Hello and welcome to this river of relaxation meditation.
A meditation meant for you to come whenever you need a moment to relax and unwind and calm your nervous system.
You can throw this on in the evening before bed or whenever you need a gentle pause throughout your day.
So take a moment,
Allow your body to settle into a comfortable position wherever you are and we'll use the breath to drop us in.
I'll count to four and we'll inhale.
I'll count to eight and we'll exhale.
This is a great breathing practice to help us calm our nervous system and clear the mind of any thought.
So as you find your comfortable position,
Go ahead and ground down into this moment,
Breathing gently,
Letting go of life for a bit.
Let the week behind you soften and let the future ahead rest for now and give yourself permission to rest away from your to-do list or any expectations.
Allow yourself to be here,
Stepping into this presence,
Coming into your body and a full awareness of where you are,
Noticing the sounds beyond my voice and then beyond that maybe even some mental chatter still happening here.
Notice the body and its weight and if there's still some restlessness happening here in the body,
Gently moving or wiggling out to whatever wants to be moved for a moment and then start to notice the breath and its easy flow.
Notice how there's nothing else to do right now but exist and nowhere else to be,
Just trusting that you're exactly where you're meant to be.
Let's take a deep breath in together,
Breathing in and breathing out and we'll exhale out everything and we'll begin our count here,
Breathing in for 1,
2,
3,
4 and exhale for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Deep breath in for 1,
2,
3,
4 and out for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Deep breath in for 1,
2,
3,
4 and out for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
A few more times,
Breathing in for 1,
2,
3,
4 and breathing out for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Deep breath in for 1,
2,
3,
4 and out for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Last one,
Biggest breath yet,
Breathing in for 1,
2,
3,
4 and out for 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Now allowing yourself to settle into this easy rhythm of deeper breathing,
Giving your mind and your body permission to be at ease and relax.
There's nothing else you need to do.
Fill your breath,
Notice your expansion and the spaciousness here within your body now.
And now in your mind's eye,
I want you to begin to imagine you are lying next to a river.
It's a calm,
Steady stream.
Maybe it's a sunny day or maybe you're there at sunset or maybe even with a full moon in the sky.
Imagine it shimmering blue-green or maybe it's just clear water.
Whatever way it resonates for you,
Wherever you are,
Just paint this setting here,
360 degrees all the way around you.
You can feel the gentle breeze around your skin.
You can hear the gentle trickle of water as it moves over the smooth stones.
You can feel the rhythm is soothing,
Constant,
But never rushed.
And you feel warm and safe here,
Supported,
Surrounded by nature and in a space where nothing outside of your own energy can enter.
Imagine yourself resting here near the river's edge.
And as you rest here,
Begin to feel that this water isn't just next to you or around you.
This water is meant just for you.
And right now this river knows exactly what you need.
Imagine touching this river and as you do,
It begins to wash through you gently and lovingly.
It begins to carry away what is no longer serving you.
Imagine river water flowing in,
A trickle,
Soft,
Steady,
And warm flow beginning to align with your breath and washing into the spaces of overwhelm,
The spaces of stress,
The circumstances,
Whatever weight you've been carrying lately,
Whatever heavy thoughts you've been keeping inside.
Let it all begin to slowly soften and fade away into this river stream.
Bring your awareness to the top of your head and feel as it begins to wash away the tension from your scalp,
Your temples,
And your jaw.
Allow your face to relax,
Let your eyes grow heavy,
And feel the water soften the space behind your forehead,
Behind and between your eyes,
Where so many thoughts like to gather.
Feel as your head and your face becomes a little lighter,
A little softer.
And now this river water flows down through your neck and your shoulders,
And maybe you feel it as a warmth or chills or gentle breeze flowing through the body.
It loosens anything tight,
It unwinds what's been clenched,
Allow your shoulders to drop down and away from your ears,
And let this river carry away the weight that you've been carrying.
And imagine this water flowing down both arms,
Through your biceps,
Your elbows,
Your forearms,
And your hands,
Giving you permission to let go through the palms of your hands and each fingertip,
Washing out any strain,
Any tension.
And now bring attention to your chest and your heart space.
Imagine this river gently flowing through your chest,
Your heart is opening,
And it washes away what has been weighing heavy on your heart,
Like a quiet stream clearing away emotional residue,
Washing away the worry,
The pressure,
The fear and self-judgment.
Breathe into your heart and feel it opening as you exhale,
Let your chest fall and soften.
Let this part of you be soft,
Let it be loved and bathed in this water,
In this calmness.
And feel this water continuing down through your ribs,
Your belly,
And your hips,
The center where we often hold stress,
Emotion,
And fatigue.
Let the river rinse this space clean,
No need to force anything,
Just breathe with it.
Allow gravity and water to do the work here.
And feel as this river now flows through your thighs,
Your knees,
And your calves,
Down your ankles,
Down your feet,
Your toes.
And now you can feel your entire body from your head to your toes being bathed and washed in this loving presence,
These loving waters,
Nourishing everything that it passes through.
Feel how with each breath the body becomes lighter,
More relaxed,
More free.
And now the entire body is open to this stream.
You are flowing with this rhythm of the river.
There are no blocks here,
There is no more resistance,
Just breath,
Just a release.
Feel yourself resting here and imagine yourself still next to this river on soft grass,
Cleansed by this river of relaxation.
Let this be your reset.
And if you feel anything lingering here,
Any tightness or stale thoughts,
Imagine scooping them up from within your body.
Scoop these thoughts and this tightness up in your hands and place it into the river.
Surrender it to something greater and watch it float away and out of your body,
Out of your system.
You don't need to hold it anymore and you are safe to let it go.
Stay here for just a few more moments,
Floating in the stillness of this peaceful stream,
Letting your body be bathed in this softness.
Slowly take a deep breath in and exhale softly.
Feel how the only thing here is a deep trust in the flow of what is.
There is nothing to decide,
Nothing to prove,
And no state to be achieved.
You are simply here,
A part of this universal flow,
A note in the song of the river.
And in this surrender,
In this relaxation,
You find a quiet joy,
A lightness and an openness to the infinite possibilities and opportunities that are present in each moment.
Notice how your heart feels open and there is a tenderness in this letting go,
A recognition that surrender and relaxation is not weakness but a profound strength to trust,
To feel and to be.
You are free to feel the flow,
To feel the joy of being carried by something greater,
By the rhythm of life itself.
You are capable of letting it be easy and unfold with the grace.
Take one last deep breath in and exhale.
Slowly begin wiggling your fingers and your toes,
Gently stretch it out if it feels good.
And when you're ready,
Softly open your eyes.
You've rinsed yourself clean,
You've returned to your calm.
And now you can carry this peace with you through the rest of your day and the rest of your week,
Knowing that this river is always here for you,
Within you.
You can return whenever you need to feel light,
Steady and new.
Blessings for your life,
Blessings for your journey my friend.
The light in me honors the light in you.
Aham Prima Dhanyavad Namaste
