I invite you to find a posture that will feel comfortable for your body today.
You might be seated,
Or standing,
Or lying down.
And take some moments now to just relax wherever you are as much as you can.
And also invite in a sense of alertness.
You might check and see if there's any areas of your body that naturally feel like they want to relax or let go right now.
The muscles in your face and jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your belly.
You might begin to turn your attention to your breathing,
If that's your preferred anchor.
Or if you anchor on sound,
Or on your hands,
Rest your awareness there for a few moments.
With a gentle,
Curious attention now,
Bring your awareness to your hands.
Notice what it feels like to pay attention to your hands,
With an invitation to sense them from the inside out.
You might find it helpful to move your hands,
Opening and closing them slowly,
Or pressing your palms together gently.
What do you feel now?
You might notice if the sensations feel pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
See if you can sense more deeply into the aliveness in your hands by paying attention to the sensations that are there.
You might gently label what you feel,
Warmth,
Tingling,
Softness.
Or maybe there isn't much to feel,
And you can label numbness or blank.
Turn your awareness now to include other parts of your body.
You might start by bringing your attention to your head,
Your scalp,
Your forehead and cheeks.
Bring your curious attention.
Feel into what's there.
What do you notice?
And your awareness can scan down further now,
Feeling your shoulders,
Your arms,
And hands.
Using these parts of your body in your awareness,
What do you feel?
You might explore the area of your torso now,
Your chest and belly.
You might notice the rise and fall of your body with your breath.
What do you notice when you bring your attention to your back?
What sensations are there?
See if you can connect with a sense of ease here.
Connect with the kindness and curiosity of this practice.
Even if it feels at times like there isn't much sensation,
Remember that it just takes some patience and practice to help bring the sensations of the body back into focus.
If you aren't feeling much,
It's okay.
Bring your attention now down to your hips.
You might notice the sensation of your seat in your chair,
A heaviness or pressure,
And down to your legs and your feet.
What sensations do you notice in your lower body right now?
Take some moments now to reconnect again with your anchor,
With your breath or sound or your hands.
Feel the gentle wave of your breath,
The steadiness of your anchor.
Imagine that you can hold your entire body in your awareness now,
From head to toe.
Your anchor there in the foreground,
And in the background,
This living body and all the sensations that are there.
When a sensation in the body becomes strong,
You can allow your anchor to recede from the foreground and bring your attention directly to what you're feeling in your body,
Allowing it to be there.
And notice what happens when you pay close attention.
You might gently label what it is that you feel,
Pulling,
Tightness,
Pressure,
Whatever's there.
What happens when you give it some space or when you regard it with kindness?
The area or field of sensation might grow or change shape.
The quality of sensation might change.
Whatever you notice,
See if you can allow it to be there,
Just as it is.
If at some point the sensation becomes less intense or less compelling,
You can return your awareness again to your anchor.
Relaxing here with your anchor in the foreground again,
And at the same time feeling the vastness and aliveness of the whole body and all the constantly changing sensations that are there.
Relaxing here with your anchor in the foreground again.
