If you've been feeling exhausted or carrying the stress of the day,
This guided relaxation is here to help you unwind and let go.
Through simple techniques,
You'll begin to release tension in your body,
Quiet the mind and settle into a more balanced state.
Practicing this regularly can support your resilience,
Helping you respond to challenges with more steadiness and help let go of what might otherwise keep you up at night.
So settle into a comfortable resting position,
Lying down or seated,
Supported in a way that allows your body to fully let go,
Gathering any props to give you optimal comfort,
Maybe dimming the lights,
Covering your eyes to block out any light.
We'll begin by inhaling and tensing up the whole right hand,
The right arm,
Tensing up the right leg,
The right foot,
The right side of the buttocks,
Maybe even the right side of the face.
And then on the exhale,
Completely letting go,
Letting tension flow out of the right side.
Do that again on the right side,
Tensing up the right hand,
Arm,
Right leg,
Foot,
Buttocks,
Right side of the face.
And then completely letting go,
Feel the tension flowing out of the right side.
And now tensing up the left hand,
Left arm,
Leg,
Foot,
Left side of the buttocks,
And perhaps the left side of the face.
And then exhale,
Completely letting go,
Letting tension flow out of the left side.
Do that again,
Tensing up the left hand on the inhale,
Arm,
Leg,
Foot,
Buttocks,
Face.
And then exhale,
Completely letting go,
Allow the tension to flow out of the left side.
And now tensing up the whole body,
Squeezing the face,
Squeezing the hands and the arms,
Squeezing the buttocks,
The legs,
Maybe curling the toes.
Deep inhale here,
And then exhale,
Completely letting go,
Letting the tension flow out of the whole body.
One more time that way,
Tensing up the whole body,
Inhaling,
And exhale,
Completely letting go.
Begin to let the constant movement of the outside world fade,
And begin to turn inward to a place of stillness,
This quiet place deep within you that is always there.
Bring your attention to your natural breathing,
Feel the breath like a gentle wave moving through you,
Feel the whole body responding to the breath,
Imagine that each inhale creates space inside your mind,
And each exhale lets you settle down a little more.
Breathing in space,
Breathing out,
Letting go.
And now still allowing your breath to be at a natural pace.
You might imagine breathing in through the left nostril,
And then exhaling out through the right nostril.
Inhale left,
Exhale right.
Keep going at your own pace,
Allow the breath to be effortless.
And then switching that,
And imagine breathing in through the right nostril,
And exhaling through the left.
Inhale right,
Exhale left.
And now let that go.
And let your attention rest briefly on each body part as you hear it mentioned,
Perhaps feeling that area of the body softening.
Now,
Bring your awareness to the crown of the head,
Forehead,
The space between the eyebrows,
Right eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
Right eye,
Left eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
Left eye,
And sensing both eyes together,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right outer ear,
Right inner ear,
Left outer ear,
Left inner ear,
The upper lip,
Lower lip,
Upper teeth and gums,
Lower teeth and gums,
The inside of the right cheek,
Inside of the left cheek.
Sense the whole tongue,
Throat,
Collarbones,
Both shoulders,
Arms,
Wrists,
Both palms,
Back of the hands,
And sensing all the ten fingers.
And awareness to the chest,
And the heart space,
The solar plexus,
Belly,
And now moving awareness to the back of the body and sensing both shoulder blades,
Mid back,
Low back,
Both sides of the hips,
Knees,
Ankles,
Heels,
Soles of the feet,
And sensing all ten toes,
The whole body,
Softening down,
Held by the earth.
Bring your awareness back to your breath,
Feel the ebb and flow,
And then allow your awareness to settle at the center of your chest,
The heart space,
This quiet inner space that is calm and steady.
Imagine a small light there,
This light represents balance and ease.
And now see that light filling the whole body,
Up to the crown of the head,
Filling the whole head,
Down to the neck,
The shoulders,
And the arms,
To the tips of the fingers,
Down the torso,
The hips,
And legs,
All the way down to the toes,
The whole body filled with light,
Filled with balance and ease.
See yourself in this cocoon of stillness and light,
Resting in ease.
If thoughts arise,
Let them drift past,
Without engaging in them.
Allow yourself to float in this feeling of mental balance,
Supported,
Grounded,
Held by Mother Earth.
And now start to bring your awareness back into the room,
Awareness of yourself resting here.
Notice any sounds around you,
Maybe deepening the breath,
Take an inhale through the nose,
And sigh out through the mouth.
Take a moment to notice how you feel after this short time.
Let the nervous system register this.
You might stay here as long as you like,
Or begin to bring some movement back into the body.
I'd like to leave you with a quote from a Buddhist monk,
Peace does not come from effort,
It comes when we stop trying to make this moment any different than it already is.
