Settle the body.
Let yourself get comfortable.
Scan the body and notice anything contracted or tense.
And feel the body warm,
Softening.
Bringing your attention to the fact that you're breathing.
Simply noticing.
Feeling into the sensations of breathing in and breathing out.
Resting attention on the in-breath.
The feeling of the belly or the chest area lifting,
Rising.
Feeling into the sensation of the out-breath.
Allowing the chest,
The heart area to fall back gently.
Allowing the belly to fall back,
Meeting the spine.
Notice the full duration of the in-breath.
And sense the full duration of the out-breath.
And just taking the next few moments to ride the waves.
The feeling sensation of breathing in and breathing out.
This is the body's innate wisdom.
No need to be in charge.
No need to solve anything.
Just allow the wisdom of the body,
Breathing,
To guide and support you.
And when you're ready,
See if you can expand your attention.
Widen the lens of felt awareness.
And include the face.
Feeling into the face.
Noticing the forehead.
And if you notice contractions or tightening,
Furrowed brow.
Soften.
Just allow.
Soften the eyebrows.
And the eyelids,
Even the eyelashes.
And as you stay with the sensation of the breath,
Breathing you in and out.
Feeling into now the cheeks and down the face to the jaw.
And here we can notice anything tight or holding.
Nothing to do.
Nothing to hold.
Just let go.
Soften and release the jaw.
And here you might even notice the mouth,
The lips,
The nose,
The chin.
What happens if you turn the corners of the lips up ever so slightly?
As if a smiling.
And allowing awareness.
Feeling into the body as we move attention down the neck,
The throat.
Across the clavicle in the front of the shoulder area.
And all across the backs of the shoulders.
Anything that's tight or holding.
Any burdens.
Worries.
Set them down,
Let go.
No need to hold them for now.
Soft shoulders.
And as if the torso were a small boat perhaps on the water.
Gently rising and falling on the calm ocean.
Just allow yourself to feel the body being breathed.
Now you might notice the back.
All the points of contact.
Resting against a surface,
Maybe the shoulder braids,
Maybe the mid back,
Maybe the low back.
Maybe the hips or the buttocks or the backs of the legs.
Perhaps even feeling the heels or the soles of the feet.
Making contact.
Actually held by gravity.
And when you're ready,
Moving your awareness down your arms,
Elbows,
Wrists,
To the hands and fingers.
And just allowing anything that's held to soften.
Letting go and letting be.
Right here,
Right now.
Safe.
Held.
By gravity.
