Relaxation Awareness -Body Scan

This relaxation track provides a luxurious introduction to really allow the body, mind, and spirit to ease into full awareness. This is followed by a full body scan with attention to the breath and the senses. This track is suitable for beginners or people with advanced relaxation practice. It's perfect for deep relaxation when the mind is busy- the pace and volume will hold your attention as gentle music plays in the background.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this guided meditation that is suitable for beginners as well as those more experienced at relaxing mindfully.

You will be taken through a gentle and supportive dialogue that will ensure you can experience a deeply relaxing space within yourself.

The instructions provide enough structure for a beginner as well as the open space for flexibility for more advanced practice.

So take a moment to get comfortable and prepare for relaxation.

Take some time to switch off any noise and find a quiet and comfortable space for yourself.

And know that this is time for you to relax fully.

We know that life is full of distractions,

So if something comes up during this time,

You can attend to it and then return to relaxation when you're ready.

Know that whilst you are relaxing,

Other people are tending to things and this is time for you to enjoy fully.

So allow parts of the body to unwind in a way that they can rest easily.

Find a comfortable surface like a sofa or a chair or a floor mat.

You can even lie on a bed.

And if you're sitting up,

Try to let the head sink back onto a pillow or a cushion as it tends to flop forward when relaxing and resting.

Allow the arms and the legs to unwind and let the hands rest gently at your side or on your lap.

Feel the support for your head and shoulders.

Feel the support for your arms and hands.

Feel the support down your back,

Into your hips,

Through the legs,

And all the way down to your feet.

Take some time to make any adjustments.

And when you're in the best position,

Notice the firm support for your whole body.

As you feel supported,

You can allow your eyes to close,

Blocking out the light and any movements around you,

Knowing that at any time you can always open them and attend to anything that needs your attention.

As your eyes are closed,

Become aware of the sounds that you hear and allow your attention to flick from sound to sound,

Noticing obvious sounds but also picking up more subtle sounds.

Then let go of focusing on the sounds and notice your breathing.

Just notice what happens when you breathe in and out.

You might be aware of the pattern of your breath,

The sound as you breathe,

The feeling of the air moving as you breathe,

Or the feeling and the movement in the body as you breathe.

Letting the breath fall into its own natural pattern,

Just letting the breath do whatever it does for right now.

There's nothing else you have to do because it will take care of itself.

And this relaxation is a practice of doing something while doing nothing.

In this case,

Letting your body relax and release.

And as you relax more,

You might notice a shift in your body,

Letting go of any tension,

Starting to let your body become heavier and heavier,

Letting it sink into the surface.

And take this time to invite yourself,

Your mind,

Your body,

And your spirit to let go of anything that doesn't need to be held on to.

You might not even be aware of what could be released,

So make this an open invitation.

This is a good time to set an intention for yourself,

A positive statement that might begin with I am,

Such as I am calm.

And when you know what it is that you wish for yourself,

Repeat this intention to yourself three times.

And then let it be like a seed planted that will continue to grow as you nurture it to fruition.

In this relaxation,

We will continue by bringing awareness through the body by scanning from the feet to the head,

Inviting parts of the body to relax and noticing any sensations as you become aware of each part.

You are focusing on the instructions without worrying about how well or how deeply you are relaxing,

Letting this be a holiday from judgment.

In this way,

You are letting go of any expectations and just letting yourself benefit from what you are able to get from this exercise.

Let whatever you feel or sense be what it is and let it be okay.

So begin to become aware of your feet.

Notice any tension or sensations that you feel in the feet.

Let the feet relax easily and gently.

Noticing or stretching the feet to let go of any further tension and then noticing the ankles.

And then become aware of your lower legs from the ankles to the knees.

Let the lower legs relax and notice any tension or discomfort.

Let the lower legs relax easily and gently.

Notice the knees.

Might be aware of holding tension here and letting the legs adjust as you let go of tension or holding in the knees.

Then notice the big muscles in the upper legs from the knees to the hips,

Allowing those big muscles to relax.

Notice any tension or holding that happens in the upper legs and be aware of any sensations you feel without judgment.

You might be surprised to realize how much tension the legs were holding.

As you notice the body from your feet to your hips,

Just pause and become aware of how this part of the body has relaxed even more.

From the feet to the hips or from one leg to another.

It's perfectly normal to notice sensations you weren't aware of when you weren't paying attention.

Just sit with the sense of relaxation.

And then notice your hips,

Pelvis and backside.

Be aware of the position of this part of the body.

Can you tilt or shift the position to let go of anything that you're holding on to?

Can you make a slight adjustment to release any tension?

You might use the breath to signal this release.

And letting this relaxation happen without force or expectation.

Just exploring into the pose easily and gently.

Take a couple of deep breaths here to allow this part of the body to soften and relax even more.

Then gently bring awareness into the middle section of the body,

The abdomen,

Chest and the ribcage,

The whole front of the body.

And noticing this part of the body as you breathe.

Notice the movement and any sensations.

Notice the breath and the movement.

And take a moment to focus on breathing into the belly as much as comfortable.

And letting the breath out slowly.

You can even take a moment to let go of anything that might be stuck in the subtle mind by exhaling with a sigh.

Letting go of whatever doesn't need to be held on to.

And repeat this a couple of times.

And then let the breath fall back into its own natural pattern.

Bring your attention now to the lower back,

To the base of the spine.

Continue to relax but continue to stay aware and follow my voice.

Notice the base of the spine,

The contact of your spine with the surface or the point in the spine that is lifted from the surface.

You may want to tilt or shift your position slightly to release any tension or allow the lower back to let go of any tension.

And then notice the spine in the center of the back.

See if you can imagine breathing into the base of the spine and let the breath travel up the spine as you inhale.

All the way up to the top of the spine at the neck.

And then exhale.

Release the breath as you imagine the air traveling down back to the base of the spine.

Continue this breathing from the base of the spine through the upper middle back all the way to the neck.

And back down again.

Then let go of consciously focusing on the breath in this way.

Bring your attention to the right and left sides of the back as you bring your awareness from the bottom of the back to the middle of the back.

Between and across the shoulder blades all the way into your neck and shoulders.

Letting the whole back relax.

Being aware of the whole back.

Whole back relaxing.

Noting any tension or sensations without judgment.

Breathing into any areas that need more attention.

Letting go and releasing easily and gently.

And then notice your neck and the area around your neck.

You might slightly turn or shift the neck to become more comfortable.

Let the neck take a break from holding the head.

Let it rest into the surface.

You might even imagine warm water around your neck like a spa.

Or nurturing hands gently massaging and letting the neck relax even more.

Let the sense of relaxation flow from the neck down through the upper arms to your elbows and your forearms.

Noticing and sensing this release and unwinding to happen as you become aware of your wrists,

Palm of the hands,

Back of the hands,

Fingers and thumbs.

Take a moment to give yourself a breath of self-care through the palms of your hands.

Imagine breathing into the palms of the hands and letting the breath travel through the arms into the body.

Finding the places that need nurturing or nourishment.

Letting the breath massage these points.

And then bring your awareness back to the neck and around to the throat and the jaw.

Release the tongue from the roof of the mouth and relax the muscles around the mouth,

The cheeks and the ears.

Allow the muscles of the face to release and relax,

Becoming soft without expression.

Relax easily and gently.

Invite yourself to breathe into the nose and notice the gentle breath as it travels down the throat into the chest and the belly.

Repeat this breath awareness in that way.

Gentle breath into the nose,

Traveling down the throat,

Into the chest and belly.

And then bring your attention back to the face and the area around your eyes,

Behind the eyes and to the temples and the forehead.

Relax the whole face.

Relax the whole head.

You might imagine those healing hands gently combing the scalp or the hair,

Releasing the muscles inside the head,

Allowing the brain and the thoughts to slow down and soften.

Traveling into the top of the head,

To the crown of the head,

Your mind is calm and floating,

Deeply relaxed.

Feel the whole body now,

Deeply relaxed.

And if you notice any place in the body that needs more attention,

Bringing your awareness there now.

And as you exhale,

Let go of any tension that doesn't need to be held on to,

Relaxing and releasing easily and gently.

Relaxing the whole body the best you can for right now.

Continue relaxing as we will gradually begin the process of becoming awake and alert once again.

Letting any thoughts or images from this experience fade back to where they came from.

And as you transition back to the reality of the day,

You can take a moment to reflect on this experience,

Noticing if there's anything that came up.

Or just noticing the sense of deep relaxation,

Refreshment and comfort.

Just appreciating this moment.

And begin to pay attention to the space around you and the sounds that are coming from the room or the place that you're in.

Begin to feel your body becoming alive and awake.

You can stretch or move the body in any way to awaken the body.

Letting the eyes open when you're ready.

You may feel like you're awakening from a deeply refreshing rest.

So give yourself a moment to come back all the way awake and alert.

Thank you for joining me.

Until next time we meet again.