Welcome back to week 3 in the meditation series Self Love Notes.
Today we will explore allowing for the ebb and flow of life.
To start,
Let's find a comfortable seat,
Sitting taller and noticing your posture.
Taking a deeper breath here,
Letting your inhale lift you tall,
And your exhale to soften any tension.
You can also practice this meditation lying down if that's more comfortable for you.
In our practice today,
We will try a body scan to release tension and invite muscle relaxation.
One of the best ways we can connect to ourselves during busy or hectic times is to find a quiet moment to breathe and connect to our bodies.
So let's start with an easy exercise.
Begin by first resting your arms in your lap and begin to squeeze your hand into a ball.
As you inhale,
Tighten both hands into a fist.
As you exhale,
Slowly soften your grip,
Letting go.
Again,
As you inhale,
Squeezing the hands into a ball or fist.
And as you exhale,
Soften your grip.
Repeat this a few times,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now as we move through the body scan,
You can imagine the sensation of letting go and releasing tension along the way,
Connecting you to your body as you breathe.
Begin by bringing your attention to the bottom of your feet.
If you are seated,
Notice the feet flat on the ground.
And notice the sensation of being grounded.
Begin to move your breath and awareness to each foot and to each toe on your feet.
Moving now to your ankles.
And take a breath here.
Inhale through the nose.
Inhale through the nose.
And exhale out of the nose or mouth.
Begin to move your awareness now upward toward your knees.
Notice how they feel and release your breath along with any tension here.
Continue to stay connected to your breath as well as your body.
Moving up to your legs.
First notice your right leg from the foot all the way to your hip.
And now notice your left leg,
Again from the foot all the way to your hip.
Again from the foot all the way to your hip.
Releasing any tension with a big breath in.
And an easy breath out.
Begin to check in with each hip and now your low back.
Letting it be without judgment,
Just observation.
Take a breath and let's move your awareness like a spotlight now to your middle back.
You may start to notice the chair as a support or maybe the ground.
See if you can soften with your exhale and release any grip you may be holding in your back.
Take a breath here.
Begin to tune in to the spot where your heart rests on the back.
Can you soften and can you send a loving breath to yourself and to your heart?
Letting your breath guide the way,
Now over to your arms.
Moving to the right shoulder and down the right arm.
And to your left shoulder and down the left arm.
Begin to move your breath and awareness to each hand and fingertips.
Just observing and taking a longer breath here.
Take a breath in and begin to move your awareness up to the shoulders once more.
Now moving up to the neck and jaw.
Moving into the face.
Notice if you can feel the shoulders and the arms.
And if you can feel the shoulders and the arms.
Notice if you can soften your face here.
Relax your jaw and take a deeper breath to soften and let go.
Tuning in now to the spot between the two eyes,
Your third eye and your brow.
Soften here.
Begin to feel your awareness shifting to the top of your head.
Feeling your hair,
Your eyes,
Any sensations that come up for you here.
Taking a longer breath and release any last remaining tension.
A full body breath,
Moving your awareness back down to your feet.
And returning back up the spine as you breathe in.
Repeating this a few times.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Honoring the ebb and flow of your breath.
Giving yourself this time and space to connect to your body and mind can be such a wonderful gift.
So give yourself that moment of gratitude for practicing today.
Begin to gently wiggle your fingers and wiggle your toes.
Coming back to your breath and coming back to the room.
Slowly open your eyes and even let a smile come to your mouth if you'd like.
Thank you so much for this practice and have a wonderful day.
I hope to see you next week for another self love note.
