You might start with some free movement through your head,
Letting the chin drop down,
Or the ear dropping down to one shoulder,
And feel how nice it is to breathe and connect.
Let there be free movement in the head,
So you might just be in one spot taking breaths,
Or maybe the head is rocking side to side,
Rolling across the front of the chest.
There might be some big breaths in through the nose,
And a few sighs out of your mouth.
Bringing awareness to your entire spine as you breathe and gently move.
Eventually the arms reach up into the air for a really big stretch.
And somehow let this movement be complete.
Let it be everything you need as you take full body breaths.
Continue to take free movement,
Maybe your arms cactus,
Or maybe you roll out your shoulders.
Just another 30 seconds or so.
If there's a stretch you like to take through your legs,
Your back,
A twist,
Give yourself a chance here to connect and tune into the body.
Don't skip over the joy of stretching,
The joy of breathing.
And you'll settle into stillness eventually.
Something where your spine feels really long.
The cheeks soften and smile just as you fully enjoy your next few breaths.
Relax your shoulders all the way down until your awareness drops all the way down into your belly.
Good relaxation and breath through your pelvis,
Down your legs and thighs,
Through your knees into the feet,
Breathing and relaxing.
Meditation spreads up through the lower back,
Weaving around the sticky spots.
Maybe you identify a part of your lower back that feels tight or sore and send your breath there with a softening,
Smiling energy.
Breathing up through your diaphragm,
Ribs,
Chest and the back of the shoulders,
Slowly soften,
The whole arms soften,
The neck and throat relax.
And relax all the muscles of your face.
Good relaxation and breath through your pelvis.
Taking some full body breaths.
Notice a quality of rest.
An attitude of allowing.
Melting as wide as this moment.
As deep as this moment.
Not the content of this moment.
Not the sounds,
Textures,
Temperature,
But the background,
The moment itself.
The now.
The background of presence and existence that's right here.
Try to catch your next breath all the way to the top and to the bottom.
The joy of breathing.
And as you sense the aliveness of your being,
Just see if there's any particular emotions,
Sensations or thoughts that are arising for you today.
Come in curious about where they are and what they mean for your system.
Let go of your forehead thoughts and listen more to the body messages.
Continue to take full,
Meaningful breaths.
Until you feel relaxed.
Let go of your forehead thoughts and listen more to the body messages.
The shoulders melt down even more as you start to swirl your breath in the middle of the chest and the heart space.
Let a smile soften through your cheeks and your eyes.
Even if you don't feel like smiling,
This is the next part of our practice.
The corners of the mouth press up into a smile a little bit.
The eyeballs relax and smile as well.
And then breathe in this smiling energy.
Just feel how it moves into your system.
Continue to press the smile into your cheeks,
Into your eyes,
Smiling.
The back of your skull,
The base of your neck,
Smiling.
Starting a light and a smiling energy into the whole body,
To the toes,
To the fingertips,
Through the joints and cells with some full body breaths.
You might feel a sense of gratitude that you have added to your body.
You have access to this inner resource.
You have your own power of centering and relaxing yourself.
One more minute.
A smile in your mouth and your face,
Smiling through the whole head and neck.
Weaving your awareness through the body and just notice the echoes of your practice.
How do you feel now and what do you need next?
It might feel nice to conclude with a palm on the heart or the hands in prayer.
Listening to any further education the heart wants to provide for your day.
And enjoy this sense of slowness and heartfulness as you move into the rest of your day.
A smile in your mouth and your face,
Smiling through the whole head and neck.
