Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down,
And allow your body to the best of your ability to relax.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Soften,
Release any tension or tightness from your body.
Bring your attention to the top of your head,
Your scalp,
Your hair.
If there's any tightness or any holding,
Can you let even some of it go?
What can you sense?
What can you feel?
Slowly scan down through your body.
Bring your awareness to your forehead.
Relax the muscles.
Let your eyebrows separate from one another,
Assisted by gravity.
Let your eyes sit deeply in the skull.
Let your eyelids softly close with no tension.
Unclench your jaw,
Allowing a little bit of space between your back molars.
Let your neck be long.
Swallow a few times to release the musculature of the throat.
Shift your attention to your shoulders,
Allowing them to be broad,
To take up some space,
Relaxing,
Sinking down and away from the ears.
Feel down the lengths of the arms.
Allow them to be heavy.
Notice if your hands are inadvertently making fists,
And consciously spread your fingers wide and release any tension.
Bring your awareness to your chest.
Can you sense the heart beating?
Notice the rise and fall of your breath,
The gentle expansion and contraction of your body with each inhale and exhale.
Feel into your belly,
Any digestion,
Any holding,
And invite relaxation.
Feel your low back's curve and soften.
Move your attention down to your hips.
Notice,
Are the glutes activated?
Can you soften them,
Even just a little?
Scan down the lengths of your legs,
Some of the biggest musculature in the body.
Can you let the legs be even heavier,
To take up even more space?
Feel your feet.
Scan down the length of the arches.
Notice if the toes are carrying any tension.
Now,
Sense the whole body,
Not as individual parts,
But as one.
Can you let every bit of you be even just a little bit heavier,
To soften just a little more?
Take a moment to rest in this state of total relaxation.
Feeling the peace and calmness pervading your entire body.
When you're ready,
Slowly bring your awareness back to the present moment,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes.
Blink open your eyes,
And see if you can carry even a little fraction of this ease and relaxation with you,
As you go about your day.
