Many of us have complex relationships with our bodies,
Always changing,
Imperfect,
And sometimes very frustrating.
And yet our bodies do so much for us every day.
This practice is designed to help you cultivate gratitude for your body and expand the physical sensations available to you.
Begin by finding a comfortable position.
You can be still during this practice or move as much as supports you.
Open your senses.
Look around your space,
Soaking in the details.
Turn your head to one side and then the other.
Open to the layers of sound,
Near and far.
Hear your own breath.
Notice any smells.
Taste inside the mouth.
Now feel the mouth full of sensations.
Bring your hands to your face.
Feel your face and run your fingers over your scalp for a gentle massage.
Help release this energy in your head and allow it to flow into the body.
Enjoy this space.
Senses open and receptive.
Begin calling in appreciation for your body and the richness of sensations that are available to you.
I'll offer options for breath and voice to support your practice.
Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Try saying ha and make other sounds,
Feeling how they land in your body and help move energy.
You can also try shhh.
Continue exploring sounds,
Hearing your own voice and feeling the vibrations in your body.
Feel free to make sounds as we continue.
Now try breathing out through pursed lips as though you're blowing out through a straw.
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through pursed lips.
Allow the exhales to be long.
Feel your weight sink into the earth,
Ready to hold you.
Feel free to continue with this calming breath or allow your breath to be natural as we transition into scanning the body.
Begin by feeling the crown of your head,
The very top of the head and all of the sensations in this space.
Now feel your face and the inside of the mouth,
The back of the head,
Your throat,
The back of the neck,
Tops of the shoulders and the tops of the arms,
Both arms together.
Feeling both elbows,
Both lower arms,
The wrists,
The palms of both hands,
The backs of both hands and all ten fingers at once.
And now returning to the inside of the shoulders,
Feeling the chest and the upper back,
Feeling the ribcage and the middle back,
Feeling the belly.
Breathing into this space and feeling the low back.
Feel the pelvis and the buttocks.
Feel the tops of both thighs and the backs of the thigh.
Feel both knees and the space behind the knees,
Both calves,
Both ankles and the tops of both feet and then the bottoms of both feet.
Now feel the whole body full of sensations.
Now let's set intentions for this new day.
How do you want to care for yourself today?
Perhaps you want to pay more attention to your body's cues,
Drink more water,
Pause more.
Allow your intention to be as spacious or specific as feels right.
Once you have landed on your intention,
Speak it out loud as a strong statement.
I will blank.
I will blank.
Hear yourself.
Feel how these words land in your body.
Now transform this into an active,
Present tense statement.
I am blank.
Speak this strong intention out loud.
Breathe into this and feel the power of your intention imprint on your body.
Before we move forward into the day,
Let's seal this practice with the protection visualization.
Begin by feeling the energy deep in your low belly.
You can place your hands on your low belly to help connect with this space.
Breathe into this energetic center.
Draw up energy from the earth into your low belly and feel your power expand.
Call in energy from the universe to build your life force.
Notice what color this energy is today or give it a color.
Imagine this color filling your low belly with each breath growing more vibrant.
Continue to feel this energy expand and breathe it into your entire torso,
Filling your trunk.
Feel this energy gently embracing your gut,
Your heart,
And any other organs that you want to give special attention to.
Now spread the energy down into your legs and through your feet.
Continue breathing and expand this life force energy through your shoulders and arms and finally through your neck and your head.
Feel your entire body pulsing with this powerful force.
Breathe and with the next exhale push the energy out as far as you would like.
Create your protective bubble,
Your own energy acting as your shield.
Bask in the warmth of your protective shield.
Say thank you to your body for showing up to this practice.
Speak your intention again.
I am blank.
Feel your whole body your energy field and your power.
Thank you for joining me today.
