Let's begin by either taking our formal meditation posture,
Or if you would like,
Laying down on your back,
Just getting comfortable in the body here.
If you decide to lay down on your back,
You can put your feet on the ground so that your knees are up in the air.
This actually replicates that sense of upliftedness to some degree that we would have in our standard seated meditation posture.
Take a moment here to connect with and inhabit the body.
We're giving ourselves permission to allow the body to relax.
Feel the contact with the ground beneath you.
Letting yourself sink into it.
Become aware of your breath.
Just notice the in-breath and out-breath as it moves through you.
Breathing in,
Bring an awareness to your eyes.
Breathing out,
Allow your eyes to relax.
Breathing in,
Bring this awareness to your eyes.
Breathing out,
We allow the eyes to relax.
Let go of all the tension in these tiny muscles around your eyes.
Let them rest.
You could even send a sense of love and gratitude to your eyes.
They do so much for us.
Just offering a sense of appreciation here.
We shift our focus slightly.
Breathing in,
We bring an awareness to the mouth.
Breathing out,
Allow your mouth to relax.
As we breathe in,
Our attention is placed on the mouth,
The jaw.
Breathing out,
We relax these muscles.
If you so choose,
You can smile lightly,
Which releases the tension in hundreds of muscles in your face.
In either case,
With each out-breath,
Allowing,
Feeling the tension release in your cheeks,
Your jaw,
And your throat.
Breathing in,
Bring an awareness to your shoulders.
Breathing out,
Allow your shoulders to relax.
Let them sink down,
Letting the tension release.
So much tension is carried in the shoulders,
And now we're giving it permission to relax.
Breathing in,
We bring an awareness to your arms.
Breathing out,
Allow your arms to relax.
Let them sink further down,
Relaxing your upper arms,
Your elbows,
The wrists,
And all the tiny muscles in your fingers.
You can even move your fingers a little bit,
If you would like,
In order to help them relax.
Breathing in,
Bring an awareness to your heart.
Breathing out,
Allow your heart to relax.
Often in these exercises,
We neglect the heart,
But the heart works for us tirelessly,
Day and night.
So we're embracing the heart with a sense of tenderness,
Bringing our awareness to it,
And then on the out-breath,
Letting it relax.
When you're ready,
You could even send a sense of love and gratitude to your heart.
A sense of heartfelt appreciation.
Breathing in,
Bring an awareness to your legs.
Breathing out,
Allow your legs to relax.
Let go of the tension in your legs,
Your thighs,
Your knees,
Ankles,
Feet,
And toes.
All these tiny muscles in your toes,
Just let them rest.
Similar to before,
If you would like,
You could even move the toes a bit,
And let them relax.
Right now,
There is nowhere to go,
Nothing to do.
You are free to simply be here.
Rest.
Relax.
You can bring your awareness back to your breath,
To the belly,
Rising and falling at this point.
When you feel ready,
You can bring some light movement into the body,
Or slowly sit up if you've been laying down.
Transitioning out of the practice itself.
