And just as we get started,
Just see if there are any adjustments that you can make so that you can feel as comfortable as you can possibly be.
So make sure that you are feeling warm.
Make sure that you are feeling supported.
And just bring your awareness to your breath.
And notice how every exhalation is gently encouraging your body to relax a little more.
Every exhalation encourages any tension to release from the muscles.
Every exhalation carries away anything from your day that you don't need to bring into your practice.
Any worries,
Any thoughts about things that have happened today or things that are going to happen later.
Allow every exhalation to carry anything that is not necessary for your practice away.
And just watch the movement of the breath as it flows in and out.
Watch the gentle expansion and contraction of the chest.
And notice how as you breathe the breath flows into every part of your body.
Watch the breath moving into your arms and your legs,
Your hands and your feet.
And now bring the awareness into your ears.
And just become aware of any sounds that are present in your environment.
Let the awareness jump from sound to sound without getting too involved in any one sound.
Just acknowledge that those sounds are there.
Just observe them and know that the sounds are not going to disturb you.
They can only help you to rest even more deeply.
And if you have a sankalpa,
Bring your sankalpa into your awareness now.
The sankalpa is a deep vow or prayer from the heart.
Something that you wish to attain or achieve in this life.
Just allow the sankalpa to come however it comes for you today.
There's no need to force anything to happen.
And if you don't have one,
Just bring the awareness to the heart center.
Rest into the heart center.
We're going to begin our journey through the koshas at the Anamaya Kosha.
This is the physical body.
Anamaya Kosha means the body that's made up of food.
So this is the body that gets nourished by the food that we eat.
I'm going to bring the awareness around the physical body.
Beginning at the tip of the tongue.
Bring the awareness to rest at the tip of the tongue.
And the whole of the tongue.
Awareness on the whole of the tongue.
The roof of the mouth.
The bottom of the mouth.
The teeth.
The gums.
The upper lip.
The lower lip.
The chin.
The jaw.
The right cheek.
The left cheek.
The right ear.
The left ear.
The inside of the right nostril.
The inside of the left nostril.
The whole of the nose.
The right eye.
The left eyebrow.
The eyebrow center.
The forehead.
The top of the head.
The back of the head.
The back of the neck.
The right shoulder.
The upper arm.
The right elbow.
The lower arm.
The right wrist.
The palm of the right hand.
The back of the right hand.
The right hand thumb.
The index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
The left upper arm.
The elbows.
The lower arm.
The left wrist.
The palm of the left hand.
The back of the left hand.
The left hand thumb.
The index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
The little finger.
Bring the awareness to the throat.
The right collarbone.
The left collarbone.
The space between the collarbones.
The right side of the chest.
The left side of the chest.
The center of the chest.
The left side of the chest.
The right side of the right side of the right side of the right side of the right side of the lower leg.
The right ankle.
The right heel.
The sole of the right foot.
The top of the right foot.
And each of the right toes.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And bring the awareness to the left hip.
The left thigh.
The left knee.
The lower leg.
The left ankle.
The left heel.
The sole of the left foot.
The top of the foot.
Each of the left toes.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And now bring the awareness to the whole of the right foot.
The whole of the right leg.
The whole of the right arm.
The whole of the right side of the body.
The whole of the left foot.
The whole of the left leg.
The whole of the left arm.
The whole of the left side of the body.
The whole of the body together.
Awareness on the whole of the body together.
The whole of the body together.
Moving the awareness into the pranamaya kosha.
The pranamaya kosha is the layer that's made up of the breath.
The energetic body.
And now bring the awareness to the breath.
Watch the breath flowing in and out.
Notice how the breath moves the body.
The chest rises on the inhalation.
Sinks again on the exhalation.
Keeping the awareness on the breath.
Begin to count the breaths backwards from 27 to 0.
Like this.
Breathing in 27.
Breathing out 27.
Breathing in 26.
Breathing out 26.
Breathing in 25.
Breathing out 25.
And so on all the way to zero.
Keep following the breath.
If you make a mistake or if you reach the end,
Go back to 27 and begin again.
Continue following the breath and counting.
And stop counting.
And gently move the awareness to the manomaya kosha.
The layer that is made up of the mind.
We'll move into the exploration of opposite qualities.
When I feel into your body,
Feel your body becoming very heavy.
Feel the body becoming heavier and heavier.
So heavy that it sinks into the earth and becomes one with the earth.
Intensify the feeling of heaviness.
Feel the body becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.
And now feel the body becoming very light.
Feel the body becoming lighter and lighter.
Floating up into the air,
Into the sky,
Becoming one with the sky.
Intensify the feeling of lightness.
Feel the body becoming lighter and lighter and lighter.
Heaviness and lightness together.
Welcome the feelings of heaviness and lightness as they happen simultaneously.
Feel the body so heavy that it sinks into the earth.
And so light that it floats away into the sky at the same time.
Welcome the feelings of heaviness and lightness together.
Heaviness and lightness together.
Now feel the body becoming very hot.
Invite the feeling of heat to arise inside the body.
Feel the body becoming very hot as if under the sun on a hot summer's day.
Intensify that feeling of heat.
Feel it vividly throughout the whole of the body.
The feeling of heat.
Welcome the feeling of heat.
And the feeling of cold.
Invite the feeling of cold to arise inside the body.
Feel the body so cold as if outside on a frosty winter's day.
Welcome the feeling of cold.
Feel it vividly throughout the whole of the body.
The feeling of cold.
Heat and cold together.
Welcome the feelings of heat and cold.
As they happen together inside the body at the same time.
Feel the body so hot as if under the hot summer's sun.
And so cold as if in the winter frost at the same time.
Welcome the feelings of heat and cold inside the body together.
Heat and cold inside the body together.
Now moving into the Vijnanamaya kosha.
The layer that is made up of intellect.
We come to the rapid visualization of images.
Allow an impression of each one to come as I name it.
And allow each one to come however it comes.
There's no need to force anything to happen.
Just welcome each one as it arises.
We'll begin with white clouds in a clear blue sky.
The sun rising over the mountain.
A daffodil.
An elephant.
A tiger walking through the forest.
Waves crashing on the sand.
An apple tree.
The full moon in a starry night sky.
A stone pathway leading through the forest.
A flickering candle.
A feather blowing in the breeze.
A rose bush.
A mother bird with her chicks.
A flowing river.
Mist rolling over the hills.
And we move the awareness to the Anandamaya kosha.
The layer that is made of bliss.
Or the layer of our souls.
Bring the awareness to the heart center.
Rest here into the quiet stillness of the heart center.
If you have a Sankalpa.
Now is the time to recall your Sankalpa.
Your heart's deep prayer or vow.
Allow it to arise naturally.
There's no need to force it to come.
And if you don't have one,
Keep the awareness at the heart center.
Now very gently begin to turn the awareness back outwards.
Notice any sounds that are present in your environment.
And let the awareness jump from sound to sound.
Without getting too involved in any one sound.
Just acknowledging that the sounds are there.
Feel into the feeling of the air against your skin.
Your clothing or your blanket against your skin.
The feeling of your body resting into the surface beneath you.
Watch the breath flowing in and out.
Breath flowing into the chest.
Into the abdomen.
Watch the breath flowing into the hands and the feet.
Begin to make some small movements with the hands and the feet.
With the ankles and the wrists.
And when you feel ready,
Give yourself a big stretch in any way that feels good for you.
Taking your time,
There's no rush to come back.
When you're feeling sure that you're wide awake again,
Slowly blink the eyes back open to complete the practice.
Peace
