Find a comfortable laying down or reclining position.
You might lay on the floor,
On a bed,
Or a couch,
Or you may find yourself on a recliner.
Just make sure you have room to stretch your body and to stay alert.
You might want your eyes open or closed during this practice.
Become aware of what suits your body in this moment.
You have full freedom to shift or adjust as the practice goes on.
Take a breath and begin to connect to how your body is feeling.
Does it feel like it needs rest or additional support?
Take some time to notice what is arising and take care of your body.
Take another breath and feel the firmness or softness of what you are lying on.
Breathe in and out naturally.
Notice your body's temperature and become aware of your arms and legs.
As you breathe again,
Start to draw a five-pointed star with one of your fingers on your opposite arm.
Draw one line of the star as you breathe in and the next as you breathe out.
Connect your breath to the movement of the fingers as they draw each line.
Breathe in and out.
You can draw this shape once or if you'd like to see how it feels a couple more times.
As you continue to connect your inhale and exhale to the lines of the star that you draw on your body,
If yours feels different,
That's okay too.
Maybe you would prefer a square shape or a triangle.
There's no right or wrong way.
Just connect each line with your inhale and your exhale.
Come back to your breath and feel your body.
What is happening?
What do you notice?
Clasps your fingers together,
Hands on your lap,
Knuckles facing away from your body.
Begin to reverse your knuckles,
Pressing the palms of your hands away from your body and your knuckles towards you,
Straightening your elbows any amount.
Begin to explore how this feels.
Find a spot that is not too much,
Not too little and breathe.
What do you notice as you move your hands and arms?
Raise your arms up overhead any amount.
Feel the stretch of your body.
As you raise and lower your arms,
Breathe in and exhale.
Be with sensation,
Heat,
Temperature.
Take care of your body.
Release and come back to clasping your hands,
Reversing the palms and raise the arms once again any amount.
Find the edge,
That spot that you can sustain for a while as you feel what is here.
What is here?
How is your body signaling?
Breathe and be with what you feel.
What happens when you increase or decrease the stretch?
Yeah,
What happens?
What do you notice?
Find the edge once again.
Breathe and feel what is here.
Breathe again.
Breathe and feel what is here.
Bring your arms down.
Release the clasp and lay your hands on opposite arms or opposite shoulders.
Find a way to embrace your body.
As you embrace,
Drop in deeper to what is happening here now in your body.
What is here a little bit deeper?
Is there an identifiable sensation you can tune into?
Is there an emotion or image that is here?
Can you connect to the softness or firmness of your body?
Breathe and be with all that is here and allow the sensations to draw you in further.
Release your arms to a comfortable place and begin to focus your attention on your right elbow.
Feel into that right elbow.
Move your awareness to your left knee and feel there.
No need to create a story,
Just feel the sensation of your left knee.
Feel into your left shin and your left ankle.
Take your awareness to the bottom of your left foot.
Stay in the present moment.
Breathe and be.
Notice the bottom of your left foot.
Notice the bottom of your right foot,
Your right ankle,
Right shin,
Right knee.
Feel into your left elbow and all of the fingers on your left hand.
All of the fingers on your right hand.
Notice your chest,
Your neck,
Your whole face,
The top of your head,
The back of your head,
The whole back side of your body.
Shift your awareness to the whole front side of your body and then to all of you.
Feel into your body as a whole.
Use your body,
Breath,
And the present moment to keep you here with your whole body.
All of the feelings and sensations that are here now.
Take a breath,
Be with this breath.
Take another breath and be with this breath.
Take another breath and be with this breath.
Take one more breath.
Be here.
Be here now.
Place your hands on the cheeks of your face.
Squeeze in and feel into this area.
Really take a moment to feel into your body here.
Feel any coolness or warmth.
Notice the skin and the bones and anything else that is here in this place.
Take a moment and ask yourself this question,
Where am I?
Where am I?
What awareness from your body is rising up to the answer of this question?
It might be very clear but it's also okay if it's a little hazy.
No need to force anything.
Feel into what is arising.
Where am I?
When your body has answered,
Release your hands back down.
Rub your fingers with your thumbs and brush your arms and legs with your hands.
Roll the shoulders and stretch if you need it.
Slowly find your way back to a seated position.
Take your time.
Softly open your eyes if you have not already and reawaken.
Come into thinking mind.
Begin to think back on your practice today.
All of the different ways you moved your body,
All of the different sensations.
When did the awareness of where am I begin to be felt or noticed?
How was your body communicating with you?
Did your mind get in the way?
And if so,
How easily were you able to come back to your body?
Take a moment to be with the wisdom that your body has given you.
What will you take into today or tomorrow as wise action for you?
What does that look like?
And are you able to commit to the awareness that your body presented to you?
And what does that look like?
Take a breath.
Exhale.
Take another breath.
Exhale.
One more breath.
Exhale.
And this might be time to make a mental note of where you will take this or it might be time to journal and write a few things down.
It's really up to you.
Thank you so much for joining me in this practice.
Namaste.
