Hello,
This is Jill Elkin and welcome to this iRest practice.
As we invite the body and the mind to rest just as being So as we begin,
We're just taking time now to settle in,
To notice how and where the body wants to be positioned.
You might be lying down or seated.
Feeling the surfaces that are holding the body.
There might even be a sense of the surfaces that are holding those surfaces.
And then beneath those,
The way the body is held,
Not just by the surface it's resting on.
The surfaces beneath and beneath and all the way into the earth.
So that this body is being held and supported by the vastness of this earth.
And inviting a sense of welcoming this being held.
In our daily lives,
There's much busyness and things to accomplish and do.
But in this practice,
We're really opening to a sense of passiveness and a sense of being.
So that there's no trying to make ourselves be at rest.
There's simply allowing what's here.
And welcoming rest as it arrives.
And noticing this body as it may even be still settling in,
Making little shifts and changes.
Your body is welcome to be here exactly as it is.
Sensing where and how.
The body may begin to settle in.
What does that feel like?
Might there be a sense of the body finding.
A bit of ease or a bit of calm.
Or maybe a small piece of the body or an area of the body beginning to settle in to a sense of okayness.
It's a welcoming and noticing.
In this exploration of these areas of what feels settled or comfortable or safe and secure.
And you might also welcome any imagery that helps to point into this as a felt experience.
Taking time to explore this.
And returning back into this exploration at any point in the practice when it feels right.
This ease of being is simply here in the background of all of the activities and movements of the body and mind and heart.
And so,
Just enjoying time to rest within that felt sense.
Being deeply okay,
Deeply at ease.
And this background quietude or peace or sense of coming home to yourself might also point towards what feels vibrant and alive in the body.
There's this deep connection between the two.
Noticing if attention is pointed there.
There's nothing to make happen.
But if attention is pointed towards what feels alive or healthy.
What feels like life itself.
Just noticing that where and how you experience this aliveness as sensation.
And any imagery and words that this may point to.
It's almost like asking this body or this heart.
What is it that comes alive?
Like with a song or a.
.
.
A heartfelt longing.
Sense of meaning or purpose in life.
And there might be words or there might not.
Just acknowledging what's here,
Along with any intention for this practice that might already be at the surface.
And then settling back into this coming home,
Back into the felt sense of quiet.
The backdrop of all of that aliveness.
In a moment to touch in,
Get to know get cozy in that sensation of ease.
You're welcome to stay here longer if you like.
When you're ready,
We'll.
.
.
Begin to track through and notice different sensations in the body.
So drawing attention into the feeling of the mouth.
A sense of the roof of the mouth and the floor of the mouth,
The inner walls of the cheeks.
The textures and surfaces,
The temperature.
Whole inside of the mouth alive with sensation.
And feeling back into the hinges of the jaw.
Nothing to fix or change.
Just noticing sensation,
What's here.
As you sense into the inner ears.
And track and follow sensation out to the external ears,
Right and left.
Pure sensation.
Attention opening to the back of the head.
Sensations of the scalp.
The top of the head and sides of the scalp.
And a sense of the weight of the skull.
The weight of the head.
Resting.
The skin of the forehead,
Noticing the temperature.
Sensation of the eyebrows.
And feeling around.
Around the sockets of the eyes,
The bony structure.
The temples and the cheekbones and the space between the eyebrows.
And feeling and noticing the whole area of the sockets of the eyes.
You might imagine a tension itself dropping into the sockets.
To sense and feel into that space.
And whole inside of the head alive just as pure sensation.
Drawing attention outward into the space between the eyebrows and dropping attention down the bridge of the nose.
Into the nostrils,
Noticing the temperature of air as it comes and goes.
And feeling in through the next inhale up through the nostrils and down into the inner walls of the throat.
Sensing sensation through the neck.
And across the shoulders.
Down through the arms.
Hands and fingers coming alive.
Perhaps drawing all of your attention over to just one hand.
A sense of the soft warmth in the center of the palm.
Aliveness and the tips of each finger.
And allowing attention to drift back and forth from what feels warm,
Soft,
Quiet,
And to what feels alive or electric.
Back and forth.
And the whole field of these sensations,
Fingers and hand.
And then drawing attention across to the other hand.
A sense of sensation in the center of the palm.
Warm and soft.
And the feeling of the tips of each finger.
What does this aliveness feel like?
Is it a pulse?
A buzz?
A hum.
And then sensing back and forth from the palm to the fingertips.
Noticing how different they may feel.
Sensing both at the same time.
And the whole field of sensation,
Fingers and hand.
And then back and forth,
Hand to hand.
One hand might feel more vibrant or be calling attention more than the other.
No problem.
Nothing to make happen.
Just inviting attention to drift hand to hand.
Nothing to figure out.
Then opening attention into both hands,
All the fingers.
This vast field of sensation just as it is.
And the arms joining back in with this field of sensation.
As attention drifts up into shoulders and drops down into the torso,
Notice where it comes to land.
Is there a sense of being at home here?
Noticing the qualities of this feeling,
This sensation.
And then sensing the whole torso,
Feeling your way through the front of the torso.
Through the back of the torso.
Sensing the upper torso,
Front and back.
And then the lower torso,
Front and back.
And attention dropping all the way down into the hips.
Muscles of the pelvic bowl and the bones of the hips.
Feeling your way all the way to where hips join and become legs.
And following sensation down through the legs.
Moment to moment sensing.
As you find your way into sensation of feet and toes.
Noticing what feels cool or what feels warm.
Both free to be here just as they are.
And then opening attention to the whole body.
The whole body front and back.
Whole outer surface.
And deep inside this whole field of feeling.
Everything just as it is.
And attention may shift into the body as breath comes and goes this movement of sensation.
Noticing how the vastness of breath maybe really here in one moment,
And then in another moment,
An interlude of stillness,
A breath.
Quietness.
Welcoming these qualities of breath that come and go.
With a sense of wonder,
Curiosity.
Nothing to figure out.
Simply observing as breath flows and changes.
And then with the in-breath,
Allow attention to light up sensation on one side of the body.
On the out breath,
Attention lingering on the flow of feeling of this side.
And with the next in-breath,
Attention shifting to the other side of the body.
Sensation coming alive,
The out breath,
Abiding in these sensations here on this side.
Continuing to welcome each breath as pure sensation from side to side.
Each in-breath a new expanse of sensation arising.
And each out breath softening the side of the body as sensation.
And each sensation coming and going.
Free within its own natural flow.
As attention shifts from one to the next.
With the next in-breath welcoming both sides in their vastness.
And the out breath,
The tension softening and touching back,
Perhaps to the feeling of peacefulness or comfort or safety.
And then setting attention free.
Perhaps to linger in the feeling of peacefulness or this sense of being at home in the body,
Or exploring what else is present.
Welcoming what wants to be noticed within the feeling hard or an emotion that's present in the body as sensation.
And if this emotion is feeling difficult,
You might weave in the sense of peacefulness,
Comfort or safety,
Finding refuge within this as an opposite to any difficult emotion that attention lands on.
Staying with what's here.
Even as attention may drift back and forth.
Giving the heart feeling time to bubble up to the surface to be noticed and then letting it go as it dissolves.
Feeling to feeling.
Observing what's here.
And as emotion rises and falls,
There may be images or words,
Cognitions,
The mind's picture of this emotion.
And if this picture is fully forming in the mind space,
It might be helpful to note this.
In your own time,
Allowing attention to drift from picture to picture.
Mind's attention shifting.
And the body sensing into each picture.
Everything that's here.
Sensation and thought welcome just as it is.
And his thoughts and emotions rise and fall.
There might be a noticing of.
.
.
Observing this quality of being in the background.
Sensing from a distance everything that's coming and going.
The shifting and changing waves of attention coming and going.
In a sense of dropping into the background itself.
Vast expanse.
Of unchanging stillness.
The shifts and changes,
Emotion and thoughts still coming and going.
But nothing to attend to.
As attention drops back.
As being.
Observing from this stillness.
The waves of attention are still converging and dissolving.
And there's a sense of simply being.
Dissolving back into quietude,
Spaciousness.
Each wave free,
Coming and going.
And the space around the waves.
Opening as timeless.
Boundless.
Pure receptivity.
Resting in this.
This receptivity of being.
Everything within the body and mind are continuing to go,
Breath flows.
Thoughts come and go within the mind space.
All of this is free.
But attention itself.
Is opening into this peacefulness of being nothing to fix or change.
This moment to moment wonder.
Stillness.
Without time.
Nothing at all that needs to be known or needs to be different than it is.
Then beginning to welcome the felt sense in the body.
What in the body knows this to be true?
Sensing the felt sense of being at ease,
Being timeless.
Vastness itself.
And from this felt sense inviting attention to gather back.
Within this inner resource of home.
As attention begins to welcome the feeling of this whole internal landscape.
Each sensation that's here.
Temperature of the air around you.
The support of the surfaces that hold the body.
The waves of breath as they rise and fall.
Feelings emotions and thoughts that are coming and going this whole body Awakening back to the space around you And as attention begins to journey back to the surface,
Taking a small pause to feel back into this felt sense of home.
Whole,
Complete.
Unshakably okay.
And picturing what does life look like?
What are the coming days look like?
When you live from this wholeness.
How might you interact with family or with coworkers or your community?
The busyness of life,
Picturing that,
But from this felt sense of being perfectly at ease.
Notice how the body responds.
Notice how it feels to treat yourself with this sense of compassion and kindness.
Being love.
And then welcome any new intention or heartfelt knowing that's present that may want to join you for these coming days.
That may show up as words or as a picture in the mind or as a felt sense in the body.
It's noticing what's true.
Nothing to create.
And then the body more fully awakening to the space around you.
As movement begins small.
And the body and senses open more fully to the space around you,
Taking in the sounds in your room.
The shapes and colors and light.
Sensing your whole presence here now.
The body breathing,
Alive,
Nurtured with each breath.
The electricity of life that's living through you.
Even as you continue this transition to the world around you.
The body,
Mind,
Heart,
Whole and complete within you.
And then in your own time,
Making your way.
Back to your fully wakeful state.
May you know contentment.
May you feel healthy.
And may you live with ease.
