Let's begin this meditation by getting into a position so that you can maintain this for the next little while.
Take the time to make yourself comfortable and adjust any cushions or the blanket so that you feel warm and supported by the sitting up straight in a chair or on a cushion on the floor or lying in savasana.
Hands relaxed in your lap or by your sides and your head relaxed with your chin slightly tucked.
Give yourself permission to just be and say to yourself this is my time now.
If you are lying down lie so that your spine is straight.
Place a cushion under your head and your knees if you like it.
Let your feet fall away to the sides and let your arms rest beside your body.
If you are seated in a chair sit so that your spine is upright and your feet are uncrossed to allow for the energy to flow freely and rest your hands comfortably in your lap or on your thighs.
You can also choose to sit on the floor with your legs crossed or out in front of you.
Place a cushion under you so that you can sit up tall and straight.
Allow yourself to connect to the feeling of arriving on your mat or your cushion.
Trust yourself to begin this exploration and when you are ready gently close your eyes and bring a gentle smile to your face.
Take a slow deep breath in and out.
Let go of any need to control your breathing and allow the breath to soften your body.
Notice how your stomach rises and falls with each breath and the expansion and contraction of the chest area.
Become aware of how you are feeling today.
Is there any tension or pain?
Do you feel heavy or light?
Just observe the feeling.
Allow yourself to let go of any to-do lists and any thoughts and feelings that do not serve you at this time.
Allow any thoughts to pass by acknowledging them but not dwelling on them.
Notice the sensation of calmness wash over you.
Bring your attention to where you are sitting or lying down.
Become aware of your body.
Feel the pressure against the chair,
The cushion or the floor and allow yourself to sink deeper.
Become aware of the room around you.
You may like to open your eyes slightly to look around at the objects in the room or you can keep them closed.
What furnishings,
Textures and colours are there?
Are there other people or animals nearby?
What sounds can you hear?
Can you hear a clock ticking or any music playing?
My voice gently guiding me?
Are there any scents or fragrances that you can smell?
Incense or a scented candle?
An oil burner?
Allow these smells to float around you.
Notice any sounds coming from outside the room.
Take your time.
Are there any cars driving past or voices nearby?
Can you hear the wind in the trees,
The birds?
Can you feel the warmth of the sun or the cool breeze on your skin?
Notice what is touching you.
Your clothing?
I believe it.
What are you touching?
Your knee,
Your leg or the floor?
Run your tongue along your lips to moisten them.
Become aware of your breath.
Feel the air as it touches your nostrils.
Notice the breath as it enters your body and travels into your lungs and goes back out again.
Feel its warmth as it leaves you,
Allowing the breath to maintain its natural rhythm.
Notice the pauses between the in-breath and the out-breath.
You may like to take pause,
Watching the breath mindfully without changing or altering the breath.
If your mind starts to wander,
Simply return your attention to the breath as it enters your body.
Trust that your breath will allow you to feel calm,
You are safe.
How are you feeling now?
Notice any sensations in your body.
Scan your body and notice if there's any tightness or heaviness and breathe into those areas as you go,
Starting with your head,
Forehead,
Chin,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Chest,
Tummy,
Arms,
Hands,
Legs and feet.
Take your awareness back to your back breath.
Bring your attention to where the cool air enters your nose and follow the breath back up and out through your mouth.
Visualize gentle waves on a shoreline.
Hear the soothing waves and connect the sound to the breath.
Bring your attention now to the crown of your head.
Notice as the light,
Relaxing feeling of the waves washes over the top of your head and down the back and sides of your head.
Let it relax and let go.
And now notice your brain in all its many paths that are sending messages to the rest of your body and absorb the sensation of the soothing waves.
How busy your mind works all day long.
Give yourself permission to quieten down the chatter while you sit or lie here and experience a calm and peaceful feeling without any need to think of any to-do lists or rushing off to do anything.
Allow the waves to wash over your mind.
Become aware of the feeling of calmness and peace as you breathe.
Breathe in,
Relax and as you breathe out let go.
Any busyness or worries are set aside for now as you connect to the sensation of the ebb and flow of the waves of your breath and notice all tension releasing from your mind.
Become aware of your mind beginning to clear.
Move your attention to your face.
So many muscles,
So many expressions that you make.
Your face tells others so much about you.
With the next breath in bring your awareness to your forehead.
Perhaps you feel heaviness,
Lightness,
Pain or something else.
Allow any tension to be smoothed away as your breath washes over it.
Now become aware of your eyes.
Take your attention to the muscles around and behind the eyes.
Feel the breath release any tension there.
Spread this feeling to your jaw and temples.
This area tends to get tighter as the day goes on.
Breathe into this area and allow yourself to soften and relax the muscles of your jaw and temple.
Feel your whole face soften.
Bring your attention to the base of your skull where the neck muscles attach themselves.
Become aware of any tension and fatigue there.
Notice as the built-up tension gently loosens as you allow yourself to breathe into each vertebra in your neck.
Visualize a gentle pressure and release between each bone.
The space between your vertebra expanding.
Now bring your attention to the muscles of your neck.
As you breathe allow it to soften these muscles.
Enjoy this feeling.
Allow the sensation of softness to spread down onto your shoulders.
Sometimes we feel the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Connect to your breath and release any heaviness or tightness from the muscles of your shoulders.
Send your breath into the deltoids.
Those muscles that sit at the top of your shoulders and come down a little onto your upper arms.
If you like lift your shoulders up to your ears and then release them.
Notice the sensation as they come back down.
Breathe in the waves of relaxation and send it to your upper arms into your biceps and triceps.
Notice this feeling.
Now bring your attention to your elbow.
Visualize its bony surface and how the muscles of your forearm are attached to it.
Breathe into this muscle.
Now bring your attention into your wrists and hands.
So many bones.
We use our hands all the time from our work on computers,
From holding and carrying things and from time to time this area can become painful.
Visualize your breath soothing this area and releasing any tension.
Bring this light relaxing feeling to your chest.
Allow yourself to sense the calm and connect to your heart space.
You may like to place a hand on your heart.
Visualize this calm and peaceful relaxation fill your whole chest.
Take your awareness back to your breath.
Notice your belly rise with the in-breath and fall with the out-breath.
Very very gently allow yourself to become more and more relaxed and soft in your tummy.
Notice how this feels.
You may like to take your attention to your back now.
This area of your body that at times becomes stiff and sore from all the different things we do throughout the day.
Become aware of your upper back and notice the muscles and bones there.
The scapula with the trapezius muscles that also connects to the base of your neck.
Allow this area to relax and soften and let go and as you breathe into these muscles relish that feeling of calmness.
Now bring your attention to your mid-back the thoracic area.
Visualize a gentle pressure massaging the vertebra and mid-back.
Also allow yourself to breathe into the spaces between those vertebra.
Feel any tension releasing as your breath releases any tension there.
Now take your attention to your lower back.
This area of the lumbar spine and hips where the deep muscles of the glutes are attached.
Our stabilizing muscles that help us stand,
Sit and walk and that carry us so much weight and that holds so much tension which gets stored there from our busy daily activities like sitting or standing for long periods.
Bring a gentle relaxing feeling to this area.
Allow yourself to release any built-up pain that is there.
Breathe in the feeling of lightness and letting go.
Enjoy this feeling and sink right into it.
Move your attention to your legs.
Visualize your breath as it travels along your hamstrings and thigh muscles.
Allow these muscles to become relaxed as you breathe into them.
Notice the relaxing sensation move to your knee.
Move this feeling to the sides of your knee and behind it.
Now move your attention to your lower leg.
Breathe the relaxing feeling into your calf muscle and shin.
Draw in the sensation of relaxation and visualize this calm and peaceful feeling extend to your ankles leaving a tingling sensation and bring your attention to the top of your feet,
To your soles and to your toes.
Notice how you're feeling now.
What are you feeling?
Just observe.
For the next few minutes of silence allow yourself to simply be with the breath.
Keep coming back to the breath when your mind strains.
You you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you use your mind to Become aware of your body again.
Head,
Face,
Neck,
Throat,
Shoulders,
Back,
Arms,
Chest,
Belly,
Pelvis,
Legs and feet.
Begin to wriggle your fingers and toes and stretch if you like.
You may wish to move your head gently from side to side if you are lying down or roll your shoulders up and away from your ears if you are sitting.
And when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Take a few moments before you get up.
Hold on to this feeling.
Slowly and without rushing,
Begin to go about your daily activities.
Go well and enjoy the rest of your day.
