Taking a gentle breath and settling in,
Your gaze softening,
Lowering your eyelids until they are gently kissed closed,
Feeling grounded here into the earth,
Connected to our mother,
The planet,
A true sense of belonging here.
Allow yourself to simply be here,
Listening to these sounds of nature,
Letting your attention go inward,
Becoming aware of your breath,
Taking a nice long breath to the count of four,
And a slow out breath,
Releasing to the count of four,
Breathing in together,
Feeling the chest and the lungs,
And slow out breath,
So you can feel the release of air through the nostrils,
Letting go,
Letting go,
Then as the breath goes in and moves out,
Just starting to scan the body,
Feeling the eyes,
The soft skin around the eyes,
Softening of the eyes,
Breathing in and breathing out,
You may even sense a smiling in the eyes,
Letting the forehead become smooth,
Maybe sensing a gentle smile at the lips,
Feeling the mouth relax,
The corners of the lips turned upward slightly,
Creating a softness here,
Bringing your awareness now to the entirety of your face,
You can feel a wave of relaxation spreading through each feature,
The tingling sensation emanates from your mouth,
Connecting with the delicate skin of your cheeks,
The temples on the side of your face,
Relaxing,
And the forehead softening,
Allowing the face to fully unwind and feel alive,
See if you can allow the shoulders to fall away from the ears,
And as you breathe,
Imagine that you can breathe inside the shoulders,
Where you can open the spaces inside the shoulder joints,
Receiving the breath,
Become aware of the length,
Volume and weight of your arms,
As if you can sense their presence extending gracefully from your shoulders,
Soften your hands,
Allowing any tension to dissolve,
As if they were gently surrendering into a state of softness and openness,
Paying attention now to your thumbs,
As you breathe,
Feel a subtle lengthening of the thumbs,
As if a gentle pulling sensation is drawing them slightly longer,
Breathing in,
Letting the joints open,
Filling the thumbs with aliveness,
Breathing out,
Settling the thumbs,
Feeling the sensations now of your forefingers,
And tuning to the delicate pull that unfurls with each breath in,
As it gradually lengthens,
And as the breath flows out,
Notice how the fingers finds its place of rest,
Shifting your focus to the middle fingers,
Allowing the inhalation to evoke a similar pulling sensation,
A tender embrace that beckons the fingers to extend and lengthen,
As you exhale witness the fingers into a state of ease,
Releasing any tension and gracefully finding its resting position,
Bring your awareness to the ring fingers,
As the breath kindles an extension,
Feel the joints opening effortless,
With the out breath relish the serene settling and resting of the ring fingers,
Taking a moment to focus on the small fingers,
The pinkies,
And observe how the inhalation summons a beautiful lengthening,
Allow the joints to graciously open,
Accommodating this gentle stretch,
And then on the exhale,
Resting,
Bring your attention now to the palms of your hands,
Recognizing not just their physical presence,
But also sensing them as a vibrant field of energy,
Teeming with life and wakefulness,
Shifting your focus to the chest,
Opening up a space of receptivity,
Where awareness can flood in,
With each breath in,
Sense this awareness filling the chest,
Spreading throughout its entire expanse,
As you exhale relinquish any tightness or tension,
Allowing a deep sense of release and surrender to permeate the chest,
As you breathe in bringing your awareness now to the upper back,
Particularly if there are any areas that feel tight,
With each inhalation inviting the breath to flow directly to those points of tension,
As if it is a soothing balm that wraps around them,
As you exhale surrender any lingering tightness,
Releasing it with the out-breath,
Letting go,
Letting go,
Now allow your breath to fill the belly,
Inviting a sense of spaciousness and receptivity,
Receive the breath in a softening belly,
Allowing it to expand with each inhalation,
With the out-breath feel the belly settling and relaxing,
The breath nurturing and supporting the softness and softening of the belly,
Bring your attention now to the legs,
Fully sensing their length,
Weight and volume,
As they extend gracefully below you,
Allow your awareness to travel all the way down into your feet,
Feeling a grounded connection with the earth,
Tune into the vibrancy present in your toes,
Noticing any subtle sensations or gentle buzzing that may be present here,
Now expand your focus to encompass your entire body,
Widening the lens of your awareness,
Feel the whole body breathing like a symphony of cells in unison,
Sense the aliveness and awakening within each individual cell,
As they dance in harmony with the breath,
Gently guiding your attention back to the here and now,
To this ever-changing flow of sensations,
Sounds and feelings that surround you,
The poet Rupi Kauri writes this,
She says,
My body is alive and brimming with the energy of the universe,
It moves and breathes and dances to the rhythm of the stars,
My spirit is a spark of electricity,
A tiny fire that glows in the night,
The energy of life courses through me,
Illuminating my path as I go,
My heart is a furnace of passion and power,
That drives me to be my best,
It pumps the lifeblood of existence through my veins,
Keeping me alive,
My soul is the essence of all that I am,
The divine light that can never be extinguished,
It radiates the joy of being alive and reminds me to stay present and alive,
As you gradually open up your eyes,
Let the soft gaze encompass your surroundings,
Embracing the world with a renewed sense of presence and aliveness,
Observing the colors,
Shapes and textures that greet your vision today,
Acknowledging the interplay between your inner and outer worlds,
Thanks for practicing with me today,
Have a beautiful day,
Namaste.
