Thanks for joining me for a movement and breath meditation break,
An opportunity to energize your body by using your breath to begin again.
This practice can be done lying on your back or reclining in a chair.
If you're lying down,
You can prop a pillow under your knees so that there is no tension in your back.
You can also prop a low pillow under your head for support.
Arms can rest by your sides or hands on your belly,
Whichever gives you the most ease and comfort.
Feel your weight fall into the back of your body,
Supported by the bed or the chair.
With each exhalation,
Release and let the weight drop a bit more,
Letting go of any holding in the feet,
Ankles,
Calves,
Knees,
Thighs,
Hips,
Belly,
Ribs,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Hands,
Fingers,
Face.
Turn your attention to your breath,
Observing the quality of each inhalation and exhalation.
Inhaling,
Allowing each breath to be easy without forcing,
Gripping,
Or tightening.
Just allowing breath to flow into the body,
On the inhalation,
Filling the lungs,
And out of the body on the exhalation,
Emptying the lungs completely.
Without disrupting the ease of that rhythm,
Perhaps you can try extending the length of each breath.
Knowing that the end of one breath is the beginning of the next.
Now let the weight of your head roll to one side,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Letting the weight of your head release a bit more,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Softening your shoulders,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Releasing the muscles of your face,
Inhale,
Roll your head back to the center,
And exhale,
Let your head fall to the other side,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Let the weight of your head release a bit more,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Softening your shoulders,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Releasing the muscles of your face,
Inhale,
Rolling your head back to the center,
Exhale,
Lightly extending your arms in front of you,
Taking some big circles with your wrists,
You're going to circle the wrists around,
One,
Two,
Nice and slow,
Three,
Four,
Using your hands to outline the full circumference of the circle,
Six,
Seven,
Eight,
Reversing the direction,
One,
Big slow circles,
Two,
The end of one circle is the beginning of the next,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight,
Letting your hands rest comfortably,
We'll take the same circles with your feet,
Drawing big circles with the feet,
Feeling them touch the full circumference of the circle,
Circling one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Six,
Seven,
Eight,
The other direction with the feet,
One,
Two,
Feeling the muscles in the ankles waking up,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight,
Just release the feet,
Pressing through your hands,
Pressing your hands in front of you,
As if you're pushing something away from you,
And now flexing through the feet,
Pressing the soles of the feet away from you,
Feeling the muscles in your arms and in your legs activated as you press,
Inhale,
Exhale,
One,
Keep pressing through the hands and feet,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Two,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Three,
Feeling the strength in the muscles of your arms and legs,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Four,
Releasing arms and legs,
Gripping all the muscles from your feet,
Legs,
Buttocks,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Hands,
Face,
Really squeezing,
Holding,
Keep holding,
And release,
Releasing that tension from your feet,
Legs,
Buttocks,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Hands,
Face,
Returning your attention to your breath,
The quality of each inhalation and each exhalation,
Letting the end of one breath be the beginning of the next.
