This shavasana or relaxation technique is best performed lying on your back,
Preferably on the ground.
You may like to place a pillow under your head or a rolled blanket under your thighs to support your lower back.
This exercise is beneficial to use when you feel overwhelmed or ungrounded or need to feel supported.
It can also be used anytime you need to rest deeply but only have a few minutes.
As you settle onto your back,
Make sure that your arms and legs are uncrossed and your head and spine are comfortable.
Begin the practice by becoming aware of your body and the space occupied by your body.
Now move your awareness to all the points of contact your body makes with the ground.
Feel the weight of the arms,
The weight of the legs,
The weight of the head and torso.
Feel the weight of the body sinking a little more deeply into all the points of contact the body makes with the floor.
Now contemplate the size of the earth,
The planet that you're lying on.
This planet is so big,
It can hold all of your weight.
So become aware of your breathing,
Notice the rise and fall of the abdomen.
Every time you exhale,
Every time the belly drops,
Give just a little bit more of your weight to the earth beneath you.
With every exhalation,
Let go,
Just a little bit more,
Trusting that the enormous planet beneath you can rise up to support all of your weight.
Not just the weight of the body,
But the weight of your cares and worries as well.
Now contemplate the age of the earth,
How old this enormous planet is.
There's nothing that could be going on in your life right now that the mother earth hasn't seen before.
Nothing she hasn't held up,
Nothing she hasn't held space for.
So every time you exhale,
Let go of your burdens.
Give them to her,
The one who can support them,
The one who can hold them.
Now really feel the force of gravity drawing you towards the center of the earth.
This mother holds us so closely,
Just like how a mother holds an infant to her breast,
The mother earth holds her children firmly to her surface.
No one in the history of time has ever fallen off the surface of the earth.
So feel that connection.
Feel this enormous ancient planet supporting you,
Holding you completely,
Fully.
And relax.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You can lie here and rest on the surface of mother earth and feel held by her for as long as you need to.
When you do feel complete,
Take a deeper,
Fuller breath.
Gradually stretch and move the body.
And then roll to your right side for a moment.
And as you lie there on your right side,
Imagine that you've left an imprint in the earth,
A shadow of yourself,
If you will.
And in that shadow,
You've left behind anything that you don't want to carry forward with you,
Any cares,
Worries or burdens,
Any beliefs that aren't serving you anymore.
Imagine that you can leave them behind imprinted in the earth.
So that when you sit up,
You rise anew.
You may wish to sit in meditation for a few moments or just rest with a feeling of gratitude for this planet.
When you feel complete in this exercise,
Bring your palms together at the heart,
Lower the chin,
And then slowly begin to open your eyes.
Namaste.
