Welcome,
This is Danielle and this is a 15 minute Shavasana,
A guided meditation to take you on an inward journey through the five koshas.
Please find a comfortable and quiet space to lie down on your back.
You can turn your palms to face up,
Place a pillow or bolster under your knees and separate your feet wider than your hips,
Letting your legs roll outward.
If you'd like,
Place a small pillow or folded blanket under your head,
Cover your eyes and perhaps place a blanket over your legs.
It's now time to begin.
As you lay down on your back,
Feel your body relaxing on the ground.
Let your eyes close and start to feel your arms and legs beginning to relax.
Take a deep inhale and let go out through your mouth,
Sighing out completely.
Long inhalation,
Long exhalation,
Beginning to feel the tension leaving your body.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Notice how it flows in and out of your body effortlessly.
Feel the rise and fall of your belly with each breath in and out.
Let your breath become slow and deep,
Relaxing your body even further.
Begin to shift your awareness to your body,
Beginning to explore the Anamaya Kosha,
The physical body.
Notice any areas in your body that feel tense.
You might begin at the top of the head and start to shift downwards,
Exploring your neck and your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your legs.
Feel your body relaxing.
Relax into that space that feels tense or stressed or overworked and let ease move into your body.
Take your time.
There's no hurry.
There's nowhere to go and nothing else to do except nourish yourself with deep relaxation.
Shift your awareness now as we move to Pranamaya Kosha,
Your energy body,
The flow of prana or your life force energy within your body.
Feel an inhalation and imagine this energy flowing into your body.
You might imagine as if a white light is rising from the bottoms of your feet,
Slowly rising upwards past your ankles,
Knees,
Hips,
Through the center of your being all the way upwards towards the crown of the head,
Filling you up with vitality and renewed energy.
As you exhale,
Watch the light move back downwards from the crown of the head,
Beginning to shift any stagnant or blocked energy,
Allowing it to leave your body slowly,
Descending back down towards your feet,
Energy flowing freely.
Using the visualization of light helps the mind stay present in the body.
Watching the light fill the body from the bottoms of the feet,
New energy filling your container,
Exhaling,
Emptying out,
Releasing the old energy,
Drawing that new white light into the body,
Simply watching your energy flowing freely.
If your mind drifts off into the future,
Bring it back.
We'll shift our awareness now to the Manomaya Kosha,
The mental and emotional body.
Give your awareness to any thoughts or emotions that may be present.
Allow them to simply be,
Observing them with no judgment.
Visualize any negative or unhelpful thoughts or emotions leaving your body with each exhale.
You might visualize the sky above,
Picturing the clouds in the sky as if they are negative or unhelpful thoughts and letting the clouds drift past,
Watching them float past,
Leaving you with a sense of calm,
Feeling more centered and relaxed in the mind,
Allowing your emotional body to settle down,
To feel at ease.
As we continue to move further inwards,
Deeper within,
We come to Vijnanamaya Kosha,
Or the wisdom body.
Feel your eyes looking inwards,
A focal point within,
Perhaps into the heart space,
In between the lungs at the center of your being,
This quiet and still space within you,
Deep within you,
The space of inner wisdom and intuition.
Let yourself connect to this space into your soul,
Letting go of any thoughts or distractions,
Simply being present in this quiet,
Peaceful space.
It might take some time to find the quiet and the stillness within,
Just continue.
We'll move now to the bliss body,
Or the Anandamaya Kosha,
As your eyes are looking inwards into this beautiful light within,
Your inner wisdom,
Your true self,
Your bliss body,
The space of deep,
Deep peace and joy.
Allow yourself to connect with this blissful state,
Feeling a sense of gratitude and contentment for all that is pure consciousness,
Pure bliss.
Take a few moments to be in this peaceful,
Blissful state.
You might feel as if you're above your body,
You may feel as if your body is weightless.
Now as you start to hear my voice once again,
Begin to move back into your container,
Beginning to feel your body.
You might start to notice your fingers and your toes.
You might begin to wiggle the hands and the feet,
Moving the wrists clockwise and counterclockwise,
Along with the ankles.
You might begin to feel your breath.
Once again,
Noticing your inhalation,
The space between,
The exhalation,
And another space in between.
Noticing your four-part breath as you start to awaken your body,
And letting your eyes stay closed,
You can shift and roll onto your right or your left side.
Use your bottom arm to hold your head,
And possibly cover your eyes with your top hand to create some darkness for the last few moments of your practice.
Take a moment here to feel,
Notice any changes,
Any shifts to the physical,
Mental,
Emotional.
Notice any changes that have taken place for you through your practice.
Then push yourself upwards.
See if you can allow your head to come up last,
Sitting in any comfortable seat,
Holding your head in your hands.
Sigh out through your mouth,
And with a gentle inhalation,
Begin to push your head upwards,
Feeling your ears over your shoulders,
And shoulders over your hips.
As your hands come into your heart space,
Into Anjali Mudra,
Take a moment to feel the peace and calmness that you have created within yourself.
Can you set an intention for when you step off your mat,
Of carrying this peace and calmness with you?
When you're ready,
Bow your head towards your heart.
Honor yourself and the time you made for you.
Bow your head with gratitude.
Namaste.
Thank you for joining the practice.
If you would like,
You can leave a comment below to share your experience or connect with the community.
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May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
And may you be at peace.
