Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
And with the eyes open or closed,
Whatever is more comfortable,
Beginning to welcome whatever arises in your awareness.
Maybe there are sounds in the room that you can hear.
Maybe you can notice smells,
Tastes in the mouth.
Facing sensations in the body,
The feeling of the breath moving in it.
Now sensing the body completely supported,
Whether you're in a chair,
Sofa,
Or on the ground.
Maybe notice with each exhale,
Body can sink a little deeper and deeper into the surface underneath it.
We'll begin the practice of progressive relaxation.
So we'll start by opening the mouth as wide as you can,
Really stretching the mouth as if you were a snake eating its prey.
Really stretch here,
Stretch,
And letting go.
Letting the mouth be soft and welcoming the sensations in the jaw.
Next we'll scrunch up the face,
Shutting the eyes tight,
Pursing the lips,
Holding here,
Letting go.
Let the face muscles soften.
Just draw the shoulders up towards the ears,
Really tense through the shoulders,
Hold,
Neck stiff,
And let go,
Shoulders heavy.
Feel the sensations there.
Just make a really tight fist with the hands,
Squeezing as hard as you can,
Tensing the biceps.
Squeeze,
Squeeze,
And let go.
Hands flop open.
The arms are soft,
Shoulders heavy,
And welcome the sensations there.
Next,
Tighten the muscles in the abs,
Squeeze the belly,
The chest,
Maybe you're holding your breath,
Hold here,
And let go.
Let the belly hang out and let the breath move freely through it.
And finally let's tense the legs,
The feet curling up the toes,
The glutes if you can,
Really squeezing the whole lower body tight.
Squeeze and let go.
Soften.
And just welcome the sensations as they flow through the whole body.
Sometime in the feeling of heaviness in the body.
Once again sensing the body completely supported,
The whole weight of the body held.
Begin to notice with each exhale the body feels a little heavier,
Grounded,
Anchored.
And as you experience that sensation of grounding,
Becoming aware of the space around you.
Be aware of what's going on outside,
Just imagining the hustle and bustle of life happening around you as you sit here,
Grounded,
Anchored.
And I invite you to imagine yourself continuing with your day.
And no matter what you experience during it,
Feeling connected to that sense of grounding.
When you're ready,
I invite you to open your eyes,
Coming back to an awake state.
The practice is now complete.
