Welcome to your practice.
Taking a few moments to get comfortable,
Either seated or lying down in any posture that is best suited to support your body at this moment.
If lying down,
It may be helpful to place a blanket or a pillow or even a bolster beneath the knees to take pressure off the low back.
You might place a small pillow beneath the head.
And if seated,
Simply finding a posture where the spine can be long and the head can rest easily as you now gently close your eyes.
And taking a moment to center as we take a full breath in through the nose,
Expanding through the heart,
Pause.
Open the mouth,
Sigh and exhale,
Softening around the eyes,
The jaw,
Even softening the tongue.
And taking another full breath in through the nose,
Pause.
And gently sigh as you exhale,
Softening through the shoulders,
Arms,
All the way down to the fingertips and the whole torso.
Now,
One more breath like this,
Breathing in through the nose,
Filling the diaphragm,
Pause.
And then gently exhale,
Sigh as you let go and sink into the support that is beneath you.
Allowing yourself to feel fully supported as the breath gently finds its natural rhythm.
Each breath flowing fluidly one after the other.
You might take a moment to scan the body from head to toe and toe to head,
Just becoming aware of any sensations that are present here with you.
If you find areas of tension or discomfort,
Allowing the breath to flow in through the nose into this area and then inviting a softness to move through with the exhale.
Inhale into the body,
Exhale softening and sinking further into the support beneath you.
And as thoughts move into your awareness,
No problem.
Notice these,
Observe these as the natural activity of the mind.
As you gently bring your attention now to the flow of the breath,
Visualizing the breath drawing in from the crown of the head down to the heart.
Exhaling from the heart through all the way down to the feet.
Inhaling face to the feet up to the heart.
Exhale heart to the crown of the head.
Inhaling crown of the head to the heart.
Exhale heart to the base of the feet.
Continuing to breathe in this way for a few more cycles of breath,
Finding your own natural rhythm.
Once again bringing your awareness to the body,
The whole body,
The whole body lying here supported.
Consider a time when with the body you learned a new skill,
Just walking,
Riding a bike.
Recalling a time when you received the sight of a sunset.
Recalling a time when the body healed from a bruise or a scar.
Recalling a time when you received a sensual sensation of pleasure.
Recalling an experience of gaining strength.
Recalling a time when the body moved through pain.
Recalling a time when the body conveyed emotion to another,
Allowing for a sense of connection.
Recalling a time when the body protected you.
Recalling a time when the body communicated to you through pain that something needed attention.
Recalling a time when the body released pain,
Allowing space for ease.
And a time when your heart opened through the experience of laughter or experience rejuvenation through deep restful sleep.
A time when you received loving touch and offered touch.
A time when you created through the body.
When you imagined,
Felt,
Sensed,
Intuited,
Guided,
Received,
Breathed,
Breathed.
Holding a sense of your body in the heart as you simply say to yourself,
Ah,
Thank you body for these gifts.
Thank you body for these gifts.
And notice as you become aware that right now you are hearing,
Thank you body for this gift.
Lacing your hands on the heart and sensing gentle pressure of the hands at the center of the chest and becoming aware that you are feeling.
Ah,
Thank you body for this gift.
And aware that right now you are breathing effortlessly,
Each breath flowing fluidly one after the other.
Ah,
Thank you body for this gift.
Thank you body for this gift.
Becoming aware that you are not the thoughts moving through the mind,
That you are not the body,
That this body that is here right now fully supported and breathing is the home through which you experience and receive the gifts of living.
You might say in your mind,
I am not the thoughts.
I'm not the body.
I'm experiencing thoughts.
I have this body.
Thank you body for these gifts.
Thank you body for these gifts.
Thank you body for these gifts.
And gently scanning the body from head to toe and toe to head once again and simply sensing into the support beneath you,
Becoming aware of the points of contact between the physical body and the support beneath and the feet,
The hips and the buttocks,
Perhaps the back and shoulders and becoming aware of the breath moving through the body effortlessly.
Thank you body for these gifts.
Taking one more full breath in through the nose,
Pause at the top of the inhale receiving that gift of breath.
Open the mouth,
Exhale,
Sigh and gently surrendering to the ease of the body and inviting a soft grin to form on the corners of the mouth and that simply welcomes you back here into your day.
As you gently open your eyes.
