Hello and welcome to the art of relaxation,
A 30 minute guided practice that has been designed so you can release and let go of the chronic fatigue,
Stress and tension that your body,
Mind and spirit has accumulated throughout your path.
Start by finding a comfortable position,
Laying down on your back,
Allow the arms to rest next to your body with your palms turned upwards,
Have a gentle space in between the legs and allow all 10 toes to turn out to the sides,
Allow your eyes to gently close,
Feel your body resting on the surface beneath you,
Feel how you can let go and release,
Then bring your awareness to the natural coming and going of your breath,
Observe the sensations of the inhalations and the sensations of the exhalations,
Observe the rhythm,
Observe the depth,
Observe the sound created by the inhalation and the exhalation,
Feel the expansion of your body on the inhalation and the releasing on the exhalation,
Feeling and listening to your heart beating,
Faster and stronger on the inhalation and slower and gentler on the exhalation,
Just observing if there is any place inside your body where tension is held,
Then I invite you to breathe into that place,
Take a full deep inhalation,
Hold your breath at the top and as you exhale allow that tension held within your body to flow out and leave you as you exhale,
Just simply scanning through the body,
Neck,
Upper back,
Shoulder,
Maybe a tightness or heaviness around the chest,
Simply breathing,
There might be tension or worries around the hips or the abdomen,
Pain in the joints like the knees and the ankles,
Wherever throughout your body tension or discomfort can be felt,
Simply breathe into this space,
Consciously fill your body up with oxygen,
Allow the trillions of cells to be nourished and as you exhale release that tension and that discomfort.
To begin this journey towards deep relaxation we have to inquire about the truth of our being,
Who is it that becomes relaxed,
Who is it that is anxious,
Who is it that is stressed,
Who are you laying here now,
Feeling?
Deep deep in,
Far far down lies the true essence of you,
Beyond the mundane,
Above and below the constant stream of thoughts in your mind.
If your mind wanders in thoughts remember that you can always anchor yourself to the present moment by the power of the breath,
By observing the sensation and the uniqueness in every inhalation and exhalation.
We all came into this earth on an inhalation,
Drawing life into our body and we will all lay this earth on an exhalation,
Exhaling that life force.
Be grateful for each and every breath that you can draw,
Feel the ultimate interconnectedness with all things,
Allow the harmonious rhythm of your breath to release and to relax both body and mind.
And with your eyes still closed I want you to feel the palm of the right hand.
The sensation that you're looking for is often described as tingling and warmth,
And ask yourself,
Who is feeling the hand?
And who knows that I know,
That I know that I'm feeling the hand?
Then feel all five fingers on the right hand,
Feel your arm,
Your shoulder,
Right chest,
Right lung expanding on the inhalation,
And deflating on the exhalation.
Right side of the abdomen,
Hip,
Upper leg,
Feel your knee,
Lower leg,
Feel the sensation of aliveness on your top right foot,
All five toes,
Sole of the foot.
See if you can allow that sensation to flow from heel to palm,
From palm to sole,
And then allow your awareness to travel to the palm of the left hand.
Allow that sensation to grow and to expand with your steady and rhythmic breathing.
Feel the sensation tingle out into all five fingers,
Then observe how it shoots up your left arm.
Become aware of your left shoulder,
Left side of the chest.
Reconnect with your heart.
Be grateful for the hundred thousand times it will be today and tomorrow.
And ask yourself,
Who is it that has a heart?
Feel the left side of your abdomen,
Left hip,
Upper leg,
Kneecap,
Lower leg,
Top of the left foot,
All five toes,
Sole of the foot.
And see if that sensation can be felt from sole to palm,
And from palm to sole.
Feel how the muscles in your forehead is relaxing and releasing,
Any tension around the eyebrows or the eyes is gently melting away.
If you're clenching your jaw,
Gently release it.
Listen to the sound of your own breathing.
Listen to the sounds within your mind,
Thoughts rising and falling.
Coming and going.
Allowing our breathing to become slow and steady as we're melting deeper and deeper into relaxation.
Know that you are exactly where you're supposed to be.
Feel the support beneath you and allow that chronic tension to melt away.
The sound of the rain needs no translation.
I would like you to visualize yourself sitting in a bungalow deep in the jungle.
In front of you sits an elderly figure,
The shaman of the village.
And you're saying to the shaman,
Please help me with my stressful mind.
The shaman smiles at you and says,
Show me this stressful mind of yours and I will help you.
Deep within you,
You look to find the mind.
And realize when you're looking for it,
You cannot find it.
You say this to the shaman,
When I'm looking for it,
I cannot find it.
Once again,
The shaman smiles and gently says,
Well there,
Your stressful mind has been solved then.
Who are you?
Or who do you believe yourself to be?
Stressed?
At peace?
Kind?
Happy?
All of these emotions are fleeting.
They are coming and going.
But yet you remain.
Untainted.
Unaffected by the qualities of the body and the mind.
We will together take 27 breaths,
Counting backwards like this.
27,
Inhale,
Belly rises.
27,
Exhale,
Belly falls.
26,
Inhale,
Belly rises.
26,
Exhale,
Belly falls.
25,
Inhale,
Belly rises.
25,
Exhale,
Belly falls.
24,
Belly rises.
24,
Belly falls.
23,
Belly rises.
23,
Belly falls.
22,
Belly rises.
22,
Belly falls.
21,
Belly rises.
21,
Belly falls.
20,
Belly rises.
20,
Belly falls.
19,
Belly rises.
19,
Belly falls.
18,
Belly rises.
18,
Belly falls.
Continue this count until you reach 1.
And if you lose your counting,
Gently start back at 27.
May you go forth from here in abundance and bliss.
And as always,
Stay blessed by the breath.
