Twelve minute relaxation.
Come into a comfortable space now,
Lying on your floor in shavasana posture.
Making sure your body's comfortable,
You can place a pillow underneath your knees,
Blanket on top of you,
Eye pillow optional.
You can also practice sitting in a chair or lying in the fetal position,
Pillow between the legs.
Preparing the body for the practice.
Closing the eyes.
Feel your eyelids soft.
Bring an awareness to your entire face.
Feel the forehead smooth.
Temples soft,
Releasing back and down.
Feel the cheeks soft,
Corners of your mouth relaxed.
Inner and outer ears soft.
Gently separating your rows of teeth and allow the tongue to float,
Removing it from the upper palate.
Notice the throat also soften.
Very gently now,
Lift your chin slightly up,
Feel the grounding of the back of the head and then tuck your chin softly just a bit and hold here.
Become aware of your natural breath flowing at the back of the throat.
Notice the throat a bit constricted here and the breath a bit constricted.
Now gently lift your chin again just a bit.
Notice the quality of your breath in the throat flowing much smoother now.
Arms by your side,
Palms facing up in a receptive position.
Feet are about hip width distance apart.
Bring your awareness to your navel.
Simply watch your breath.
Notice your navel rise on inhale,
Fall on exhale.
And in synchronization with your breath,
Repeat silently to yourself,
I am breathing in.
I am breathing out.
I am breathing in.
I am breathing out.
Continue letting go of the mantra and take a deep breath in now.
And then let it go long slow exhale out and down to ground and anchor.
Do this a few more times.
Long breath in.
Long breath out.
As you breathe out,
Feel tension washing away.
Feel resistance letting go.
Take a moment now to come back into your natural breath.
Try not to push or force your breath in any way.
Simply observe it just as it is.
And see if you can allow each breath to be enough in this moment.
Notice your body becoming more and more quiet.
More and more relaxed.
Ask your awareness now to observe the silent pauses at the top of each inhalation.
And at the bottom of each exhalation.
Just noticing these little silences,
Pauses,
Between your breath.
Continue this awareness.
Rotation of consciousness.
Allow your mind now to jump freely from point to point,
Following my voice as we take a trip through the body.
Notice your feet.
Feel the sole of the right foot.
Sole of the left foot.
Feel the soles of both feet together.
Top of the right foot.
Top of the left foot.
Feel both heels resting.
Notice the toes on the right foot.
Toes on the left foot.
Feel all toes together.
Feel the whole right foot.
Whole left foot.
Feel both feet together.
Notice the ankles.
Calf muscles.
Backs of your knees.
Hamstrings.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
Notice right hip.
Left hip.
Both hips together.
Feel your low back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
Right side shoulder blade.
Left side shoulder blade.
Feel both shoulder blades together.
Right shoulder.
Left shoulder.
Upper arms.
Elbows.
Awareness to your lower arms.
Feel the wrists.
Backs of the hands.
Palms of the hands.
Notice the thumbs.
Index fingers.
Middle fingers.
Ring fingers.
Little fingers.
Feel all fingers together.
Notice space between the fingers.
Go now to the top of your head.
Notice the crown of the head.
Back of the head.
Back of the neck.
Space of the skull.
Chin.
Lower lip.
Upper lip.
Feel the jaw.
Notice upper rows of teeth.
Lower rows of teeth.
Tongue.
Nose.
Right side nostril.
Left side nostril.
Feel both nostrils together now,
Breathing natural breath.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Feel both eyes together,
Weightless and glowing.
No tension.
Head soft.
Feel right temple.
Left temple.
Forehead.
Eyebrow center.
Feel the space of the eyebrow center.
Soft.
Smooth.
Feel the whole face together.
Whole of the head together.
Feel both arms together.
Both hands together.
Feel the upper body together.
Whole upper body.
Notice right leg.
Left leg.
Feel both legs together.
Feel both feet together.
Feel your whole body together.
Your whole body.
Whole body.
Notice breath again flowing through the body.
Repeating silently to yourself,
I am breathing in in synchronization with your inhale.
I am breathing out in synchronization with your exhale.
I am breathing out in synchronization with your exhale.
I am breathing out in synchronization with your exhale.
Take a long deep breath in now.
Feel your breath becoming stronger.
And then long slow exhale out.
Layers of tension washing away.
Do this two more times.
Long breath in,
Feel the breath growing strong.
Long slow breath out.
One more time.
Bringing movement slowly back to your fingers and toes,
Observing the subtleties as they travel through the body.
Slowly begin to rock your head side to side,
Awakening the body even more.
Hug one knee towards your chest,
Then the opposite knee.
Rocking gently,
Massaging the sacrum,
Giving your back a little massage.
And then gently rolling over to either side,
Right or left.
Pausing here a moment.
Observing how you feel.
Acknowledging possibly any shifts from entering the practice to now.
Slowly begin to peel the body up,
Trying to keep your eyes closed,
Coming to a comfortable seat.
Crown of the head aligned over the root base of the spine.
Joining the hands together in prayer position,
Anjali Mudra in front of the heart,
Bowing the head.
Namaste.
