Welcome to your gratitude relaxation session.
You have two choices.
You can remain in a comfortable seat,
Supporting your sit bones,
Allowing your spine to grow a little longer,
Sitting with ease,
Always the option to place a prop underneath your sit bones,
A block,
Folded up blanket,
Bolster.
Your second option is to find your way down to the mat.
As you move down,
Move mindfully,
Moving down one vertebra at a time.
As you arrive,
Feel the weight of the earth rise up,
Support and cradle you.
If you notice any lower back tension,
Option to bend your knees,
Walk your feet out to the width of the mat,
Allow your knees to knock in together,
Taking whatever adjustments you need to find that perfect sweet spot.
And wherever you find yourself,
Just arrive.
Arriving here and now,
Coming into your breath,
Allowing your breath to be your anchor,
Taking some deep belly folds in,
Feeling your ribcage expand out,
And exhaling,
Releasing that stagnant air in the depths of your lungs.
Keep following your breath in and out,
In and out.
Continuing to ground down,
Arrive in the here and now.
We're going to focus this relaxation session on gratitude.
I'm going to read a poem by Patricia Ellsberg.
So get comfortable and allow the sound of my voice to lead you on a journey,
Open in gratitude for the breath that nourishes every cell in your body and has sustained you from the moment you were born.
Here,
Invitation to keep focusing on that breath,
Focusing on the in and out,
Focusing on nourishing every cell in your body.
For the miracle of your body,
That despite whatever weaknesses or limitations,
Serves you and allows you to sense the wonders of the world.
Maybe going within here,
Going to those little spots that you have of tenderness,
Of maybe discomfort,
Focusing your mind's eye there,
And sending some light and some love,
And perhaps bringing a little bit of release with your beautiful attention.
For the brain that coordinates all the functions of your body,
Without you even being aware of it,
Here,
Focus on your head space.
Send that area some light and some love,
A little bit of release,
Maybe tuning in to any areas of tension along your jawline,
Along your neck.
Give yourself the permission to release anything that is no longer serving you.
In gratitude for the consciousness that allows you to perceive,
To feel,
And be amazed.
For the eyes that allow you to see a bounding beauty that surrounds you,
The colors,
The shapes,
The face of a loved one.
And tuning in here now to that eye space around the eye sockets,
Sending some light,
Some love,
Some attention there,
And maybe bringing to mind a face of a loved one,
So much so that perhaps the corners of your lips raise.
Gratitude for the ears that enable you to hear birds singing,
Wind rustling in the leaves,
Words people say to you,
And the laughter of children.
Tuning in here,
Focusing your mind's eye on your ear area,
Sending those loaves some light,
Some love,
Some gratitude for all that they enable us to do.
Gratitude for the sense of smell that allows you to enjoy the fragrance of flowers,
The scent of fresh air,
Your favorite food.
Tuning in here to your nose,
Focusing on your breath,
Breathing deeply in through your nostrils,
Sucking in that air,
Feeling the warmth,
The texture,
Taking that air all the way down,
Seemingly into your belly,
And following it back out through your belly,
Through your chest,
Through your neck,
Throat,
And back out through your nose,
Tuning in,
Sending gratitude for your mouth and tongue that enable you to taste the fruits of the earth,
To enjoy a ripe peach in the midst of summer,
Or a chocolate melting delicately in your mouth.
Tune in here,
Go into your mouth,
Notice your tongue,
Notice any textures,
Any flavors,
Perhaps you had a sip of coffee,
Tea,
Or even water before you started on this relaxation journey,
Remembering your favorite dish,
Your favorite treat,
Perhaps here even the corners of your mouth lifting.
Finding gratitude for the skin that protects you and yet allows you to touch and sense the world,
Feel warmth,
Coolness,
Softness,
And the touch of a loved one.
Bring your mind's eye,
Your attention to your skin,
Your body's largest organ,
And perhaps allow it to sense the air that surrounds it,
Engulfs it,
Is that air cool,
Is the air warm?
How does it feel right here,
Right now?
Maybe your hands are gently resting on your lap or down by your side,
What can those amazing sensory experiences provide to you right here,
Right now?
And then gratitude for your heart that beats faithfully your whole life from even before you were born,
Bringing your attention,
Maybe even placing one hand on your heart and cupping the other over it,
Whether you're seated or lying down,
Feel this wonderful nurturing gesture,
Feel the sweet beating of your heart.
Come back to this moment,
Back to the sweet intention of this relaxation practice,
Finding that gratitude as we explore and develop a deeper,
Richer relationship with ourselves and our bodies.
Feeling the rise and fall of your chest continue to focus on your breath,
Taking a moment to really focus in on your entire magnificent body,
Sending it light,
Sending it love and gratitude.
Open to a sense of wonder and gratitude for the amazing gift of being awake and alive in this precious human form,
And the fact that we exist or that anything exists at all is a wondrous mystery.
We all live in the midst of a miracle.
And that was by Patricia Ellsberg,
Sending her light and love and gratitude for her amazing gifts,
Sharing that out into the world.
You can stay here as long as your heart desires.
If you're ready to start to move into your day,
Slowly start to bring some subtle movement into your fingers and into your toes.
If you are seated,
Remain as you are,
Maybe switching the cross of your legs.
If you are lying down,
Release your arms straight up above you.
Take a nice long inhale here to find more length through your spine.
And as you exhale,
Roll mindfully off onto your favorite side,
Perhaps using your bottom arm as a pillow,
Guiding your knees softly in towards your heart space,
Arriving in a final fetal position,
Taking this time for you,
Tuning in,
Perhaps noticing the energetic and physical benefits of this small relaxation,
Soaking it all in into every cell of your body.
And when you feel ready,
Slowly,
Sweetly,
Softly pressing into the mat,
All arriving in a comfortable seat.
The option to bring your hands together at heart center or you can cup your heart,
Placing one hand on top of the other on top of your heart space.
Option to lift the corners of your mouth.
A deep inhale here,
Soaking in all of that gratitude for your amazing body,
All the positivity that you have in your life.
Exhale here,
Releasing anything that no longer serves you.
Thank you so much for allowing me to guide you through this brief gratitude relaxation,
Sending you much light,
Much love along your journey.
Hope to see you again soon.
Bye.
