Welcome.
Thank you so much for being here to join me for this practice.
So find yourself in a comfortable seated position or the option to lie down on the floor if that feels comfortable to you.
But making sure that whatever position you choose,
It is one that instills a sense of aliveness and alertness in the body.
So if you're sitting,
Bringing the spine long and tall with the crown of the head drawn towards the sky,
Lengthening through the back,
Opening the chest.
And if you're laying down,
Taking a similar position,
Lengthening through the spine,
Rolling back the shoulders,
Opening the chest.
And if it feels comfortable to you,
The option to close your eyes or settle your gaze down towards the floor,
Allowing the gaze to be soft so that you're not distracted by anything in your environment,
Allowing your attention to turn inward.
Allow your breath to flow naturally here,
Bringing your awareness to the steady sensation of your breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Noticing the breath,
The first whisper as you inhale and then as you gently exhale,
Maybe even allowing a sigh.
Feeling some tension melt away from your body.
Breathing in this new,
Fresh oxygen from the first sip of the breath.
Feeling the expansion and then exhaling,
Letting it out.
And as you exhale,
Feeling the shoulders lower,
Releasing any tension in the neck and the shoulders.
Again,
Taking another breath at your own pace.
Breathing in,
Feeling the fullness of the breath,
The quietness that resides in the breath.
That no matter what is happening around you or even inside you,
Inside the mind,
There is this quietness in the breath.
This calmness.
And then this time as you exhale,
Allowing the jaw to relax.
Perhaps even bringing a gentle smile to your face.
Reminding the body that there is a sense of peace here.
That whatever is happening in the mind and the body,
Can you sense the places where there is a lightness,
Maybe even a subtle joy.
Continuing to breathe and if the mind wanders,
Again just bringing it back to the breath with kindness.
That the mind does wander.
There is nothing wrong.
There is nothing wrong with you.
Gently bring your attention back and this time as you exhale,
Bringing your awareness to your hands and your lap or wherever they're resting.
Allow your hands to soften.
Perhaps even feeling a tingling sensation in your hands.
A reminder that you are here.
And there is no place else to be.
There is nothing to do.
There is nothing to prove.
In this moment,
Pausing and sitting with your breath and your body is enough.
You are enough.
Taking another breath in through the nose.
Again,
Feeling the quality of the breath.
Exhale.
Notice any tension that you've been holding,
Any tightness in your legs.
And as you exhale,
Allowing them to relax.
Just this.
And then gradually working your attention down towards your feet.
Perhaps they are resting on the floor or you can feel them in your shoes.
Or maybe you can feel the air on your feet.
Perhaps even beginning to feel a little tingling here now.
Just this.
Just this awareness.
Just this body.
Just this stillness.
There is just this moment.
Now sensing your body as a whole,
All the way from the crown of the head down towards the feet.
Sensing the body as a whole.
Without any judgment.
Just simply noticing the sensations now that are present here in the body.
Just this moment.
Just this sensation.
Just this breath.
You might even notice a vibrating sensation throughout the body.
That sense of aliveness again.
That buzzing in your body that you are here.
Or maybe the body feels relaxed and sleepy and that is okay too.
Just allowing the body to be however it is.
And as we sit here you may find yourself carried away by a thought.
Carried away by a sensation that pulls your thoughts towards it.
Notice any stories that you have about your body and then allow the thought to drift by without having to hold on to it or judge it.
Just thanking it and then allowing it to pass by.
And perhaps doing a brief scan through the body and just noticing if anything feels different than when you started.
Try to avoid using terms that are good or bad.
Again letting go of the judgment but maybe just describing.
Are there new sensations that you're noticing?
What is the quality of the sensations in the body?
What does it feel like now?
You can begin to find some movement back in your body.
Maybe some gentle movement of the fingers or toes.
You just notice how this feels now.
Notice that sensation of gentle movement.
Wherever your hands are resting you're welcome to leave them there or the option to bring a hand to your heart in the gesture of self-love and compassion towards yourself.
Congratulating yourself for being here,
For taking this time for you,
For showing your body love in this way.
Slowly begin to open your eyes allowing this gentleness,
This softness that you created in your practice to be with you throughout the rest of the day.
Thank you for your practice.
