Okay,
Today we're going to do a practice called the gratitude game and the way we're going to prepare for this is I invite you to lay down on the bed side by side and roll towards each other so that you're facing belly-to-belly and let your bodies touch heart-to-heart,
Belly-to-belly,
Hips-to-hips.
Let your legs wrap around each other and snuggle into a comfortable position.
Comfort is really important here so you want to be in such a place that you feel completely relaxed.
You're not straining to hold yourself at all.
So when you find that position,
Just let go and a little exhale,
A little sigh.
Snuggle in a little more and make sure you're comfortable.
Okay,
We begin the practice with a few deep breaths.
Take a deep breath in and out,
In and in.
This practice we're going to slow time down.
One of the ways that we do this is by lengthening the inhale and lengthening the exhale.
So three more times,
Deep breath,
Let your lungs really open up,
Let your ribcage expand.
Now we're going to add some sound to the mix.
So with the exhale,
I invite you to let your voice make a sound,
A little sigh,
A deep breath in and out.
Okay,
Now place your hand on the back of your partner's heart.
We're going to do some more breathing and feel the vibration as your partner exhales.
Deep breath in and out.
And up your sound a little bit so that your partner's fingertips are actually vibrating with your exhale.
Great.
Inhale and exhale.
And part of slowing down time and relaxing the nervous system and opening the senses is allowing the exhale of your breath to be a little bit longer than the inhale.
So we're going to practice one more time,
Deep breath in and out.
So if by chance your eyes are still open,
Go ahead and close them now and let all of your attention flow to the other senses.
Feel your weight on the mattress,
Feel the mattress rising up to meet you.
Feel the warmth of your partner's body.
Feel the movement as their lungs expand and contract.
Notice the sensations in the ends of your fingertips and feel the weight and texture of your partner's legs.
We're going to focus the breath next now that we've slowed it down and added sound.
We're going to begin by focusing on the heart.
The way that we do this is a deep breath in to the lungs.
Open the ribcage as much as you can.
Create space for your heart.
Deep breath into your heart.
One more breath into the heart.
Let yourself feel your fingertips vibrating as your partner exhales.
Beautiful.
And in a moment here we're going to drop the breath deeper into the body.
We're going to do that by dropping the diaphragm,
Softening the abdomen,
The stomach,
The guts,
And pulling down.
So with the inhale we're moving the air to the very bottom of the lungs and even imagining that that energetic inflow is going all the way down into our bellies.
Deep belly breath in.
Sound on the exhale.
Deep breath in.
One more deep breath into your belly.
Great.
Take a moment now and just notice what changes are happening in your body.
Notice the ways in which you may feel more relaxed,
Warmer,
Cooler,
More comfortable,
Or is there a position change that needs to happen?
How much more aware of your partner are you?
Can you feel your partner's whole body at the same time,
Head to toe?
Not focusing on any particular part,
No matter how delectable that part may be,
But just the whole length of your partner's body.
Now we're going to deepen the breath just a little bit more.
This time we're going to imagine that as we breathe in we fill the lungs with air and energy keeps moving down through the abdomen and all the way into the pelvic bowl.
So literally air isn't moving down into your belly and into your pelvis,
But there is some magic happening.
Energetically your awareness is moving down,
Filling your body more and more,
And the oxygen that you're breathing into your lungs is being carried by your circulatory system all the way through your body.
So each in-breath is filling more than just your lungs,
It's moving oxygen through all the arteries and veins into the entire length of your body.
I'm just going to imagine that with the next three breaths.
Breathing all the way in through your lungs,
Your belly,
Your pelvis.
Exhaling.
One more deep pelvic breath.
Rock your hips just a little bit,
Tiny micro movements,
And take a deep breath into your hips.
Do a little bump and grind,
Push up against each other,
Really feel your bodies connected,
Heart to heart,
Belly to belly,
Pelvis to pelvis.
And allow that connection to register,
Like,
Mmm,
I'm all the way here.
Mmm,
You're all the way here.
I can feel you from head to toe.
Just let that soak in.
In a moment,
We're going to open up our eyes,
Bring back the visual sense,
Online.
So one more deep breath.
And with the exhale,
Open your eyes and find your partner's face.
Adjust your bodies again so you can be comfortable.
Notice what looks new and different about your partner's face.
Can you find a level of connection or relaxation or presence that may not have been there when you began this practice?
Now we're going to take turns speaking.
Mmm,
Little sentences of gratitude.
So I'm going to invite you,
Pick the person who has the longest tongue.
Which one of you has the longest tongue?
You're going to speak first.
Look at your partner's face and find something that you especially love about their face right now in this moment.
And share that with them.
Put words on it.
Tell them.
And then a deep breath into your hearts,
In your bellies,
All the way down into your hips.
Now,
Next turn.
Look into your partner's face.
Find something new and delightful right now and share with them what you've discovered.
Let that soak in and take a deep breath together into your hearts,
Your bellies,
And your hips.
Now go back to the original speaker and share something that you appreciate that your partner,
That you've noticed about your partner in the last 24 hours.
What's something they've said or done or been that you feel grateful for?
And if it was your turn to receive a compliment,
Simply say,
Thank you.
And both of you together take a deep breath into your hearts,
In your bellies.
Okay,
It's your turn.
What's something that you especially appreciate that your partner has said or been or done or shared with you in the last 24 hours?
And if you've received the compliment,
Say,
Thank you.
And take a deep breath together into your hearts,
Your bellies,
And your hips.
And move around if you need a new position.
Let yourself stretch a little.
And come back together.
Feel this precious person in your arms.
Feel the miracle that they are.
Feel how much you love them.
And one more round of sharing here,
Going back to the original speaker.
Say something about,
I am so grateful that you're in my life because.
And a thank you.
And pull each other closer and take a deep breath together into your hearts.
And your bellies.
All the way down in your hips.
And feel into,
Hmm,
What you mean to me.
And then second speaker share,
I'm so grateful you're in my life because.
And a thank you.
And you're complete.
And pull each other closer one last time and a deep breath together into your hearts.
Your bellies.
And your pelvis.
And you can continue on if you'd like,
Sharing back and forth words of gratitude.
You can complete the practice.
The way that we do this at the end is one final round of a deep breath together into your hearts.
Deep breath together into your bellies.
Deep breath together into your hips.
And share some gesture of gratitude for sharing these moments together,
For stepping out of your busy days and making time for each other.
Keep on loving.
