This guided relaxation is best completed in a comfortable,
Lying down position.
You may wish to lie on your yoga mat,
A bed or a sofa,
Somewhere comfortable,
Somewhere you're not going to be disturbed,
Spending a few moments.
Making sure you've got blankets and cushions,
And just gently settling into an extended,
Lying down position.
Legs heavy,
Relaxed.
Arms alongside the body,
With your palms open,
Your head comfortably supported by a cushion,
If needed.
Gently closing your eyes,
Allowing the body to settle into stillness.
Allowing the body to relax,
Just being conscious of any tension that might be in the body.
Just encouraging that to release,
As you bring your awareness to your breathing.
Being aware of the cool air in your nostrils,
Of the lungs filling,
Then emptying of air.
Just allowing the breathing to slow,
And become more relaxed,
Not trying to change anything.
The rhythm is completely natural,
Completely automatic.
Just allowing the breathing to slow,
And allowing the breathing to deepen.
Deep in your body,
Feel your body being supported by the floor beneath your mat,
And the earth and the world below.
Melt into stillness,
Bring your awareness into your feet,
And feel a warm,
Relaxing energy moving into the toes,
The soles of the feet,
The heels,
The ankles,
The tops of the feet.
Just allow the feet to be heavy and soft,
Bring your awareness into your shins,
The calves,
Behind the knees,
The fronts of the knees,
Into the hamstrings and thighs.
Let the legs soften,
And become heavy.
Relax your buttocks,
And feel your back sinking down,
And your shoulders resting heavily.
Bring your awareness into the pelvic area and hips,
And feel all the internal organs sinking back towards the spine.
Feel the muscles and organs of the body,
Front and back,
Relaxing,
Releasing tension,
Creating space for everything to work as it should.
Relax the shoulders once more,
The upper arms,
The elbows,
The forearms,
Wrists,
Fingers,
And thumbs.
Feel any tension flow down the arms to the fingers,
And beyond.
Keep the neck and throat area soft.
It's a bridge between the physical and mental energies,
And a place many hold on to tension.
So just allow it to release,
Allow it to soften.
Relax the jawbone,
The facial muscles,
Especially around the lips,
The cheeks,
The ears,
The nose and eyes.
Feel the eyes sinking back in their sockets,
Eyelids heavy,
And forehead smoothing away any tensions of the day.
Relax the scalp,
And feel a warming energy travelling over the back of the head,
Down the spinal muscles,
Relaxing each of them on its way down,
To pull at its place of rest,
At the base of the spine.
In the same way,
As you relax the body,
You need to relax the mind.
So if any thoughts or worries come to disturb or distract,
Don't hold on to them,
Don't concentrate or focus on them,
Just allow them to pass like clouds in the sky,
And bring your awareness back to the heart centre,
Bring your awareness back to the body.
Lying very calm,
And very still.
Very calm,
And very still.
We'll stay a while,
And just be with yourself.
Start taking slightly deeper breaths,
Slowly bringing your awareness back to your place in this room.
Gently moving your fingers,
Gently moving your toes,
And moving your head from side to side.
On the next in-breath,
Take both arms overhead and have a lovely stretch,
Up into your fingertips and down into your heels,
Bringing your arms down with a yawn or a sigh,
And have another stretch if you'd like one.
And when you're ready,
Turning over onto your right side,
To take a few moments to recover.
And when you're ready,
Bringing yourself up into sitting,
Ready to get on with your day.
