Welcome.
You've arrived in a space made for slowness.
A space where your body leads and nothing needs fixing.
Here,
We honour the body not as an obstacle,
But as a home.
A quiet teacher.
A steady companion through it all.
This is the quiet body.
A return to what is true,
Tender and already yours.
This is a practice of remembrance.
Of coming back to your body,
Not through force,
But through gentle attention.
We'll move through the body slowly,
Offering touch,
Awareness and gratitude.
Not for how it looks,
But for how it has carried you.
Held you.
Moved you.
Stayed with you.
And in this practice,
Sensation becomes the doorway.
And touch becomes the offering.
You're welcome to pause,
Change,
Skip or stay with any path that calls you.
There's no right way to do this.
Just your way.
Begin by finding a comfortable position.
Seated or lying down.
And when you feel ready,
Maybe placing one hand gently over your heart.
Or wherever feels most supportive.
Feel the warmth of your hand and the weight of your touch.
And offer this quiet beginning.
Thank you,
Body,
For being here.
And bring your hands now to your face.
Either resting,
Cupping,
Brushing the edges.
Feel the skin,
The temperature.
And inwardly repeating and feeling.
Thank you,
Face.
My face.
My face.
For expression.
For senses.
For being seen.
Move now to the scalp,
The back of the head or the ears.
Let your hands notice the shape,
The texture.
And offer thanks for holding memory.
The housing of thought.
And now rest your hands at the sides of your neck or the front of the throat.
If that doesn't feel right,
You can simply sense into this area.
Thank you,
My neck,
For turning.
Turning toward.
Turning away.
Speaking.
And holding tension when I needed protection.
And placing the hands on the shoulders.
Feel this slope.
This steadiness.
Thank you,
My shoulders,
For all you've carried.
And for all you still do.
Moving down to your arms.
Upper arms.
Forearms.
Wrists.
And you can do the arms one at a time.
Or together.
Thank you,
My arms,
For reaching.
Holding.
Working.
Resting.
Let your hands meet.
And hold each other.
Fingers interlaced or simply held.
Thank you,
My hands,
For creating.
For connecting.
For knowing when to let go.
And place your hands on your chest now.
Or maybe crossing the arms over the chest.
Holding yourself.
Maybe feeling the breath move beneath your palms or beneath your arms.
Thank you,
My chest,
For housing my breath and holding my heart.
Moving hands down to your belly.
Resting hands here.
Thank you,
My belly,
For digesting.
For sensing.
For softening when you can.
And bring your hands to the sides of your waist.
Or to the lower back.
And thank this part of your body for support.
For holding you upright.
Even when you felt like falling.
Moving your awareness to the area of the pelvis.
Hips.
And your seat.
And if it feels okay,
You can offer touch and place your hands here.
Thank you,
My pelvis,
For grounding me.
For movement.
For holding so much emotion and energy.
Bringing your attention and hands to your thighs,
Knees,
Calves.
One at a time,
If that helps.
Thank you,
My legs,
For walking me through this life.
For propelling me forward.
And thank you,
Feet,
For every step.
For your grounding,
Anchoring,
And your quiet strength.
You may have noticed,
At some point during this practice,
You met a part of your body that felt really nurturing.
You're welcome to revisit this place.
Rest your hands,
Your awareness here for a while.
And to whatever your capacity in this moment offering,
The most heartfelt gratitude that you can.
For this body.
Your body.
Your body.
So often we condemn ourselves and we compare ourselves and we lose sight of what we have right here.
Let your whole body be here now.
Noticed.
And offering your body this all-embracing,
All-encompassing,
Loving attention.
Loving awareness.
Thank you,
Body.
I'm home now.
And when you're ready,
You can start to draw your awareness back out into your environment.
And with eyes closed,
Perhaps just sensing the contact of your body with the surface beneath you.
Points of contact with your body.
The floor or the chair,
Bed.
Noticing sounds.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes again if they've been closed,
Or lift your gaze and start to take in,
Visually,
Your surroundings.
Maintaining a thread of awareness of your body and a thread of gratitude as you move through the rest of your day.
