Come to sit on the floor or in a comfortable chair with your hands on your lap or by your side resting.
You want to be relaxed,
But you don't want to fall asleep.
We are going to do a body scan to relax the body,
Calm the mind,
And re-enter your day feeling refreshed.
It's going to be relaxing and you will leave feeling re-energized and thoroughly enjoy the experience.
Don't feel the need to get it perfect.
Meditation can't be done poorly,
It's just done.
There's no wrong or right way,
Just our thinking that we apply that makes it so.
Start to settle into your space.
You can begin to focus on one small object somewhere in the room.
Feel your hips start to sink down a little deeper.
Let the belly be soft.
Take a deep breath in,
Filling up the belly and pulling your shoulders up.
Hold for just a moment and then roll your shoulders back as you exhale.
Maybe this helps you to sit a little taller,
But don't strain to do so.
Do that again,
Inhaling the shoulders up and exhaling the shoulder blades down the back.
If you haven't already,
You can close the eyes.
Feel the scalp and crown of the head relax down slightly.
The ears start to relax down.
Your jaw loosens slightly.
You can even give it a little wiggle here.
Start to feel the creases on the outside of your eyes soften.
The space between your eyebrows softens.
The cheeks,
The mouth,
And the tongue all soften.
We will start to move down the body,
Calling attention to a space and then softening into it.
If you feel your mind begin to wander,
Don't worry or judge yourself.
It's perfectly natural.
Just tell yourself,
I am thinking,
And come back to softening the body.
Start to feel the tops of your shoulders softening.
Upper arms softening.
Elbows softening.
Forearms softening.
Wrists softening.
Feel the backs of the hands.
The fingers.
Fingertips.
The palm of your hand.
Maybe the fingers curl in slightly.
Keep the hands loose and comfortable.
Softening the whole hand now.
Come to the chest.
Softening the space between your shoulders.
The underarm.
The collarbone.
Upper back.
Feel the shoulder blades soften your back.
Feel where your heart lies in your chest and feel depth and space for its beating.
Come to the ribcage.
Softening.
Mid-back.
Softening.
Belly is soft now,
Staying here for a moment and observing the breath.
Come to your low back,
Where so much tension can lie.
Soften into the low back.
Feel the hips heavier now,
Sinking in a little deeper now.
Come to the seat and the pelvis,
Relaxing down a bit more.
Feel the front of the thighs softening.
Back of the thighs and hamstring softening.
Knees,
Backs of the knees,
Soft.
Feel all the muscles that surround the knee and work so hard,
Softening.
The shins.
The calves.
Softening.
Coming to the ankles now.
Let the weight of the ankles just sink down.
Tops of the feet,
Softening.
Heels,
Bottoms of the feet,
Which carry your weight through the world,
Softening.
Feel the toes,
Tips of the toes,
Soften.
Now feel the whole foot soften.
Now come back up the calf.
Knees,
Thighs,
Hips.
Low back,
Belly.
Mid back,
Rib cage.
Upper back.
Chest.
Shoulders.
Neck and head.
Come to rest in the space between the eyebrows,
Relaxing here for a moment.
Now,
Feeling how powerful and useful your body is as you move about your day.
Giving thanks for this ability.
Stay here in this moment of thanks for your body.
Soon you will continue about your day with a renewed sense of energy.
Take your time when you come back to your space.
Start to make small movements,
Moving your head side to side,
Moving the fingers and toes.
You'll come back into the room at the sound of the bell and blink your eyes open.
Be well.
