Staying At Home Series: Relaxation 1 (With Original Song: There's A Place)

This is the first of 15 to 20-minute relaxation recordings that include a body scan and a song - sometimes my own, sometimes other people's.

In these times of unrest, I wanted to offer something that might be helpful and useful, whether you're at home or helping in the community; a key worker or a politically active individual, or maybe a few of these combined.

Transcript

Hello, It's Monday the 23rd of March. This is the first of this relaxation recording series. So how are you feeling today? So whether you're lying or sitting, Invite you first to just get a sense of the shape of your body. So the contact points, Whether that's your legs and your back, Whether that's your, Just your feet and your bottom on the cushion, Or on the floor. So first invite you to be aware of those contact points and then the shape of your body. And then once you've done that, To get in touch with your breathing. So we take a deep breath in together. Fill up your belly and then breathe out. Hold it in the belly and breathing out. One more time into the belly and breathing out. Okay, And now just take in your surroundings. So wherever you are, You might have already heard here where I am. There's a dog in the yard you can hear. You might hear some footsteps passing by at different points during the relaxation because of the community where I live. And maybe the same way you are, You might be able to hear movement around you. It may be quite quiet, But an invitation to allow those sounds just to be there around you. Let them be in the background of your attention and in the foreground of your attention is your, The sense of your own body and your breathing. And for the next 10 minutes, About 10 minutes, 15 minutes, You'll return if your mind wanders, If there are worries and anxieties, As many of us are feeling at the moment, Just return again to your body in this moment. How is your body in this moment? And allowing your body to rest. So we're going to start down at the feet. So bringing your toes into your awareness. You can either do it all in one go or take them individually. So just feeling, Even with your eyes closed, You can feel the shape and the contact of your feet on the ground or on the bed or the carpet or wherever you are. And then allow that attention to move up into the feet. And then from the feet up into the calf muscles and your shins. And then up into your knees. And then the thighs up to the waist. If it's your first time doing something like this, Just now be aware of how far you've come so far. So just a general sense of having moved your attention through your toes, Through your feet, Lower legs and upper legs and moving towards the waist. And maintain that deep breathing. Sending that message to the body that this is a chance to rest and relax. Just be here in the present moment and be aware of how we're feeling and how we're doing. And if there's stress, If there's tension or anger or whatever emotion is there, Just breathe with it. Be a friend to yourself in this moment. Okay, Then we're going to move up towards the belly so we're going to meet the breathing in and out there. Okay, Small of the back and up through the stomach and the side of your body. Moving around the back up to the shoulders and over the chest. Being aware of the shoulders. And then down through the left arm. So the top of the arm down to the elbow. And then the forearm up to the wrist. Into the palm of the left hand and the fingers. And then allow your attention to move over into the right hand so fingers, Arms. Into the wrist and the forearm. And the top of the arm up to the shoulder of the right hand. Then up to the right hand. Then up to the neck. Into the face, Relaxing the jaw. Relax the mouth, Side of the face, Ears, Eyes. Allow that feeling to pass behind your eyes to where your temples are. Back of the head and the top of the head. Okay, So having a sense of the shape of your whole body now. Breathing in and out slowly. You might feel tension in certain parts of the body, That's okay. Just be aware that to take care of that part of the body for the rest of the day. Maybe in the way that you move or exercise. And you can return to it again at any point when you rest. And not resist that tension but maybe massage or just simply lying when you lie later to go to bed or if you do another relaxation later. Just be with that tension with your body, Allowing it to rest as much as you can at the moment. Okay, So the song today is going to start with a song of my own called There's A Place. Are you ready? Where do you go when you're on your own? When you're far from home, Where do you go? Where do you rest when everything's a mess? When all is more the less, Where do you rest? There's a place and there are trees there and there's water running through Close your eyes child and find that place in you When you need shelter for your sleep, A roof for your relief Oh when you need, Where do you find? Trust in troubled times, The space between the lines Where do you find? There's a place and there are trees there and there's water running through Close your eyes child and find that place in you There's a place and there are trees there and there's water running through Close your eyes child and find that place in you There's a place and there are trees in you

Reviews

That was lovely. I was able to simmer in the relaxation for a little while afterward as well. Deep thanks, Joe

Thanks Joe. Deep bow : )

Loving these. Thank you 🙏

Another brilliant relaxation Joe! Thank you. I’m off to find your album.

Beautiful guitar Joe, I could listen to the “absent minded strumming” all day! And I liked the slightly different scan, from back to shoulder to front, and from hand to hand has always made more sense to me ;-) Thank you for sharing! 😊