In this practice,
You will go through progressively stages of relaxation,
Including your physical body.
Soothe the body,
The mind,
And emotions.
This session culminates as you float into deep sleep.
Lie down on your back with your arms and legs away from your body,
Palms facing upward.
Ensure that your spine is long,
Extended.
There's plenty of support for your low back and neck.
If you'd like,
You can place an eye covering over your face to help your senses turn inward,
To help the letting go process.
Prepare yourself so that you can be completely still during the session.
Close your eyes.
Become aware of your general state.
On the support that you're lying on,
Become aware of the distant sounds outside.
And be aware of the sounds that are closer to your body resting.
Move your attention internally.
Let it shift into and through your skin to become aware of the sounds that are inside.
Sensations,
Breathing.
Be aware of your body resting,
Being gently drawn in with the force of gravity.
Your body opening.
Feel your heels being drawn in,
Backs of your calves and thighs.
Back of your pelvis.
Feel your elbows,
Shoulder blades being drawn in with the force of gravity.
Back of your head.
Be mindful of all of these points that touch the surface you're resting on,
From your head to your toes.
Allow your body to rest.
To be drawn in and open even more.
Be aware of the rhythm of your breathing.
It's natural that you'll find moments of glitches or disruptions in the flow of breath.
Having some patience and the intention to smooth out your breathing.
You will slowly and systematically take off the burden of breath to allow it to become rhythmic,
Steady,
Like the waves on a tranquil ocean.
Allow yourself to have an easeful effort or an effortless effort.
Breath finds its smooth rhythm through letting go,
Through relaxation.
Enjoy the feeling,
The caress of the breath,
The sensation of breathing.
Let the wave of the breath wash away whatever you are preoccupied with,
Whatever worries or tensions you may be holding.
Drain and dissolve with each breath out.
The waves come and go as feelings,
Thoughts,
Ideas and memories.
But the deep ocean remains perfectly still,
A witness to the rising and falling.
Allow yourself to be filled with life,
Nourishment every breath in,
Just like a beautiful,
Colorful gas filling your whole body.
As you breathe this way,
Sense the whole body responding to the flow.
Every cell becoming alive to this pulsating sensation of breath in and out.
Then bring your awareness to the heart center,
Embedded deep inside the chest,
Behind the breastbone.
From the heart center,
Feeling the energy,
The presence of the breath itself in that space,
With full awareness of the heart,
Tell yourself in your own way that now you'll let go of all responsibility,
All concerns.
There are no problems to solve right now.
You'll allow yourself to drift into deep sleep.
Relax.
Simply observe sensations in the body as it breathes.
Witness the ebb and flow.
A growing stillness and tranquility.
Bring attention to the right thumb.
Be aware of the skin of the thumb and inside.
Sense the vibration or the pulse of life.
Do the same in the index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger.
Whole body effortless.
Be aware.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Whole hand.
Wrist.
Feel the whole wrist.
Move awareness into the forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
The whole arm,
Tissues,
Vibration.
Then bring attention to the right big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Fourth toe.
Fifth.
Sole of the foot.
The whole foot.
Heel.
Ankle.
Enjoy the feeling.
Awareness caressing up to the lower leg.
The knee.
Thigh,
Upper leg.
Right buttock.
The right hip.
The whole right leg.
Outside and inside.
The sensation extends to the left big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sole of the foot.
Whole foot.
Heel.
Ankle.
Lower leg.
Knee.
Awareness caressing upper leg.
Buttock.
Left hip.
Whole left leg.
Into the left thumb.
A concentrated presence or attention in that space.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Whole body at ease.
Be aware of the little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Whole hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Elbow to the upper arm.
Be aware of the left shoulder.
Left shoulder.
Whole left arm.
Outside and inside.
Now feel both arms at the same time.
Both legs simultaneously.
Allow awareness to embrace the entire bottom half of the body.
Right and left buttock.
Perineum.
Tailbone.
Groin.
Reproductive organs.
Outside and inside.
The presence or the breath itself in the stomach.
Solar plexus.
Low back.
Kidneys.
The ribs.
Lungs.
Upper back.
Right chest or breast.
Left chest or breast.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
In between the shoulder blades.
Be aware of the collarbone.
Both legs.
The trunk of the body all the way to the shoulders.
The arms.
Allow awareness to come in to the neck.
The throat.
The whole head.
The nose.
Right and left nostrils.
The tongue.
Mouth.
Upper and lower lips.
Teeth.
Both eyes.
Sense the space between the eyes.
The skin of the relaxed face.
Ears.
Whole head.
Skull.
Brain.
Whole body.
Sense the whole body outside and inside.
Let go completely.
Be aware of the body breathing itself.
Melt into the peace in the background.
Column of awareness.
The light of energy that welcomes without commentary,
Without words.
Thoughts come and go.
Your awareness is not affected by them.
The body is sleeping.
Awareness remains aware.
Like a child falling asleep in its mother's arms.
The body is sleeping,
But the mother is watching over it.
Be aware of the sweet and smooth sleeper's breath.
Body breathing effortlessly.
You are aware of the subtle flow of breath.
Now you'll begin mentally counting on the flow of the breath.
Body breathes in on its own.
108.
Out 108.
In 107.
And out 107.
In 106.
And out 106.
Continue at your own pace down to zero.
To the center of yourself.
To your heart.
If you lose track or you finish sooner,
Start again at 108.
With each breath out,
Abandon yourself to this tranquil background in which the countdown appears and disappears.
With each breath,
Go deep into this joyous silence.
Peaceful stillness.
Let go of the counting.
It doesn't matter how far you got.
Relax the technique.
Be aware of the simple,
Natural flow of breath.
The flow of vibrations coming down into the heart.
The heart,
Luminous,
Silent.
Be aware from the heart to the throat,
Roof of the mouth,
Midbrain,
And a kind of opening in the crown of the head.
Breath out.
The vibrations go from the heart to the crown.
The subtle ascending of the breath and coming back to the heart.
Contemplate this movement,
This subtle rising and falling,
Until you feel that the empty space in the heart and the empty space in the head are one.
The heart,
The infinite sky of awareness.
The subtle breath.
Rest in that.
