Begin by finding a comfortable meditation posture where you feel supported and at ease,
But also alert and wakeful.
In this meditation,
We'll be directing our attention towards sensations of restfulness and ease in the body.
So all other sensory activity,
Thoughts,
Sensations,
Emotions,
Sounds outside of you can all come and go in the background of your attention.
So we'll begin here by grounding in the body,
Sensing the body still and at rest.
Sensing where your body meets the surface,
Where you meet the seat below you,
Or perhaps the weight of your hands in your lap,
Or your feet on the ground.
And maybe taking a few soft,
Intentional inhales and exhales.
We'll begin by intentionally creating some sensations of restfulness and tranquility in the body by scanning through the body and just intentionally releasing any muscles that seem to be holding or contracted.
You might just tune into the sensations of release as you notice them.
You can start at the top of the head and gently make your way down the body,
Releasing any areas of tension that can soften a bit and then just noticing,
Tuning into that sensation as you perceive it.
Maybe intentionally releasing any muscles around the eyes or around the mouth,
In the face,
In the neck and shoulders,
Down the length of the arms,
The hands,
The torso,
The belly,
The seat,
The legs,
The toes and the feet.
You can just gently scan through your body now,
Seeing if and where you might release some tension in any muscles.
And as you do tuning into that sensation of release,
And if it supports your concentration,
You can use the label,
Rest,
As you notice.
Getting curious about this sensation of releasing each muscle.
Maybe you notice a melting or sinking sensation,
Or maybe a sense of expansiveness or ease.
Maybe you notice it in the exact area of that body part as you release,
Or maybe you notice a global sense of release,
Each time you do.
And now we'll turn our attention towards sensations of restfulness and ease in the exhale.
Each time we let out a breath.
Each time we breathe out.
Can you notice what releases?
What lets go in the body?
As the lungs release oxygen,
The body simply melts a little.
You might sense some softening or expansiveness.
Just tuning in here with each exhale,
Seeing if you can pick up on any sensations of release,
Rest,
Ease.
And as you do again,
If it supports your concentration,
You can use the label,
Rest,
As you note these sensations and sink into them.
Can you notice any sensations of settling or grounding with each exhale?
And if you notice the mind being pulled into any thoughts or distractions or other sensory spaces,
That's okay.
You don't need to shut off the thinking mind.
You can simply allow anything else going on in your experience to simply come and go in the background of your attention.
Keeping your anchor here on the subtle sensations of release,
Ease,
Rest in the body where you notice them.
They can be subtle.
And so turning your attention here again and again builds your concentration and builds your capacity to tune into these sensations and to grow your sensitivity to them.
And so,
Tuning into the release of each exhale and letting each exhale maybe take you deeper and deeper into these feelings of restfulness and ease.
And now we'll turn our attention to locating any of these sensations of ease or just neutrality in the body where we find them.
So you might just scan through the body and notice any neutral spots anywhere that doesn't seem particularly active that might not initially call your attention,
But just feels neutral and okay.
Maybe not good or bad.
These neutral spots might be the hands or the feet.
You might notice other areas of the body that feel easeful,
Relaxed,
Neutral.
Maybe choose one and keep your attention there tuning into what you sense when you do.
And if you're finding it challenging to stay with these areas of the body.
That's okay.
Noting that each time you do each time you bring the attention back,
Bringing some curiosity into these less active more neutral subtle sensations,
You build your capacity to do so,
Building the capacity within you to notice restful,
Easeful states more easily and more deeply.
For the last minute of practice here you can choose one of the three techniques.
You might create some of these sensations of rest and ease by intentionally relaxing any muscles in the body and tuning into the sensations there.
You might stay with the exhale tuning into the expansiveness and the release with each out breath.
Or you might locate any neutral or restful areas of the body and simply stay there with your attention,
Allowing anything else to come and go in the background of the mind.
Each time you catch yourself in a distraction and come back to the subtler sensations,
Is a small moment of waking up.
You can enjoy it,
Rejoice in that.
And as we now start to bring formal practice to a close in this transition.
If you were able to contact any sense of ease or restfulness in the body,
You might see if you can stay with that and keep it with you as you move into the next activity of your day.
You can make any gentle movements in the body that feel supportive.
And if the eyes were closed,
You can open them.
Taking a look around the space around you and transitioning out of formal practice.
