In this meditation we are going to explore how you can use your breath to help ease physical discomfort.
Please find a position that is comfortable for you.
That may be sitting or it may be lying down.
Feel free to adjust your body as much as you need until you feel at ease.
When you are ready you can close your eyes.
We are first going to bring your attention to your body.
Feel where your body is contacting the surface you were supported by.
Feel your clothes on your skin and feel the air in the room around you.
In your own time scan your body and note this contact with the external world.
Now we will bring our attention a little more inward.
Focus on how your body is feeling.
Is it relaxed?
Is there tension or is there pain?
When you find those areas of pain or discomfort I want you to acknowledge them and then move your attention to the next area.
I will give you a few moments to explore how you feel.
We will now shift our focus to the breath.
As you breathe in and out feel how your stomach and chest rise and fall.
Feel the muscles and bones moving.
Feel where there may be resistance and where it may feel like your body moves with ease.
Slowly start to breathe a little slower and a little deeper.
Although the air we breathe only reaches our lungs our entire body shifts and moves with our breath.
On your next few breaths in I would like you to focus on your hips or another joint if you prefer.
Feel how they move and adjust slightly with the in-breath and on the out-breath I want you to imagine any tension that may be there leaving your body with that breath.
I want you now to remember any areas you noted earlier that felt stiff or painful.
As you breathe in follow the breath to that area,
Feel the subtle shifts in the muscles and as you breathe out allow that area to relax letting the tension leave with the out-breath.
Repeat this a few times for each area you feel tension.
When you are ready you move on to the next spot.
If you have no other areas of tension simply focus on how the breath feels moving through your body.
In a moment I will close the guided portion of this meditation.
If you wish to continue this technique on other areas please do so.
Otherwise it is time to bring your awareness back into the room.
Slowly move your fingers and toes and allow your body to move and wake up however it wishes.
When you are ready you can open your eyes and return to your day.
