According to the tradition of yoga,
A regular relaxation practice is essential for restoring the body,
The mind,
And the senses.
In this guided systematic relaxation practice,
You'll move your awareness through different points of the body,
Resting and breathing at those points.
To begin,
Lie on your back in shavasana,
So turning the palms to face up toward the ceiling and letting the toes turn outward toward opposite sides of the mat.
This allows for your legs and your inner thighs to completely relax,
Which then invites relaxation through the hips and the pelvis.
As you settle into shavasana,
Notice how your belly expands as you breathe in and softens down toward the floor as you breathe out.
Let your mind rest in this natural rhythm of the breath.
Now collect your awareness at the space just above your head and take a few relaxed,
Effortless breaths here at this space.
Begin to relax through the scalp and the forehead,
Paying attention to the sense organs.
Begin to relax the ears and the inner ears.
Relax across the temples and the eyebrow line,
Softening into the eyes.
Relax and breathe in this space.
Begin to soften down the length of the nose,
The movement of the breath,
Nourishing and cleansing this space at the openings of the nostrils.
Begin to relax down through the space of the jaw and the mouth,
Softening down the length of the tongue.
Allow the base of the throat to soften and open.
Moving across the collarbones,
Soften deep into the space of the shoulders.
Here,
Letting go of any burdens,
Softening now down into the upper arms,
Into the lower arms,
Softening the tops of the hands,
The palms of your hands.
Moving up the length of the fingers,
Softening and breathing at the fingertips.
Once more,
Relax the backs of the hands and the palms of the hands,
Moving back into the lower arms,
Softening here.
Relaxing the upper arms,
Moving back deep into the space of the shoulders,
Softening,
Breathing,
And relaxing.
Moving back across the collarbones,
Soften into the space of the chest.
Relax your upper abdomen,
Your lower abdomen.
Relax the center of the pelvis.
Here,
Take a few breaths,
Breathing into the root of the body,
Relaxing your hips.
Soften your upper legs,
Relaxing down into the lower legs.
Soften the tops of the feet,
The bottoms of your feet,
Up the length of the toes,
Relaxing and breathing at the toe tips.
Once again,
Relax the tops of the feet,
The bottoms of your feet,
Moving around to the backs of the lower legs.
Soften the calf muscles and the tissue around the bone.
Relax the back of the upper legs,
Moving around to the back of the pelvis.
Soften and relax the space of the glutes.
Relax your low back,
Move your awareness up the length of the spine to the middle of the back.
Soften the area in this space.
Moving further up the length of the back,
Relax the space in between the shoulder blades,
Softening and breathing in this space.
And for a few breaths,
Relax the entire upper back.
Soften the back of the neck,
Relax the back of the head,
And returning back where we started at the space at the crown of the head.
Take a few relaxed,
Effortless breaths here.
Now expand your awareness to include your whole body,
Breathing with an awareness of the whole body being nourished as you take in fresh oxygen on each inhale,
And being deeply cleansed as the breath removes carbon dioxide from the body on each exhale.
Begin to gently wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Gently rock your head from side to side.
When you're ready,
Come to roll over and rest on your left side,
Using your arm to support the head.
And press yourself gently up to a seated position where you can close your practice in a way that feels good for you.
Maybe bringing the hands together at your heart,
Bowing the head toward the heart as an act of bridging the two.
Namaste.
