My name's Sandhya.
We'll begin with a body scan,
Helping to unwind the body,
And some gentle breath work.
This is your time to rest,
To soften,
To unweave any heavy words that followed you through your day.
You don't need to think or try,
Only listen.
Allow your body to settle down to the surface beneath you,
And your breath to slow.
Words have power,
And every word spoken to you,
And every word you speak inside shapes how you feel.
Tonight,
We'll invite the gentle words to rise,
And the harsh ones to fade away,
Bringing the awareness to the top of the head,
And noticing here any sensations,
Tingling,
Heat,
Coolness,
Or no sensations.
Slowly bringing your awareness down to your forehead,
The eyes,
And the eyelids.
Noticing any small movements in the eyes,
Awareness to the cheeks,
And the nose.
Noticing any sensations at the nose,
Perhaps you can notice cool air entering,
And the warmth of the breath as it leaves.
Noticing any sounds around you,
And allow each sound to guide you deeper and deeper into stillness.
Feeling the weight of the head resting upon the surface beneath you,
And the breath flowing down to the left shoulder,
To the left elbow,
Lower arm,
Wrist,
And fingertips of the left hand.
Feeling the weight of the arm,
Heavy,
Relaxed,
As though melting down into the surface beneath you.
Awareness back up the arm,
And across to the right shoulder,
Flowing down the right upper arm,
To the elbow,
Lower right arm,
Wrist,
And fingers in thumb of the right hand.
Being aware of the weight of the arm,
Arms sinking down,
Resting,
Muscles relaxing,
Bones heavy.
Awareness flowing back up the arm,
Into the chest,
To the upper back,
The middle back,
The front of the ribs,
Abdomen,
And lower back.
Breath in,
Feeling the support of Mother Earth beneath you,
Holding you,
Supporting you.
Awareness to the pelvis and the hips,
And down the upper left leg,
Past the knee,
Drifting down to the lower leg.
Down to the ankle,
Foot,
And toes.
Awareness to the right upper leg,
The lower leg,
The foot,
And the toes.
Breathing in,
Legs heavy,
Sinking deeper and deeper down.
It's almost as if a wave of relaxation is flowing down through the whole of the body.
If thoughts wander,
Return to my voice,
Or the rhythm of your breath.
Each word,
Each sound,
Relaxes you even more than before.
Every exhale is like a little surrender,
Letting go of what you no longer need.
Any words that don't serve you,
Perhaps words such as,
I should have,
I must,
I have to,
Allow them to drift away with the breath,
Dissolving into the air.
Now imagine you're on a moonlit shore,
You feel safe here,
And the sand beneath you is warm and smooth,
Cradling every part of you.
Perhaps you're here with a friend,
Or by yourself.
You gaze out at the endless night sky,
Watching the stars,
And the moon that looks like a calm silver lantern.
You listen to the waves arriving and retreating,
Arriving and retreating in rhythm with your breath.
You look around at the sun,
And you begin to see words written in the sand around you.
These words are unkind or sharp words that perhaps others once spoke to you,
Or perhaps words you've spoken to yourself.
You watch as a gentle tide flows closer and begins to wash over the sand,
Carrying away any harsh words,
And the words begin to blur,
Fade,
And disappear.
And when the water pours back,
New words shimmer where the old ones once were.
Kind words.
Each breath helps them grow a little brighter.
Hear the ocean ask nothing of you.
It simply whispers,
You are worthy.
You are enough.
You are love.
You are worthy.
You are enough.
You are love.
Here you feel weightless as though you're floating,
Carried by kindness.
Allow these phrases to flow through you like gentle waves.
My breath guides me into rest.
I choose to speak to myself with kindness.
It is safe for me to rest.
Feeling completely supported.
Every muscle released.
Feeling free.
Feeling whole.
Each exhale carrying you down,
Into deeper day,
Into rest.
Knowing you are held,
And you are loved.
