This is a yoga nidra style meditation or we could also call it a deep mindfulness in the body meditation.
It's designed to help you achieve deep rest.
Begin by settling your posture.
You can do this meditation sitting up or you can do it lying down on the back with cushioning supporting under the neck and perhaps even under the knees if you need it.
When you feel settled take a couple of sighs,
A slightly bigger breath in through the nostril and then a longer releasing breath out through the mouth.
Now continue to breathe in and out through the nostrils only as long as that's possible for you.
For the next couple of minutes we'll focus on the breath itself with a gentle aim to regulate in the way that we want to soften the breath,
Slow the breath down and also bring the breath to as quiet a place as possible.
So you lengthen out your current breath a little slower than what it was but also very gentle,
Very soft breath.
The aim is to make the breath as quiet and light as possible,
Slowing down the inhale and slowing down the exhale.
Let go of all effort on the breathing now.
Watch your breath,
Feel how it moves in and out of your body and don't try and do anything to change it anymore.
Once again check in on your posture and settle any part of your body that maybe now is ready to relax a little more deeply or come now into stillness.
As we move through this meditation we're going to be drawing attention into the body in a kind and patient and gentle way and you always have the feeling of the breath with you as well.
So we're going to begin by taking attention to the very top of the head and as you're breathing in and out you notice any sensations through the top of the head.
Let that attention draw down now over the face.
Feeling the forehead,
The eyes,
The cheeks and coming into the jaw and you may notice just through the presence of your awareness that your body releases and tension starts to just naturally ebb away.
As you notice the feeling of breathing let your attention draw down now through the throat and the neck and come to rest in the shoulders and the upper back.
Just feel whatever you can feel here.
View all sensations with the same quiet equanimity.
Let your attention now start to draw down through both arms.
Firstly feeling the upper arm and then the elbow,
The lower arm and then through all of the fingers and draw your attention now into the chest and the upper back.
Being a calm witness to whatever the sensations are,
Not attempting to try and affect them at all.
Only observe them and bring your attention down now into the abdominal area,
The middle of the back.
Whatever other sensations you feel there will be the rise and fall that comes from every breath.
Your attention now draws down into the hips,
The pelvic area and the buttocks.
Moving your attention now through one leg at a time,
Beginning with the right leg.
Hold your attention in the right upper leg.
Then feeling the knee,
Feeling the lower leg.
Now holding your awareness on the right ankle,
The right foot.
Bring your attention now into the left upper leg.
Witnessing each breath and any sensations in this part of the left leg.
Now feeling the left knee,
Attention drawing down into the left lower leg.
Now the ankle,
Now the foot and finally the toes.
Now draw your attention into either the whole body or just the hands or just the feet.
Wherever feels the most stable and the strongest sensations that you can sit with.
Whether that is the whole body or just the hands or just the feet.
Stay where you have chosen in the body,
Breathing and feeling.
Noticing the feeling of your breath,
Bringing this meditation to a close.
You might now like to drift off into a peaceful sleep,
A deep sleep or just enjoy quietly resting.
