Today,
Let's ground ourselves again after the holidays.
It can be a very challenging time for people.
For some of us,
It's busy and full of family time and managing all of the activities and people.
And then for others,
We feel lonely during the holidays.
Maybe we just had a loss in our family or we've been sick.
For whatever reason,
We didn't get to be around people and that felt lonely.
No matter what your holiday was like,
It's so important to shift our energy and get back into a centered place before starting the week.
One of the best ways I know to do that is connecting with the body and doing a body scan meditation.
So let's do that together.
Begin by finding a comfortable seated position.
And for this one,
It's okay to be lying down as long as we can stay awake.
And start by taking a deep breath in through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth,
Letting your shoulders soften.
Let's start with your feet.
Bring your attention to the soles of your feet,
Noticing any sensations,
Pressure,
Coolness,
Warmth.
It's okay if you even feel a lack of sensation.
But imagine your feet softening and releasing any tension into the ground as though they're gently melting into the surface beneath you.
And move your attention into your legs.
Notice your calves,
Your knees,
Your thighs.
Are they holding any tightness or discomfort?
Are they pleasant,
Neutral?
Just stay with them as you inhale and exhale.
Just keep breathing and noticing.
If you find any tension,
Just breathe into the area and see if you can soften,
Even a little bit.
Shifting your focus into the hips.
This is an area that can hold a lot of stored energy.
Let's just stay with noticing what's present.
Any tightness,
Maybe an ease or a neutral sensation.
And sometimes people experience pain in this area,
Chronic pain.
Just be with whatever's there right now.
And take a breath here and exhale.
And maybe imagine a big release of energy.
With each in-breath,
We gather all the energy.
And with every exhale,
We release all the energy.
Bringing that same awareness into the abdomen and the lower back.
If you sense any knots or tension,
Just gently invite that part of you to soften.
Imagining the breath,
Meeting the muscles and releasing the tension.
Now move into the chest and the upper back.
And here,
Really notice the rhythm of your breath.
Notice if you feel heaviness or tightness.
Notice if your breath is deep or shallow.
What is the pace of your breathing?
And if you can,
Just see if you can slow down the exhale with every breath.
Inhale,
Slow down the exhale.
And as you do that,
Drop the shoulders,
Release the arms and hands,
Release any tension in the neck,
And let the head hang naturally.
And one area to focus on is the jaw.
We carry a lot of tension in our jaw.
And try to relax the jaw.
Sometimes we put our tongue on the roof of our mouth.
And if we can just let that go,
It can ease the tension in our jaw.
Release the forehead and take a few more deep breaths in.
And out.
Bringing your awareness from your feet all the way to the top of your head with the breath.
Continue to take a few more deep breaths in.
Deep breath in and out.
And start to move from side to side with your hands.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
