Let your body get into a comfortable position.
You can be lying down or seated.
Whatever feels best to you today.
Once your body feels really comfortable and supported,
Just let your attention find your breath.
Without trying to change your breath or make your body breathe in any particular way,
Just sense how your body is already breathing.
Sensing your inhale and sensing your exhale.
Feeling how your body is already breathing.
And then when you feel ready,
I invite you to let your attention notice sounds that you can hear.
Just noticing or sensing sounds.
And then shift your attention to notice the taste in your mouth.
Shift your attention to your nostrils and welcome any lingering smells that are present.
Bring your attention to your eyes.
Feeling any colors or shapes behind your eyelids.
And then let your attention come to the surface of your skin and welcome your sense of touch.
Perhaps feeling the air touching your skin.
Just opening to your sense of touch.
And then again,
Let your attention come back to your breath.
And just feel what your breath feels like as it comes in and as it goes back out.
Feel your breath.
And then I invite you if you have a particular intention for this meditation practice,
Something that you want to get out of this practice or something to explore through this practice,
I invite you to bring your intention in now.
And your intention can be as simple as to relax or to stay open and see what happens.
Or you can have a very specific intention to.
Just bring your intention in.
And then you can let it to yourself a few times silently or out loud.
And then you can let your intention just move to the side and we will revisit it at the end of the practice.
You don't need to keep focusing on your intention.
Just trust that your intention has been set.
And we will circle back at the end of the practice.
So I'm going to guide us through a body scan now starting with the very top of your head.
So I invite you to bring your attention to the top of your head and your scalp.
And just welcome and sense any sensations from the top of your head and from your scalp.
And then bring your attention to your forehead,
Sensing the skin across your forehead smooth and cool.
Sense your eyebrows and let them spread out from one another.
Let your temples soften.
Sense your eyes resting in your eye sockets.
Feel your eyelids gently covering your eyes.
As your eyes rest in your eye sockets.
Sense your nose,
The bridge of your nose and around to your nostrils.
Feel your left nostril.
Feel your right nostril.
Feel both nostrils at the same time.
Bring your attention across your cheeks and out to your ears.
Feel your left ear.
And your right ear.
Feel both ears at the same time.
Sense your jaw,
The back hinge of your jaw.
Sense the inside of your mouth and your tongue.
Sense the insides of your cheeks.
Sense the roof of your mouth and the floor of your mouth.
And let your tongue rest in your lower palate.
Sense down the sides of your neck.
Sense down your left shoulder,
Your left upper arm and elbow,
Your left forearm,
Wrist.
And then really let your attention settle in the palm of your left hand.
Just feeling whatever is here to be felt in the palm of your left hand.
And then sense the top of your left hand and each finger on your left hand until you're sensing the whole outer surface of your left hand as sensation.
And then bringing your attention as you're ready to your right shoulder,
Sensing down your right upper arm and elbow,
Your right forearm,
Wrist.
And then bringing your attention to settle in the palm of your right hand.
Welcoming any sensations in the palm of your right hand.
And then sensing the top of your right hand and each finger on your right hand as sensation.
Until you're sensing the whole outer surface of your right hand as sensation.
And then sense your right hand and your left hand at the same time,
Really sensing your head,
Feeling what is here to be felt.
And then as you're ready,
Bringing your attention to your chest,
Feeling your chest on the front surface of your rib cage.
And then sense your upper back and the back surface of your rib cage.
And then sense the left side and the right side until you're sensing the whole outer surface of your upper torso of your rib cage.
And then feel into the center of your rib cage,
Into your heart area.
And just let your attention rest here for a few breaths.
Feeling the center of your rib cage in your heart area.
And if it feels good to linger here,
Please do.
Otherwise,
Bring your attention now down to your belly and just feel whatever there is to feel across your belly.
Feel your lower back.
And then feel your belly and your lower back at the same time.
And then bring your attention down your left hip,
Sensing your left thigh,
Knee,
Your left foreleg,
Ankle,
Your left foot and toes.
And then shifting your attention to your right hip,
Sensing down your right thigh,
Knee,
Your right foreleg,
Ankle,
Foot and toes.
And then sense both feet at the same time.
And then open your attention to sense your whole body now,
Both feet and legs,
Both hands and arms,
Torso,
Shoulders,
Neck,
Scalp,
Forehead,
Your eyes,
Nostrils,
Ears and mouth.
Sense your whole body.
Sensing your whole body and feeling any flows of sensation throughout your whole body.
And then let your attention find your breath and really feel how your breath feels as it comes in and goes out.
Feeling your breath through your whole body,
Your whole body breathing,
Your whole body breathing itself.
And then when you feel ready,
I invite you to bring back to mind your intention for this meditation practice.
And as you bring your intention to mind,
Just notice any ways in which your intention guided your practice.
Noticing if there's anything from your practice that you need to bring with you into your daily waking life.
And just take a few breaths here to stay open and see if there is any insight or any image or any sensation around your intention that wants to come forth.
Just stay open and listen.
And if you want to use this recording to drift into sleep,
You may want to just turn this recording off now and your body will be able to go down into a deep,
Restful sleep.
Otherwise,
Gently start to deepen your inhale breath.
Start to wriggle your toes and your fingers as you transition back up into the room and back to your wide awake and alert state of wakefulness.
Filling your lungs with air,
Starting to move your body and stretch as you come back to an alert,
Awake,
Yet rested state.
