Welcome to your session today.
My name is Shanna Moyer and I have the pleasure of leading you through this relaxation for the mind session.
The goal of today's session is complete relaxation,
Tranquilizing your central nervous system and allowing you an opportunity to wind down,
Settle in,
And rest.
For today's session,
I recommend you lie down.
Comfy pillows,
A cozy blanket,
An eye pillow if you have one available to you,
Earbuds in and eyes closed.
Today will be a mixture of visualization,
Breath work,
And meditation.
I want you to feel genuinely supported,
Comforted,
And given permission to relax.
Taking a big breath in and out,
And when you're comfortable and feel supported,
Nurtured,
And safe,
I invite you to close the windows of your eyes.
All you need to do is listen,
And if you drift off,
That's okay.
In fact,
That is perfect.
I'm going to start drawing the breath in through the nose,
And instead of deep down into the belly,
If you have it available to you,
Placing your hands on the bottom of your ribcage.
As you breathe in,
I invite you to breathe into the space of your hands,
Widening your breath,
Allowing space for your diaphragm to expand.
Gently and slowly drawing in that breath,
Allowing your ribcage to expand and widen,
And letting out all of that air with your exhale.
The breath travels in through the nose and out through the nose.
Our goal today is complete relaxation.
The breath anchors us down and nurtures us into a space of safety.
Taking another big breath up in through the nose,
Sending it into the lower spaces of the ribcage,
Allowing your hands to be pushed outward,
And then releasing that breath back through the nose,
Emptying out as much as you possibly can.
And one more time,
As your body grows heavy and melts down into the surface that you're lying on today,
Up in through the nose,
Expanding your lower ribcage,
And gently out through your nose.
Allow your breath to travel to its own natural rhythm while placing your hands wherever it feels most comfortable.
That could be down at your sides,
You could have one hand on your heart and one on your lower belly.
Whatever feels best for you.
Our minds spend so much time turning,
So much time seeking meaning and connection.
And we live in a society that almost demonizes the notion of rest.
But a body and a mind at rest is a body and a mind at ease.
Spend time running,
Working,
Seeking,
Speaking,
Connecting,
Thinking,
Doing and being all of the things.
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to rest?
To simply close your eyes,
Feel nurtured by a cozy blanket,
And just rest.
Keep breathing into that beautiful body,
Melting down into the space that supports you,
And drawing your awareness up into your brain.
Considering all of the things that you do,
That you are,
That you seek,
That you be.
Is there a way to take out some of that clutter?
If you were to reach in,
What words and descriptions could you take out that maybe don't serve the purpose of rest?
I invite you to visualize yourself sweeping those things away.
Whether it's taking an eraser and rubbing them out.
Plucking them out like flowers,
Delicately and gently with your fingers.
Or perhaps it's using the tiniest,
Most gentle,
Feather-like broom to sweep them away.
What words do you allow yourself to let go of in the name of rest and relaxation today?
Take your time with this.
Be mindful and gentle and intentional with this.
There is nothing else that demands your attention right now.
And even as you do this practice,
Rest.
It's not forced.
And maybe today there's just one word that you take out.
Maybe that one word is enough.
Enough to create space,
To invite gentleness,
To bring on this notion of rest and relaxing the mind.
When that visualization piece feels complete for you,
I invite you to start to draw the covers over the mind.
You are welcome to interpret that however you choose.
Perhaps it brings to mind and inspires the covers of your blankets.
A tucking in and going inward.
Perhaps it's a closing of the blinds,
A darkening of the space behind your eyes.
These are your moments of rest and relaxation.
Give into them.
And if you can,
Allow yourself to drift away.
If you have time,
Stay with this practice for as long as you can today.
You are deserving of resting.
Your mind,
That busy beautiful space,
Is deserving of relaxing.
Stay here today for as long as you choose to.
For as long as you need to.
And only opening the eyes when you feel ready.
