Welcome.
Take a moment to arrive here with me.
You might adjust your body to a more comfortable position.
See if you feel any urge to move,
Stretch,
Or contract any part of your body.
Give yourself permission to move in whatever way feels right for you.
To be comfortable for this 5 minute practice.
You might also notice if you feel like taking a couple of inhales and exhales.
If you do feel like it,
Then give yourself permission to also follow that urge.
Now that you are hopefully feeling more settled,
I invite you to notice any areas in your body that already feel relaxed,
Or at least less tense.
Take your time to scan your body from head to toe,
Noticing if there is somewhere that feels relaxed or less tense already.
It could be just the tip of your nose,
Your right earlobe,
Or your left pinky finger.
Or maybe there's another place like your belly button,
Your knees,
Your calf muscles,
Or your left pinky toe that feels relaxed.
Wherever you feel that relaxation,
Even if it's just a little bit,
Bring your attention to it.
Notice the quality of the feeling.
Whether it's a cozy warmth,
A comforting coolness,
A feeling of calm,
A pleasant weight,
Or maybe a pleasant lightness.
Just take a few moments to be curious about this feeling of relaxation,
Wherever it is in your body.
There might also be areas of your body with tension.
It's okay to notice those areas.
Notice them,
And then when it feels right,
Bring your attention back to wherever it is that you feel some relaxation in your body,
Even if it's just a tiny bit.
Now,
Notice how big or small this area of relaxation is.
Where are its boundaries?
Can you notice where the relaxation begins to fade,
And the tension begins?
If you would like to,
You can invite the feeling of relaxation to expand just a bit.
See what happens.
Does the area of relaxation get bigger,
Stay the same,
Get smaller?
What other sensations do you notice?
For example,
You might notice a change in temperature in your body.
A color or an image might even come to mind.
It is also possible that you notice areas of tension more.
If that happens,
It's okay to acknowledge that tension.
Maybe even allow it to increase by one percent,
And then let it go and see what happens.
If you want to,
You can do that a few more rounds,
Increasing the tension just by a little bit,
Letting it go,
And then pausing to notice what happens in your body.
It's possible that allowing your tension to be acknowledged actually allows you to relax a bit more,
And it's okay if that doesn't happen for you.
Either way,
Come back to wherever your body does feel relaxed in this moment.
Maybe your palms,
The tip of your nose,
The arch of your foot.
Notice the boundary of relaxation versus tension again.
And this time,
If it feels okay,
Take an inhale,
And as you exhale,
Allow the exhale of your breath to slowly deepen the intensity of the relaxation,
Wherever it is.
If you'd like to,
You can take another inhale and exhale,
Slowing down the exhale and inviting relaxation wherever it is to deepen.
You can do as many inhales and exhales as you'd like.
Take your time here.
This is your body,
Your practice,
Your meditation.
You decide what happens.
Then when it feels okay,
Take a pause from the inhales and exhales,
And notice the areas of relaxation in your body now.
Really savor any sensations that tell you that you are relaxed.
Maybe that cozy warm summer in your body,
Or calm and cool.
Maybe there's a feeling of pleasant lightness or grounded heaviness.
Perhaps some part of your body feels soft,
And that's what tells you that you are relaxed.
Just notice these sensations that tell you that you are relaxed in your body right now.
We'll close this practice in just a moment,
So also take this opportunity to move in whatever way your body is telling you it needs.
Maybe some stretches or some wiggling of your toes and fingers.
Take your time to ease into whatever is next for you.
There is no rush.
And whenever you're ready,
Remember that you can come back to this feeling of relaxation at any time in the future,
Because you always have your body,
And you always have somewhere that feels relaxed,
Or at least less tense.
Okay.
Wishing you wellness till next time.
