General Relaxation

Not a meditation but a general relaxation normally used at the end of our yoga class. This can be used to find a moments ease in your day or to help you get to sleep. The quote, although not word for word is from the Chandogya Upanishad.

Transcript

Hello, So welcome to this little relaxation. This has been created to help you feel at ease or perhaps to help you fall asleep. So just taking time to lie down, Settling into a pose that is right for you today, Making sure that you're warm and comfortable. So I will guide us through these next 15 minutes or so. I have found that relaxation is a skill and it now requires our practice. So I invite you to stay with my voice and to listen to my suggestions. The mind will want to wander away but just stay in this moment. When you notice that you have drifted elsewhere, Just be glad that you noticed. Smile, Congratulate yourself on your awareness and then bring yourself back to this moment. So if it feels right for you, Just allow the eyes to close. And as you begin to settle, You may notice sounds around you. Just accept these sounds as part of your practice. We have no control over these sounds, So let that go. Just attune yourself to who you are and absorb the comfort of this space, This room and the well-being you begin to feel when you allow yourself to rest. Observe your body. Become aware of the support of the earth underneath you. Consider your torso, The largest part of the body, The trunk on which our limbs are attached. Are there any movements that you could make that would allow your body to be more at ease? Perhaps a tucking of the tailbone, A gentle lift in the chest, Just allowing the shoulders to roll back and down. And maybe as you rolled your shoulders back and down, You noticed the arms turning out a little, Beginning to form a shape of open release, The palms face up, As if you are completely surrendering to this moment. Lovely. And if at any time that the position you are in becomes less than comfortable, Know that it's perfect just to move, Adjust, To wriggle, To cough or sneeze. Begin now to witness your breath, The natural flow of in and out. Notice the movements, The sensations created by your breath cycle. Perhaps tuning into the sound of the breath, Listening to the in-breath, Listening to the out-breath, The ebb and flow. The sound created by the movement of the air in and around you. Notice the rise of the chest as you inhale, The fall of the chest as you exhale. Ribs gently expanding, Ribs gently contracting. Notice how the belly moves in and out. Observing the breath settling down, Slowing. The gentle movements of each breath. Just find the pattern of your breath and anchor yourself to this moment. The breath is your friend. Each inhalation filling you with energy, Life and prana. And each out-breath bringing you comfort, Stillness and calm. Balanced. Just take a moment to acknowledge this perfect poise that exists within you. Now feel how the body releases with the out-breath and encourage this release further. The softening of the breath mirrored in the softening of the body. Move your attention to the space between your eyebrows. And as the breath slows, Just allow the space between the eyebrows to increase. Allow all your thoughts to drift down to the back of the head. Leave them there, Let them settle. Good. Breathing in and breathing out the forehead smooth. Let this feeling spread across your face. Cheeks softening, Muscles around the jaw letting go. With each breath the body's relaxing further. The movement of release extending across the scalp, Down the neck, As the shoulders move further away from the ears. Each breath bringing the body further into a state of release. The right arm, The left arm, The ribs settling and each muscle of our back undoing. Hips releasing. Legs naturally rotating out to the sides. Feet soft and warm. Lovely. Now return your attention to the space between your eyebrows and just settle the mind here. Become aware of this place. This is the most beautiful home. All you need is there waiting for you. Taking time to still the mind and to practice the true meaning of yoga. The stilling of all thought. And when we achieve these moments of quiet, We see our true self. That self of love, That self of light, That self of compassion. And this same self exists in all other beings uniting us. We were never a separate I, But always a whole universal self. Just stay in this moment of stillness. Breathing nice and easy. Just for the next two minutes until you hear my voice again. As we come to understand one nugget of gold, We come to understand all the things made out of gold. That they differ only in name and form. While the stuff of which they are made is gold. So just become aware of how you feel at this moment. Perhaps at peace, Calm, Contented. Remember this place. This treasury we have inside. This store of delightful things. So perhaps you're asleep, Dreaming sweetly. Or perhaps it's time for you to take part in life again. And if that's the case, Just begin to take some deeper breaths. And perhaps beginning to bring some gentle movement to the body. Perhaps enough energy to wriggle the fingers, Wriggle the toes. Perhaps circling the wrists and the ankles. Gently moving the head side to side. Being aware of where you are in the room and the things around you. It might feel nice just to have a big stretch. Moving in any way that feels good. And then when you're ready, Perhaps drawing the knees up onto the chest. Rocking the body side to side. Massaging the muscles of the back. And perhaps rolling over onto one side. Feeling refreshed and ready to go.