Hello and welcome to this guided relaxation for self-care.
We'll begin by bringing yourself into a really comfortable position.
You might like to sit with your back supported,
Leaning against a chair or a wall,
Or lie down in whatever position is comfortable for you.
As you're finding your way to your comfy spot,
Continue to move or adjust as needed so that you can really rest here.
You might move any supports around you,
Or adjust how your body is positioned in your space.
When you're ready to settle,
Either close your eyes or find a place for your gaze to rest and your eyes to relax.
With the eyes resting,
We turn off our outer vision,
And then turn on your inner vision,
Your inner awareness.
Take a brief scan of your body and notice if there's a place that jumps out to you that calls for your attention.
There's some part of you that is asking for a little extra care in this moment.
If you find a few places,
Choose one that you'd like to focus on for this practice.
Once you find that place,
That would really benefit from some focused attention and care.
Let your focus settle there,
And your awareness begin to flow around this part of you.
Begin to notice what is going on here,
Maybe if there's some sensations,
Or what might have drawn your attention to this place.
You might also explore what layer of you is asking for attention here.
Is it your physical body?
Maybe there's an ache or pain in this place.
Perhaps there's a more subtle connection here.
Maybe there's a thought pattern that's manifesting in this part of you,
Or an emotional tension or awareness that you're being drawn to focus here.
And when you have this awareness,
Then just begin to let your attention rest softly around this space.
In the spirit of gratitude,
Kindness,
And care,
You're just holding this part of you really gently with love and compassion,
Honoring what arises,
What sensations,
Thoughts,
Or emotions are related to this part of you.
And then begin to invite your breath to come to your aid around this space.
Each time you exhale,
You might even feel like you're exhaling in this part of your body.
When you breathe out,
There's this experience of softening,
Releasing,
Relaxing.
You can invite a little bit of tension,
Effort,
Or clenching,
Holding on that you might feel in this place,
To release as you exhale.
Each time you inhale,
You bring in some new energy,
Nourishment,
Encouragement,
Support,
Compassion,
Care to this part of your body.
You might feel or invite the experience of breathing into and out of this place in your body.
With each exhale,
You're releasing tension,
Effort,
Tightness.
With each inhale,
You're bringing in that nourishment,
Encouragement,
And support.
As you continue to breathe and focus in this place,
You might start to notice some shifts.
It's almost like working through different layers.
As you peel away the outer layers of tension or effort,
That you're able to discover,
Maybe release some of the deeper layers of tension or effort that might be here.
And let the love,
Nourishment,
Encouragement,
And support flow into those spaces.
Let your breath keep flowing gently,
Your awareness remaining in this place.
We'll stay focused here,
Just another few breaths,
Inviting each exhale to bring some release and ease,
Some softening,
And each inhale to bring in that nourishment,
Support,
And care.
And as you're ready to begin emerging,
You can start to let your awareness expand,
So that it grows beyond just this one place you're focusing,
And gradually encompasses your whole body.
We'll take just a few relaxed breaths,
Breathing in and out with your whole body now.
And just as you felt the softening and release in this one place you were focused,
As you exhale,
Invite that experience through your whole body now as you breathe out.
And just as you brought in the nourishment,
Love,
And support as you inhaled to that one place,
Bring it now to your whole body.
Take just another couple breaths like this,
Letting your whole body expand as you inhale,
Soften as you exhale.
And then begin to deepen your breath,
Breathe in and out a little bit longer and slower.
After a couple of those deeper breaths,
Then let your breathing go back to its natural rhythm,
And slowly start to move your body.
Wake up your fingers,
Toes,
Move your hands and feet,
Rock your head,
Roll your shoulders.
Just gradually start to move,
Stretch,
And wake up as it feels good for you.
And then after you've moved a little bit,
Come back to stillness,
Pause for a moment,
And check in with that place in your body that you were focused,
And notice how it feels now.
If you can sense that anything has shifted,
Or if it feels pretty similar to when you first began.
And we'll close this practice with gratitude,
Grateful for our choice to be here,
To be present,
Focusing inward,
Paying attention to where we can use some support,
Giving ourselves the time and space to provide that.
Share the love,
The care that we have within us with ourselves.
Thank you so much for joining me for this practice.
I hope you have a beautiful day.
