Hello everyone and welcome to this practice.
I invite you to find yourself in a comfortable position either seated or lying down.
Once you are settled,
I invite you to close your eyes or soften your gaze,
Whatever you're comfortable with.
We're all going to start by taking a deep breath in together through the nose and releasing out through the mouth or nose.
Take a deep breath in and out,
Allowing your body to settle here in this moment.
Another deep breath in and out.
Another deep breath in and out.
Calling your energy back into your body where you might have left it in the day thus far or you feel yourself thinking about the future or stuck in the past.
Just gently invite your energy to come back into this present moment,
To be in your body now.
And just continue breathing on your own,
The slow inhale and exhale,
Trying your best to soften your body into this moment.
You don't need to change or control your breath,
Just simply observe how it's showing up today and how it's feeling.
I'm going to guide us through a body scan where we use the breath to bring awareness to different parts of our body to release any tension or holding or soften around any sensation that is present in this moment.
So we're going to start by bringing our awareness down to our toes,
Breathing into our toes and noticing any sensation,
Maybe feeling the ground beneath you,
Or your socks and shoes on your toes.
And with your exhale,
You're going to let go of any holding or tension the best that you can.
Simply letting go.
And now breathing into the tops of your feet.
Again,
Using your breath to soften around any sensation or holding your pain.
Moving your awareness to the soles of your feet.
Again,
You might notice where your feet touch the ground beneath you,
Where you're putting pressure on your feet.
What you feel and your connection to the earth beneath you.
Now we're going to move up to our ankles.
Using the exhale to release any holding or pain or tension here.
Softening your shins and your calves.
Letting your lower legs and feet become heavy and relaxed.
Softening your knees.
Imagine the bones and the muscles and ligaments are all relaxing and letting go.
Breathing into the tops of your legs and again using the exhale to release and let go.
Softening around any holding.
Softening your hamstrings and the backs of your legs.
Maybe noticing where your bottom meets the chair or the ground beneath you.
Moving into your sit bones,
Feeling your weight being supported and held here.
And just allowing your weight to settle and relax into your seat.
To receive the support of the ground or earth beneath you.
Relaxing around your pelvis.
Breathing into the lower back and stomach.
Allowing your belly to soften.
Just hang out.
Breathing into your abdomen and mid back,
Massaging the organs with your breath.
Clearing and cleansing any holding or pain or tightness here the best that you can.
It might just be a felt sense of softening.
Relaxing.
Now breathing into the lungs and the ribs.
Noticing the expansion in your front and back body,
Contraction.
Softening your chest and your heart space.
Relaxing your shoulders down from your ears,
Letting them fall down your back body.
Breathing into the tops of your arms,
Your forearms,
Moving down into your hand and fingertips.
Noticing where your hands meet your body or the ground.
Become aware of any sensations in your hands.
Maybe you noticed a coolness or heat or almost a tingling sensation.
Now you're going to breathe into the neck and the throat,
Softening all the way down to the base of the tongue.
Allowing your tongue to rest on your lower palate.
Letting go in your jaw,
Your gums and your teeth.
Softening your lips,
Your cheeks,
Your ears,
Your eyes and your brow.
Moving all the way to the top of your head,
Imagining your brain is just relaxing and letting go of any holding or pressure.
Just softening in your skull.
Just take a moment here to breathe into your body as a whole.
As if each cell is breathing in and out together.
Notice what it feels like to be in your body,
To relax in your body and be present.
Take this time to check in with yourself and ask what you need today for you.
How you can care for yourself,
For your body and spirit today.
And just trust with whatever arises in this moment,
There's no right or wrong answer here.
May you know that you are always worthy of doing what is best for you,
That you hold the wisdom of how to care for yourself and your body.
I pray that you move through the day grounded in your own body and your own energy.
Guided by the light and love of the universe of your spirit.
And slowly become aware of the air around you.
Noticing any sounds or smells in the room.
The temperature of the air on your skin.
Inviting some intuitive movement back into your body.
And then opening your eyes and coming back to the room when you're ready.
