Welcome to this guided meditation practice.
Today we will look at releasing tension from within and outside.
So find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down,
And when you are ready gently close your eyes.
Give your body a little wiggle and shake off the stresses of the day.
Let it all go.
Imagine all your worries melting off your body and slowly drop your awareness inwards.
Start with a few simple deep breaths.
If you find the breath is not going as deep or is not as relaxed as other times,
That's ok.
Allow your body to breathe without judgement.
If you allow it to do what it needs to,
Your breath will begin to lower,
Loosen,
And deepen on its own.
On your next in-breath,
Raise your shoulders to your ears and squeeze.
Hold it for a moment and release,
Letting go of the breath and shoulders.
Repeat that a few times at your own pace,
Feeling your upper back,
Chest,
And neck relax and soften.
Breathe in,
Squeeze,
And release.
Gently let go of that exercise and find a pattern of breathing that is comfortable for you.
Allow your attention to travel to the top of your head.
Slowly,
Begin to scan down your body.
Bring your attention to each muscle,
Every nook and cranny,
As you move past them.
Start with your face.
Notice just how bringing your awareness to it allows the muscles to soften.
Sense your jaw,
Then your neck.
Now,
Into your trapezius muscles.
When you are stressed or anxious,
You may feel a lot of tension in these muscles.
Take this time for yourself to let go of that hold.
Allow the physical tensions and the internal ones to drop.
Now,
Gently move through your shoulders with your awareness.
Travel down your upper arms.
Pass through your elbows and wrists right through to your fingertips.
In your own time,
Move through the chest,
Down into the stomach,
And around the upper and lower back.
Notice any tension you may come across.
You may find yourself spending a long time on one area.
Maybe you may have a lot of tension there.
That's okay.
For now,
Just notice and move on.
When you have passed through your torso,
Drop your attention into your pelvis and glutes.
Give your body permission to soften.
Move through your legs.
Into your knees.
Down your calves.
Your ankles.
And finally,
Your feet,
All the way to the tips of your toes.
Let go of that attention and give yourself permission to sit with your new sense of relaxation and awareness.
Remind yourself to breathe however you may need to.
Slowly begin to focus on your breath.
Notice the feeling of the air as it travels in and out of your body.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Now,
Imagine the sounds of seagulls flying overhead.
They're joined by the crash of small waves on the shore.
They move in their constant pattern,
Meandering in and out of the water.
Mesmerizing.
Allow your breath to synchronize with the ocean.
Every inhale is the water flowing back.
Every exhale,
Another crash on the shore.
Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin,
Softening your body and melting away any remaining tension.
Allow the heat to pass right through you as if the sun was shining on your heart,
Melting any internal tension,
Any stress,
Any pain.
Below,
Bring your awareness to the sand on the beach.
The feeling of the soft grains against your skin.
Whether you are lying or sitting on the beach,
Allow your body to feel the clean,
Warm sand pressing against you.
Feel your weight press against the grains,
The softness of their touch on you.
And as you inhale and exhale with the waves,
Feel your body melt into the sand as if gravity were working harder,
Especially on you,
To melt your body towards the ground.
For the first time,
Notice the crystal blue sky.
No clouds in the way of the sunshine.
Before you,
The brilliant ocean stretches to the horizon.
The waves are ebbing and flowing as the sunlight glistens off their surface.
Seagulls are flying here and there,
And you are alone.
A private place for you to let go and be yourself,
Away from any masks you put on for people,
Colleagues,
Family and friends.
A place where you are safe to feel how you need to,
Without judgment.
Enjoy the silence of a world filled with only natural sounds.
In your own time,
Slowly make your way to the water.
As you walk along,
Feel the impressions your feet make in the sand.
The soft crunch of each step,
As if it were a small massage against the soles of your feet.
The heat is still warming your body.
To the touch.
As you approach the water,
The sand below you becomes damp.
Its warmth transforms into a cool,
Refreshing touch.
Its softness becomes stronger as it doesn't give way to your steps like before.
A few steps further.
As you stand by the edge of the waves,
You can feel the cold water consume your feet at every crash.
Welcome the feeling.
The grains of sand travel into the spaces between your toes,
Only for the water to be a little warmer.
To wash them away.
Take a few moments of silence to enjoy this.
Breathing in with the waves and breathing out.
In your own time,
Let go of these images.
Focus on inhaling deeply,
Allowing your breath to go as far as it can.
And exhaling.
Inhale.
Exhale.
As you continue to breathe,
Notice the state of your mind and body compared to the start of today's meditation.
Hopefully,
You are a lot more relaxed than you were at the start of the practice.
If not,
That's okay.
It can take time and practice.
In your own time,
Notice the world around you.
Your connection with the floor.
Your weight against a chair or bed.
Maybe you are on a mat or the floor.
Notice it and how it feels against you.
Pick up any sounds in your environment.
Notice the feeling of air around you.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes and may you have a wonderful day.
