Hello and welcome to this deep relaxation practice.
Allow yourself to come into a position that feels supportive and restful for you.
You might choose to lie down on the ground or use a bolster as a prop support for under your knees or under your back.
Make sure that you are warm as your body temperature can drop when you come into stillness for a little bit of time.
Wrap yourself in a blanket,
Use an eye pillow if you have one.
Allow yourself to feel really held and supported in this place.
When your body feels supported and held,
All your muscles can gently begin to let go.
Once you have arranged yourself in such a way that you feel that you can be in a place of no effort,
Begin to tune in to subtle details of your experience of just being here.
If it feels okay,
You might gently start to bring your attention to what the felt sensation of the breath is like in your body in this moment.
Is your breath full or does it feel a little bit sticky in places?
Does it feel smooth as it moves in and out or is it a little bit shaky?
Just noticing.
There's no wrong or right here.
It's just an opportunity to observe whatever is present for you in this moment.
All of you is welcome here.
If it feels okay,
Begin to notice perhaps where you feel your breath moving.
Is it higher up in the body or lower down in the space of your belly?
Where do you notice it?
Where does it feel perhaps interesting or nice to observe your breath?
It might even be just simply noticing your breath as it enters in through your nostrils and as it moves out.
Begin to perhaps notice the tips of your toes.
What do you notice here?
Can you feel each toe,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe?
Can you notice the tips of your fingers,
Thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Middle finger?
And you might start to notice,
If it feels okay,
Different parts of your body.
Perhaps there are some parts of your body that feel a little bit tense or where there might be pain.
Gently welcome those parts of you into this practice as well with compassion and welcoming.
If it feels okay and safe to do so,
And know that you can always ease away from those sensations as well.
You always have the choice to choose.
Notice perhaps now,
As you've been with this practice for a few moments,
Has anything changed in your breath or through your body?
Might be something very subtle or nothing at all.
That's okay.
This is an opportunity to just be.
No expectations.
No need to do or change anything.
Everything you are experiencing is welcome.
It is what you are experiencing.
This is the process of simply befriending the body,
Of allowing yourself to be present with whatever is present here.
I'm going to guide you through a gentle body scan with an opportunity to invite a deeper relaxation throughout the whole of you.
Remember these practices are all optional.
You can simply be with your breath as well.
Be with the felt sensation of it as it moves in and out.
Bring your attention to your right big toe.
Can you allow that toe to gently,
Softly release and let go?
Your second toe,
Your third toe,
Your fourth toe,
And your little toe.
Completely relaxing now,
Letting go,
No effort.
Bring your attention to the sole of your foot,
Inviting the sole of your foot to release,
And let go,
No effort.
The top of your right foot,
Right ankle,
Front and back,
Relaxing the whole of your right foot.
Allow your attention to travel up your right shin,
Whole of the right shin,
Relaxing,
Letting go.
Right calf muscle,
Right knee,
Front and back,
No effort.
Right thigh,
Front and back,
Gently relaxing.
Right waist and side of hip,
Right side of your pelvis,
Right side of body,
Right ribs,
And the organs in the right side of your body,
Right shoulder,
All the way down the right arm,
All the way down the right arm,
Front and back of your arm,
All the way towards your right hand,
Top of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Right thumb,
Right second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
And little finger,
All gently releasing and letting go.
Allow your awareness to travel back up your arm,
Towards your shoulder,
And the right side of your neck.
Gently relax the right side of your head,
Right side of lips,
Right nostril,
Right eye,
Right side of forehead,
Right ear,
Right top of your head,
The whole right side of your body,
No effort here.
Allow your awareness to travel down the left side of your head,
Top of head,
Side,
Left eye,
Left nostril,
Left jaw,
Left side of lips,
Left ear,
Down the left side of your neck,
Gently releasing,
Over the left shoulder,
Left collarbone,
Down the left arm,
Front and back,
All the way towards the left hand,
Left top of hand,
Left palm of hand,
Left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
And little finger.
Release any effort through your left hand.
Allow your awareness to travel back up the arm,
Down the left side of your body,
Left ribs,
Left side of chest,
Left lung,
Left side waist,
Left pelvis,
Left thigh,
Front and back,
Left knee,
Left back of knee,
Left shin,
Left shin,
Left calf muscle,
All relaxing now,
Left ankle,
Front and back,
Left top of foot,
Left sole of foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And left little toe,
The whole left side of your body,
Completely releasing any effort,
Letting go,
Letting go,
Letting go.
Now,
The whole of your body held and supported in the spotlight of your awareness,
Held and supported in the softness of your attention,
Whole body,
The whole of your body,
Safe,
Protected,
And held.
Notice now,
The sense of the ground beneath you,
The points where your body meets the earth.
Notice your breath,
Maybe a slight deepening of your breath,
As you become aware of it once again.
As you draw in your breath,
Sense that the whole body is being breathed,
Sense that the whole body is being breathed,
And then gently inviting a little bit of movement back,
Bringing your attention back to your body,
How you placed it here in space.
A sense that your whole body is now relaxed and ready.
Whenever it feels right,
You can gently begin to open your eyes,
Open your eyes,
Bring yourself back into your day.
