Welcome.
This meditation can be practiced either seated or laying down in a comfortable position where your body can maintain a long spine and overall sense of physical ease.
It may take some time to settle into this position,
So don't feel the need to rush to be in stillness.
Let each adjustment become a moment of connection and inquiry between your body and your mind as you get more comfortable and comfortable until eventually stillness lands.
Notice what you notice within the physical body.
At this time,
Is there any sensation or tension that is more loud or obvious to you here?
We often notice pain or discomfort in the body first,
As these feelings tend to make the most noise and draw in our attention.
While these are important messages that the body is communicating,
Can you also notice the story that you may attach along with these sensations?
Is there any tone of frustration,
Sadness,
Or impatience towards your body and towards some of these perceived negative sensations?
Just observe the habits of the mind here.
Whether due to illness,
Injury,
Aging,
Or other unique circumstances,
We all experience pain in the body that can feel overwhelming at times.
Let yourself move through those initial observations and then explore expanding towards a more holistic view of the body in this moment.
Maybe noticing areas which are a bit quieter,
Observing the more subtle sensations of peace and spaciousness that also exist within you.
It is easy to overlook these peaceful parts of our body when our attention is called to areas of stronger sensation or pain.
In this practice,
We will use the sense of interoception to pass our awareness around the body,
During which I invite you to spend little moments of acknowledgement and appreciation with each part as we move through.
To begin,
Please bring your attention to the space of your heart.
Can you feel this incredible organ beating steadily in your chest?
Beyond the physical muscle of the heart,
We might explore the emotional expression of love and gratitude that is connected to this space.
At this point,
You might like to set an intention from your heart for this practice.
Take a moment to breathe in deeply,
Bringing your intention and awareness to the space of your heart.
Now breathe out slowly and let the intention release with the breath.
Two more like that,
Breathe in,
Feel the chest and heart swell with loving awareness.
Breathe out and let those sensations spread throughout your entire body.
One more time,
Slowly and mindfully breathing in,
The heart space expands.
And as you exhale,
A sense of ease melts across the body.
We will begin moving our awareness around the body,
Starting at the right shoulder.
Awareness travels to the right upper arm,
Right elbow,
Right forearm,
Right wrist,
Right palm,
Right smallest finger,
Ring finger,
Middle finger,
Index finger,
Right thumb,
Whole right hand.
Our hands are said to be an extension of our hearts that allow us to hold,
To touch,
To operate and to experience so much of the world around us,
As well as serving as a conduit for the expression of our world within.
Whole right hand relaxes,
Moving our attention back into the right forearm,
Up to the right elbow,
Right upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Whole right arm softens.
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Left shoulder,
Left upper arm,
Left elbow,
Left forearm,
Left wrist,
Left palm,
Little finger,
Ring finger,
Middle finger,
Index finger,
Thumb,
Whole left hand,
Left forearm,
Left elbow,
Left upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Left arm now heavy and relaxed,
Left side of chest,
Feel both arms that allow us to hug and to hold all that is dear to us,
To carry out what we need with strength,
Offer gratitude to your arms,
And may you now give them permission to completely rest in this moment.
Awareness moves to the left side of your lungs,
Right side of your lungs,
Feel each beautiful breath in both your lungs,
Follow the breath downwards to the solar plexus that expands as the diaphragm draws breath down on the inhale,
Then softens back towards your spine as you exhale,
Follow your awareness down once more to the low belly,
Appreciating all the vital organs that keep you nourished and alive within the torso of the body,
Bring your awareness to your right hip,
Moving down to the right thigh,
Right knee,
Right shin,
Right ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Each of the toes from the little toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Big toe,
Arch of the right foot,
Right heel,
Whole right foot,
Imagine in this moment all the places your feet have carried you,
Right calf,
Behind the right knee,
Right hamstrings,
Relax the big muscles of your right glutes,
Returning awareness to the right hip,
Whole right leg relaxes now,
Awareness to our left hip,
Left thigh,
Left knee,
Left shin,
Left ankle,
Top of the foot,
First toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Big toe,
Arch of the left foot,
Left heel,
Whole left foot,
Left calf,
Behind the left knee,
Left hamstrings,
Left glutes,
Left hip,
Both of the legs and pelvis are now heavy and relaxed,
Notice the space of your low back,
Can you breathe love and space right down to this area where so many of us collect tension and compression,
Imagine that spaciousness traveling upwards between each of the vertebrae of the spine with each slow and gentle breath,
Following that breath up the spine until you arrive at your upper back,
Relax your right scapula,
Left scapula,
Whole back and shoulders relax,
Become aware of your whole body now,
Resting in this moment,
We move awareness to our neck and upwards to the jaw,
Your right cheek,
Left cheek,
Relax the top lip,
Bottom lip,
Softening apart the teeth,
Your tongue,
Upper palate,
The space below your nostrils,
Feel breath as it enters your nostrils,
More coolly on the inhale and exits more warmly on the exhale,
Both eyelids are closed and soft,
The weight of the eyeballs heavy back into your scalp,
Widen and soften the skin above your eyebrows and feel the extension of that skin wrap all the way around the sides of your head to your ears,
Both ears soften,
Relax,
Feel that skin around the head wrapping over the top of your scalp all the way around to the dimples at the base of your skull,
Relax the skin all around your head,
Feel the weight of your brain and the limitless capacity for expansion you hold within this part of yourself,
Whole face and head peacefully rest,
Move your awareness slowly and gently across the entire surface of your skin that spreads around your whole body,
Observe and notice what you feel here,
Let the feeling of peace and ease extend from the top of your head to the tips of your toes,
You are perfectly and uniquely exactly as you are,
Every part of you is a piece to this wonderful whole,
Take a moment to appreciate all that you are,
When you are ready to return your attention to your heart where we began,
Place your hands onto your chest one on top of the other and revisit your heart's intention,
Feel the beating of your heart in your chest,
Feel the movement of breath in your lungs,
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself,
Feeling gratitude for the time and effort that you have spent in completing this practice today,
We'll join the hands together in prayer in front of the heart,
The thumbs lightly press into the center of the chest,
May we find acceptance and gratitude in our heart,
Moving the thumbs to gently touch the lips,
May we have acceptance and gratitude in our word,
The thumbs move to the eyebrow center,
May we know acceptance and gratitude in our minds,
As you feel ready you can move the heels of your hands across to the temples and give yourself a little massage,
Moving your fingers through your hair and letting the hands move across the outer surface of the body to gently reawaken yourself to sensation in this moment,
I sincerely hope this practice has been able to offer you a shift in perspective towards the experience of sensation in your body,
I appreciate you taking the time to practice with me,
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
