So,
Today's meditation is an autogenic meditation.
The purpose of autogenic training is to help you use words or phrases as a suggestion so that you can relax.
For example,
Words such as warmth and heaviness or light and cooling are often associated with relaxation.
So,
If you're having trouble falling asleep,
Or perhaps you're having trouble staying asleep,
So you fall asleep but you wake up in the middle of the night,
This is a good meditation to do.
Now for today,
I'm going to guide you through it,
And you can certainly play this anytime you need to,
But just know that you can learn these suggestions on your own without necessarily listening to a recording each time.
So I invite you to get comfortable,
Preferably lying down.
And if you're lying down,
You might have your legs on a bolster or simply stretched out in front of you,
Allow your feet to fall open naturally.
Your arms are resting out to your side with palms up.
Take a moment to gently push your shoulders down away from your ears,
Kind of rock your head from side to side to loosen up your neck.
Get as comfortable as you can.
So when you're ready,
I'm going to give you a phrase such as,
My right arm is warm and heavy.
You're going to draw your awareness into that arm,
And you might repeat those words to yourself,
Either out loud or in your mind.
So let's begin.
Draw your awareness into your right hand.
Your right hand is warm and heavy.
So you might say,
My right hand is warm and heavy.
My right hand is warm and heavy.
Draw your awareness up into your right arm.
My right arm is warm and heavy.
My right arm is warm and heavy.
My right hand and my right arm are feeling very warm and heavy.
Draw your awareness to your left arm.
My left arm is warm and heavy.
My left arm is warm and heavy.
Imagine you're floating that energy down into your left hand.
My left hand is warm and heavy.
My left hand is warm and heavy.
My left hand and my left arm are warm and heavy.
Take a moment to notice the heaviness in your arms,
Completely relaxing them.
And now draw your awareness to your left leg.
My left leg is warm and heavy.
My left leg is warm and heavy.
Feeling that energy down into your left foot.
My left foot is warm and heavy.
My left foot is warm and heavy.
My left leg and foot are warm and heavy.
My left leg and foot are warm and heavy.
Moving the energy into your right foot.
My right foot is warm and heavy.
My right foot is warm and heavy.
Drawing your awareness to your right leg.
My right leg is warm and heavy.
My right leg is warm and heavy.
Now take a moment to notice how your arms and legs are warm and heavy.
Relaxing the muscles as completely as you can.
Now go ahead and draw your awareness to your face and head.
This time saying,
My face and head feel cool and soft.
My face and head feel cool and soft.
You might take a moment to relax your facial muscles.
And then move down to your neck and jaw.
My neck and jaw feel cool and soft.
My neck and jaw feel cool and soft.
When you're ready,
You're bringing your awareness into your lungs.
You're noticing your breath.
Simply take a moment to gently inhale and exhale,
Not trying to control the breath in any way.
My lungs and my breathing are smooth and relaxed.
My lungs and my breathing are smooth and relaxed.
Now drawing the awareness into your heart.
My heart and my heartbeats are strong and normal.
My heart and my heartbeats are strong and normal.
Drawing your awareness into your back and shoulders,
Allowing them to feel heavy and weighted.
My back and shoulders are warm and heavy.
My back and shoulders are warm and heavy.
Then moving the energy down into your abdomen and hips,
Including your low back.
My abdomen and hips feel warm and heavy.
My abdomen and hips feel warm and heavy.
Take a moment to scan your entire body,
Noticing how your arms,
Your legs,
Your entire body is heavy and weighted into the ground beneath you,
Feeling completely supported.
With each exhale,
Relax a little deeper,
Feeling a little more warmth and heaviness in your body as you relax in the ground,
Perhaps feeling a little cooler or softer around your face and neck.
Even while your body feels very heavy,
You might notice that in your mind you feel very light and relaxed.
Stay here for a few moments more,
Perhaps noticing your inhalation or exhalation or simply enjoying the silence.
At this point,
You may have fallen asleep,
But if you are alert and are using this as a relaxation,
Go ahead and bring yourself back into the room and a wiggling your fingers and toes rocking your head from side to side,
Rolling over to one side and sitting up whenever you're ready.
Thank you for joining me.
