Welcome to this short proprioception meditation practice.
Find a comfortable seat,
Either sitting or laying down,
Ensuring your spine is straight and your body is relaxed,
That you are warm and comfortable and won't be distracted for the next few minutes.
When you are ready,
Gently close your eyes and take a few deep calming breaths.
As you breathe in,
Feel the expansion of your chest and abdomen.
As you exhale,
Let go of any tension you may be holding on to.
Allow your breath to guide you into this practice of cultivating proprioceptive awareness.
Bring your attention to your body,
Feeling the weight of your body against the chair or the floor.
Take a moment to become aware of the points of contact between your body and the supporting surface.
Notice all of the places where the floor or the chair or the cushions are coming up to hold and support your body.
If you're sitting,
Notice how your feet press into the ground or how your legs make contact with the chair or how your hands rest on your lap.
If you're laying,
Notice the different areas of your body that touch the ground as well as the spaces that don't,
Like behind the neck,
The low back and the knees.
Notice where your hands are resting if you're laying down.
If on the floor,
Notice the coolness or warmth of the floor.
Perhaps you can even notice the air touching any places that are bare skin,
Such as your face.
Can you feel the sensation of the air against your skin?
Shift your focus to your hands.
Become aware of the sensations in your palms and fingertips.
Just bring your curious observation to these places,
The palm of each of your hands,
The pads of each of your fingertips and even the spaces between your fingers.
And now if you wish you could gently wiggle your fingers and notice how they respond to your intention.
Can you really pay attention and feel the subtle movements within your hands as you explore this awareness?
Perhaps by drawing your awareness to this movement you can even notice the feeling of the bones within the hands moving.
Now you can let that go and just rest your hands comfortably.
Now bring your awareness to your head.
First just noticing any tension around the eyes,
Around the mouth,
In the jaw.
Where is your tongue resting?
Is your mouth open or closed?
Gently tilt your head side to side,
Feeling the stretch along your neck.
Just a gentle movement,
Merely to bring your curious observation to the sensation of the motion.
Notice if turning your head in one direction is a little easier or harder than the other side.
If you're laying down,
Also notice the sensation of the back of your head rolling on the mat.
Notice any sensations of tightness or ease as you make these movements.
Moving now to your shoulders.
Gently and slowly lift them up towards your ears on an inhale and as you exhale let them relax and rest back to their beginning spot.
Try both shoulders at the same time and also try one shoulder at a time.
Is there anything to notice here?
Any sensation to bring your observation to?
Come to stillness and see if you can notice the space between your shoulder and your ear.
Can you notice if your shoulders are curling forward or nestling down?
This is only meant to be observation.
Don't change anything.
The practice is in the noticing.
Shift your focus to your breath.
Notice how your breath flows in and out of your body.
As you inhale,
Imagine the breath expanding your chest and your abdomen and creating space within.
As you exhale,
Feel a gentle release of tension.
Explore the sensation that comes when you extend your exhale to be a little longer than your inhale.
Notice where the sensation of breath is felt the strongest.
Is it in your upper chest,
The base of your ribs,
Perhaps around to your back?
Just notice.
Now bring your attention to your spine.
Imagine a string pulling the crown of your head gently upward,
Lengthening your spine.
Feel each vertebrae stacking on top of each other,
Creating a sense of alignment and balance.
If you're sitting,
Can you notice if your spine is over your pelvis?
Is it in front of or behind your pelvis?
Expand your awareness to encompass the entire body.
Feel the unity of your body as a whole and notice the sensations of warmth,
Coolness,
Tingling,
Or any other sensations that arise.
For further exploration,
If you are laying down,
Gently rock your torso from the top of your head to your tailbone as one single unit.
Gently rock side to side and notice the sensation of the entire spine moving as one.
You could also explore turning your head in the opposite direction that you rock your torso and notice the sensation there.
As you bring this meditation to a close,
Take a few deep breaths.
Send love and kindness and gratitude out to your body.
You could imagine a white light radiating from your heart or perhaps warmth or something else that comes to mind.
But send gratitude and love out from your heart and allow it to fill every single cell,
Every bone,
And every muscle.
Thank your body for all that it does for you every single day.
Take a few more breaths,
Noticing the quality of your breath,
The quality of your thoughts,
And the stillness within.
You could gently wiggle your toes and fingers,
Bringing some movement back into your body.
And when you're ready,
Slowly and gently open your eyes.
Carry this heightened awareness of your body's position and movement with you as you continue your day.
Remember that this practice can be revisited whenever you need to ground yourself in the present moment and connect with your body's sensations.
Thank you for joining me and I send you with love and gratitude into the days to come.
