Welcome to the journey,
The journey of dissolving tension,
That which can linger in the realm of physical,
Emotional,
Mental,
Often the very things that disconnect us from resting in spirit,
That which is indescribable,
And yet one etymology of spirit is that which is always at rest,
In the city of your body,
Untouched,
Unwavered,
Unchanging.
So please here make yourself comfortable.
Take all the necessary props,
Something supportive underneath your knees,
A blanket underneath you or that to wrap around you,
Something behind the head,
And if there is light traveling in through the room,
It's advised to always place just a light piece of material across the eyes and that should be enough to desensitize the senses.
Make your final adjustments and just for a few moments here become aware of the space in which you occupy,
The space that surrounds you.
Become aware of your body in space.
Feel the outer sheath of your skin and all the contents that exists underneath it.
The color of your mood,
The flavor of your thoughts,
The very way in which you are experiencing the world as you are creating it.
And can you cultivate here what's called maitri,
A friendliness,
Like you're wrapping a warm embrace to all that feels alive just now,
Without pushing anything away,
Just a moment of recognition and with that friendliness,
The opportunity to lean in.
Become aware of your breath,
Its texture,
The unique movement as sensation.
Notice if there's any rushing or the need to force.
Deep breathing is silent,
Soft in nature.
Feel the breath moving like a quiet stream.
And within this process,
Invite your mind to take its seat on that current,
The rising and the falling,
Expanding and contracting.
Let the inhale draw in nutrients,
Exhale creates a softness as if the whole chamber of your being begins to melt,
To relax.
Bring all of your awareness to your two heels and the very surface in which they rest upon.
Your two heels and the space underneath,
Feel a presence in that space.
And now your two calves,
And the point in which your two calves and the earth,
Whatever they are resting on,
That point in which they meet.
And can you bring awareness to that space?
Relax deeply,
Little to almost no effort.
Bring awareness now to the backs of the thighs and whatever it is that they connect with.
Presence,
A throb,
Sensation in that space.
And now the glutes,
And where the glutes rest upon your mat,
Ground underneath you,
Feel the connection,
These two points and a vibrant stream of awareness at these points.
Backs of the hands and the earth.
Can you feel awareness at the backs of both hands?
Mind softens,
Awareness leads the practice.
Backs of the hands,
Backs of the shoulder blades,
And the earth,
And the resting point where they meet.
Subtle awareness rests there.
No effort on your part.
And now the back of the head,
And the earth,
And the point in which they meet.
Can you now feel all of these points at once,
As if these points were a bucket?
And now upon each exhalation,
Tension,
Any excess gripping,
Holding or contraction begin to dissolve through those points.
With the richness of each exhalation,
A dissolving through all these points.
Carried out with the exhale,
Tension,
Gripping,
Contraction,
Holding,
Gradually begins to dissipate,
Draining out through those points,
Oozing effortlessly from the body.
Continue with this process of each exhale,
Dissolving the residue of tension.
Let yourself remain in this rhythm.
Tension dissolved,
Mind at ease,
And a return to restfulness,
A kind of quiet remembering of all that you are beneath the holding,
Beneath the noise.
You can either roll over here to fall asleep,
Or if you are awakening,
Just allow awareness to drift from the micro,
The most subtle aspect of you,
Traveling now outward to the more superficial,
To your skin,
And when it feels right,
You'll gently let yourself drift into the world.
