Welcome to this practice for deep relaxation.
Before we begin,
Please make sure that you are as warm and as comfortable as you can be.
For the practice it's preferable to be lying maybe on the floor or a sofa or your bed.
If you prefer to remain seated,
Try and recline and make sure that you are secure.
If you've chosen to lie down,
You could have the legs stretched out,
The feet a little towards the sides.
If you find this isn't comfortable for your back today,
By all means use a cushion or a pillow under your knees or maybe bend the knees and place the feet onto the support.
Arms might be a little way away from the body,
Palms facing upwards if you can.
Eyes can be softly closed and you can have a pillow or a cushion under your head for comfort if you prefer.
Take a moment here to make sure that you are as comfortable as you can be.
Take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in and as you let it out,
Feel your body settling into the posture.
Our practice begins now and this is the time to make your sankalpa or resolve.
Your sankalpa should be a short,
Positive statement in simple language.
Maybe,
I feel calm and relaxed or I'm ready for sleep.
Take a few moments now to think about your sankalpa and then repeat your sankalpa to yourself silently three times with full awareness and feeling.
We're now going to take a trip through the different parts of the body.
We're going to move our awareness from part to part,
Starting quite swiftly.
As I mention a part of the body,
Take your attention to that part and allow it to relax.
Remain aware,
But do not concentrate too intensely.
Allow your mind to jump freely from part to part.
We will start with the right hand,
Right hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of hand,
Back of hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Right waist,
Right hip,
Kneecap,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the right foot,
Top of the right foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Now become aware of the left hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of hand,
Back of hand,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Left waist,
Left hip,
Left thigh,
Kneecap,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the left foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Now to the back.
Become aware of the back of the head,
The back of the neck,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Right heel,
Left heel.
And then go to the front of the body,
To the top of the head,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The center of the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
The nose,
The tip of the nose,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right cheek,
The upper lip,
Lower lip,
Chin,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
The center of the chest,
Navel,
Abdomen,
Right leg,
Left leg,
Right arm,
Left arm,
The whole of the head,
The whole body together,
The whole body together,
The whole body together.
And then become aware of your breath.
Feel the flow of your breath moving in and out of your lungs.
Do not try to change the rhythm.
Your breathing is natural and automatic.
You are not doing it and there is no effort.
Maintain awareness of your breath,
Complete awareness of breath.
And then withdraw your mind and concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyes.
Imagine before you a transparent screen through which you can see infinite space.
A space that extends as far as the eyes can see.
Concentrate on this dark space and become aware of any images,
Colors or patterns that appear within it.
Continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved.
And bring your awareness back to the dark space in front of your closed eyes.
If you want to explore it a little further,
You could raise your gaze slightly upwards but do not strain.
Watch the darkness you see before you carefully but with detachment.
Do not become involved.
If thoughts occur,
Let them come and go but continue watching the dark space.
Continue with this detached awareness.
And now is the time to repeat your sankalpa or resolve.
Mentally repeat the same sankalpa that you made at the beginning of the practice.
Repeat it to yourself three times with full awareness and feeling.
If you wish to drift into sleep from here,
You can do whenever you feel ready.
