Take a few moments to lie down and get yourself comfortable.
Make sure you're warm enough and allow yourself to settle.
Close your eyes and take a couple of cleansing deep breaths.
And then just allow yourself to breathe naturally,
The breath coming in and out just as your body needs.
First I want you to sense your surroundings.
Notice any sounds in the room.
Just allow them to register and then let them go.
Notice the temperature of the air,
The feel of it on your skin.
Notice the feel of the floor underneath you.
Imagine the imprint that your body makes on the floor.
Imagine you're lying on soft sand and visualize the shape your body makes in the sand.
Work your way from your head past your shoulders,
Your arms,
Down past your rib cage,
Your pelvis,
All the way down your legs to your feet,
Visualizing the shape that you make in the sand.
And as you breathe,
Imagine your body deepening into the sand as you allow your weight to be fully supported by the ground underneath you.
Now bring your attention to your breathing.
Notice the rhythm of your breath.
Feel the movement it makes in your body as you breathe in and out.
Notice which parts of you move when you breathe.
Notice if your chest moves,
Your stomach,
Your sides,
Deep in your abdomen.
Feel the breath coming in.
Notice the temperature of the air as it moves through your nose and into your lungs.
Just allow your breath to come in and go out at the pace your body dictates,
Whatever pace your body needs at this moment.
Allow the breath to drop into your body and flow out again.
Now picture a point in your abdomen about two inches below your belly button and about two inches inside.
If you like,
Use your hand to help you find this point.
As you breathe,
Notice what movement there is in this point.
Can you feel it moving up and down or does it stay still?
Imagine that this point is the starting point for each breath.
Imagine that the impulse to breathe comes from this point in your abdomen.
As each breath comes into your body,
The breath flows directly to this point,
Filling it with energy.
Each time you breathe in,
Picture this point filling with energy and as you breathe out,
The energy flows around your body.
And as you visualize this flow of energy,
Just for a moment,
Notice the rhythm of your breath again.
How does the rhythm feel compared with before?
Notice which parts of your body move as you breathe.
Now bring your attention to your head.
Feel the contact that your head makes with the floor.
Feel and sense the support that the floor is giving your head and acknowledge that the floor will not move so you can allow yourself to let go of the weight of your head.
Imagine the immense weight completely supported by the floor and allow yourself to give in to that complete support.
Give the muscles in your neck permission to let go of the weight of your head and to rest and become soft and loose and long.
Your head is supported by the floor which is supported by the earth underneath and allow gravity to pull your head gently towards the center of the earth.
Now bring your attention to your face.
Start with your eyes.
Imagine all the tiny muscles around your eyes are expanding and becoming soft and long and loose.
All the tiny muscles in your cheeks and your forehead are softening,
Warming,
Melting and expanding.
Picture space between your back teeth as you allow your jaw to open releasing the muscles around the joints.
Allow your tongue to rest behind your bottom teeth and picture the roof of your mouth as a high dome.
Enjoy the feeling of space in your mouth and for a moment just notice your breathing again.
Feel the movement in your body.
Notice where that movement is and picture again that spot just below and behind your belly button.
Allow your breath to fill that point and picture the energy moving around your body.
Now bring your attention to your shoulders.
Notice the imprint your shoulders make on the floor.
Notice any areas of tension or pain.
Feel the contact your arms make with the floor.
Gradually work your way down from your shoulders past your biceps and triceps,
Past your elbows,
Your forearms and all the way through your hands to your fingertips and then all the way back up your arms again to your shoulders.
Visualize your shoulder blades floating across your back and allow the support from the floor to come up to meet the weight of your shoulders and allow your body to let go of the weight.
Let gravity take over and let your weight fall into the floor supported fully by the earth and being gently drawn by gravity towards the center of the earth.
Feel the firmness of the floor underneath your shoulders.
And as you allow your body to let go of the weight,
Imagine the muscles across your chest releasing that weight becoming soft and long and loose.
Imagine that warm oil is being poured over your chest and is flowing gently over your chest and your shoulders helping your muscles to soften and allowing themselves to relax and let go of the weight.
As your shoulders sink into the floor,
Feel the contact with the floor again.
Notice how it feels and take your mind down your arms all the way from your shoulders down to your fingertips and give all of your arm muscles permission to let go of the weight of your arms and your hands and allow them to sink into the floor.
Now bring your attention to your ribcage.
Picture your ribcage in your mind.
See each rib and in between each rib picture the intercostal muscles.
These fill the space in between each rib.
Imagine that each muscle is like a sponge and gradually allow these sponges to fill with warm liquid in your mind.
As they soak up the liquid they expand and become soft and pliable.
As they expand they allow your ribcage to move more freely and easily.
Your ribcage can expand outwards fully and smoothly with each breath.
Notice the movement in your ribcage as you breathe.
Feel the support from the floor underneath your ribcage.
Allow gravity to take over and give your body permission to let go of the weight of your ribcage and surrender that weight to the floor.
For a moment just notice your breathing again.
Feel the easy movement in your body as you breathe in and out.
Notice the depth of your breath and imagine the breath filling your abdomen as you inhale.
Allow yourself to exhale naturally.
Just allow the breath to happen at the pace and the depth your body needs.
Now bring your attention to your pelvis.
Acknowledge the full weight of your pelvis.
These heavy bones attached to the base of your spine and feel the contact that your pelvis makes with the floor.
Give your body permission to release the muscles holding your pelvis and surrender the weight to the support of the floor.
Allow gravity to draw your pelvis towards the center of the earth.
Imagine your body sinking into warm sand and picture the imprint you make in the sand as you do so.
As your pelvis lets go,
Take your attention to your hip joints.
Your legs are supported by the firmness of the floor.
Imagine your hip joints opening and all the muscles around the hip joints can let go as they surrender the weight of your legs to the floor.
Picture the muscles at the tops of your legs and into your hips softening,
Loosening and lengthening.
Gradually work your attention down your legs.
Notice how they feel.
Notice any aches or pains or tension.
And as you work your attention down your legs,
Giving your muscles permission to let go.
Working your way down the fronts and the backs of your thighs,
Past your knees,
Down your shins,
Your calves,
Past your ankles,
Into your feet,
Right into your toes.
Notice as your body lets go and surrenders to the support of the floor beneath you.
Enjoy this feeling of support from the floor and slowly work your way over your whole body,
Noticing the contact with the floor and enjoying that feeling of surrender to that firm solid support beneath you.
Notice your breathing once again and enjoy the sensation of the breath dropping into your body,
Down into your abdomen and back out,
Spreading the energy around your body.
When you're ready,
Very slowly and gradually leaving your head in contact with the floor,
Roll onto your side.
And when you're ready to rise,
Slowly and carefully roll onto your knees,
Breathing deeply and bringing your head at last,
Come up to a kneeling or a sitting position.
Notice how your body feels.
Notice how your mind feels and take your time before standing up.
