of the tongue is resting against the back of the upper teeth.
And I'm going to ask you to start at the head and work your way down to the toes,
Thinking of each body part as I talk you through.
As you think of the body part,
I'm going to ask you to relax and expand that part in all directions.
And that happens as you breathe out.
So for example,
When we start with the head,
I'll ask you to breathe out and expand the head in all directions,
Which means forwards from the face,
Backwards,
Sideways,
Down into the neck and from the top of the head up into the sky.
So just begin by thinking about the head.
Bring your mind to your head.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the head.
Now bring your mind to your shoulders.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the shoulders in all directions.
Now bring your mind to your upper arms.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the upper arms.
Think about the elbows.
Breathing out,
Relax and expand the elbows from deep within the joints outwards.
Think about the forearms.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the forearms.
Bring your mind to your wrists.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the wrists from deep within the joints.
Next,
Bringing your mind to your hands.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the hands to the very tips of the fingers.
Now thinking about the chest and upper back.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the chest and upper back.
Bring your mind to your abdomen and lower back.
Breathing out,
Relax and expand the abdomen and lower back.
Bringing your mind next to your hips.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the hips.
Now thinking about the thighs.
Breathing out,
Relax and expand the thighs.
Now think about your knees.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the knees from deep within the joints outwards.
Think about the lower legs.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the lower legs.
Bring your mind to your ankles.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the ankles from deep within the joints outwards.
Now bring your mind to your feet.
As you breathe out,
Relax and expand the feet to the very tips of the toes.
Now bringing your mind to your lower abdomen.
Think about the lower abdomen.
And for women,
Place the right hand flat on the belly with the left hand on top.
And for men,
The left hand flat on the belly with the right hand on top.
And then just making circles,
First in one direction around the lower abdomen area and then changing the direction to finish off this exercise.
And then in your own time,
Bringing yourself back into the room,
Being aware of the weight of your body in contact with the surface you're lying or sitting on.
Thinking of any sounds you can hear,
Either in the room or outside,
Wherever you are.
And just gently opening your eyes.
So that exercise helps to relax and calm the mind.
It's excellent for if you have trouble either going off to sleep at night or waking up during the middle of the night.
It has a physical benefit on the circulation,
Dilating all the blood vessels because of the relaxing and expanding that you do as you breathe out.
And therefore,
Helps to nourish the heart,
Improving the general circulation.
This exercise can be practiced sitting or standing or lying down.
And if you feel there's any particular area where you have an ache or a pain or that seems to be very difficult to relax or expand,
Then just spend a few more breaths thinking of that area as you breathe out.
So that completes Relax,
Expand and Nourish the Heart exercise.
I hope you enjoyed that,
That you're feeling nice and calm and clear of mind and relaxed but at the same time energized in your body.
