This reclined guided meditation practice is a reminder that we can encourage loosening and releasing from the tightly held and constricted areas present in the body and in the mind,
Bringing a sense of alertness and vitality.
This awareness to the breath and the body without collapsing can support us in cultivating a more gentle and alert awareness,
Allowing for loosening of areas of gripping,
Clenching.
The setup of this reclined practice can be part of the meditation.
Transitioning to your mat or a carpeted floor with a thin folded blanket or towel to support the back of the head.
Taking the time to arrange the body into a position that feels supported with a sense of alertness.
As you bring the blanket beneath the back of the head,
Consider that the height of the blanket will depend on your individual body.
And should allow for lengthening and a releasing of the front and the back of the neck.
It's taking care and time to adjust the height of the towel,
The blanket,
To ensure that your chin is in a balance placed for your cervical spine,
The area of your neck.
The front and the back of the neck should feel comfortable without any strain or holding.
Soles of the feet come to the mat about hip width distance apart,
Knees towards the sky.
Consider experimenting with the distance of the heels from your tailbone and providing comfort for the lower back.
Intentionally bring a balance to both sides of your body,
Noticing the hip points,
Left side,
Right side,
Perhaps shifting the pelvis,
Knees balanced between your hips and your feet,
Your hands resting comfortably perhaps on the belly,
Sensing the soles of the feet and pelvis,
Upper back,
Back of the head connected and stabilized by the earth.
Allow yourself to be held.
Bring the eyes to rest and transition and turn your attention inwards,
Releasing the jaw.
Great separation of the teeth,
The tongue heavy in the lower jaw,
Softening the throat,
Allowing the back of the shoulder blades to settle in and connect with the surface beneath you,
Softening the belly,
Beginning to draw your attention to the breath as it moves through the body.
Taking a moment to slowly draw a deeper inhale through the nostrils and inviting a gentle release of the breath through the mouth,
A couple of soft and steady inhales and allowing for a release of any tensions on the exhale.
Taking a moment to gently seal the lips if that is available today and continue to allow the expansion on the breath in and a release and softening on the breath out,
Noticing the quality of the breath as you release here with a sense of alertness and conscious awareness.
Are there areas of tightness or holding in the breath?
Any constrictions to the flow or movement?
Or is the breath moving with ease and with balance?
Observing the breath without judgment or forcing it to be any particular way and just allowing and perhaps bringing more ease and fluidity to the movement of the breath.
Exhaling and exhaling.
Simply taking a moment here to become aware of the wave of breath as it moves through the body on your inhalations and your exhalations.
Inhale ribs expand left side,
Right side.
Exhale a softening and a release.
Inhale sensing the back of the body connecting with the mat.
Inhale releasing.
And on the next inhale encouraging your attention to travel to the breath in the belly as the navel rises and expands on the inhale and softens on the exhale.
In breath lift and expand,
Out breath soften and release.
Allowing any tension in the area between the eyebrows to soften.
Unclenching and loosening any tension in the jaw.
Allowing for the area of the throat to open.
Sensing and feeling into the area of the upper back,
The mid-back,
The hips and the pelvis.
And perhaps if areas feel tight or contracted,
Gently guiding the soothing breath into those areas to encourage an opening,
A sense of release.
Suspending any judgment,
Allowing yourself to observe,
Encouraging a sense of ease and a sense of spaciousness.
Notice if you can gently guide the mind to rest on an anchor in the body,
Allowing the mind to rest.
If a narrative,
Thinking or planning begin to grab the attention,
Take a moment to intentionally shift your focus to an anchor.
An anchor of attention focusing on a spot in the body that can shift your lens of awareness from the mind back to the body.
Vibrations in the hands.
The eyes and follow the belly.
Sometimes there can be a stickiness to thoughts or to stories.
Can there be an allowing with ease without pushing down or clenching with resistance?
If a thought or a narrative persists,
Consider labeling the thought,
There's a story.
And gently and kindly shift your focus back to your anchor in the body.
Using the steadiness and stability of your breath to steady your focus,
Return to presence and soften and loosen any clenches or gripping in the body.
Allow yourself to be held by the earth.
Opening to this opportunity to open to the spaciousness within.
Cultivating a form of compassionate discipline to rest.
Begin to intentionally inhale,
Drawing the awareness back to the exhale.
Breathing in,
Connecting to abundance and ease.
Breathing out,
Releasing any remaining tensions or areas of constriction.
Calm,
Steady breathing.
Sensing the aliveness along with the felt sense of ease.
And with your eyes closed,
Observe how the body feels now.
Bringing the hands to rest on the heart space.
Sensing the rise and fall of the heart center.
Reaffirming the sense of calm and the sense of ease that is available.
This concludes our meditation.
