Welcome.
It's so nice to be here with you.
Of all the places you could be right now,
You're choosing to be here.
What is it that's bringing you here?
How would you like to feel as a result of taking this time here?
Is there something that you would like to invite into your day?
Something that you would like to leave here at the end of this recording?
Please take a moment to thank yourself.
My invitation is to be here exactly as you are with whatever's present in your body and in your mind.
Notice sensations as they come and go.
Nothing to change or fix,
Nothing to get right because you're already doing it right.
Here sharing this practice not to get rid of emotions or feelings.
Here to change the way to relate to them.
So take some time to arrive,
To land,
To soften,
To settle.
What's the kindest thing you can do for yourself right now to support deep rest?
Create any external conditions to support a deeper internal experience.
Take a soft breath in and let it go with a sigh.
I'll offer that two more times.
Soft breath in,
Let it go with a sigh.
One more soft breath in and out,
Allowing the exhales to ripple through your body.
Breath in,
Brightening the immune system and breath out,
Massaging the nervous system.
And fine-tune your posture that best works for your body at this time.
It may be the habitual go-to,
It may be your first time doing this kind of practice.
If you have energy that wants or needs to move,
You may be standing or walking,
Seated if that's comfortable.
And for me,
Often my body physically and emotionally are exhausted and I lay down.
Wherever you are,
Orient into the space that you're in.
If you'd like to allow your eyes to rest,
Find something downward to look at or allow your eyes to close.
Top lid,
Then maybe resting on the lower lid.
And as you continue to arrive,
Drop into a space where doing stops and feel a deep sense of peace in your heart.
Invite your attention inward as you invite yourself to be right here,
Right now.
I'll be offering a progressive relaxation of tightening and squeezing and releasing individual muscles.
Short and powerful,
Moving from the feet to the head to release any trapped or stale or stuck energy.
And you can allow your breath to be as it is the body is breathing itself.
Bring awareness to your feet.
If you're standing,
Feel your feet connected to the earth.
If you're seated or laying down,
Feel your heels connected or the sides of your feet connected.
Squeeze and tighten your toes and your feet and hold and hold and then release.
If you'd like to link your breath to these tightening,
Squeezing and releases experiences,
You're welcome to do so.
Your breath will find its way to your body.
If you prefer,
You can imagine doing these things with me.
And if you'd like to now my voice entirely and allow yourself to guide yourself.
Bring awareness now to your right leg,
Your whole right leg.
And on a breath in,
Tighten and tense and firm everything in your right leg.
If you'd like,
You can lift it or extend it.
Hold,
Hold.
And then on a breath out,
Lower your leg back down to the ground,
Release the holding.
Whole leg now coming into stillness.
And shifting your awareness now to your left leg.
Bringing your attention to your whole left leg.
On a breath in,
Tighten and tense,
And firm and hold the left leg.
Hold,
Hold.
And on an exhale,
Letting the breath go,
Letting the leg go completely.
You may notice a gentle rise and fall of the belly or the chest or the side body on a breath in.
And then the whole body releasing on a breath out.
This exhale washing over you.
Washing down both legs and feet and toes and feeling the imprint of the lower body on the surface wherever you are.
Effortless legs.
Attention now to the torso,
The pelvis,
The hips,
The belly.
Gentle rise and fall.
On a breath in,
Hold and squeeze and tighten,
Belly,
Butt,
Back,
Hold,
Hold.
And then let it all go.
Whole torso and internal organs getting a love wash.
Feeling the torso now imprinting into the surface.
Bring awareness to both hands.
Opening the fingers and extending them,
Creating space in between them and then gently closing them.
So it's playing the fingers apart,
Opening your hands wide to a comfortable position and then gently bringing the hands back into fists,
Bringing them back to neutral.
Attention to the right arm,
Lifting the right arm off the ground,
Extending it away from the body and without over straining or squeezing,
Tightening the right arm,
Holding the right arm,
Hold,
Hold,
And then allow the right arm to release back down.
Attention to the left arm,
Left arm lifting off the ground or off the side of the body,
Extending away from you.
On a breath in,
Tightening and squeezing the left arm without over squeezing,
Holding tension and tightness in the left arm and then releasing the arm back down.
Feel the imprint of the arms resting on the body or on the side of the body or back down on the surface,
Imprinting effortless arms,
Arms,
Torso,
Legs,
All now dropping into a deeper place of stillness.
Bring awareness to the head,
The back of the head,
The top of the head and the face.
On a breath in,
Scrunch up the face and the eyes.
Even imagine squeezing the hair,
The mouth,
Hold,
Hold,
And then release.
Whole face getting smooth,
The tongue resting in the mouth,
Top lip gently resting on the lower lip,
The hair softening,
Or if there is no hair,
The scalp softening,
The brow softening,
Allowing everything to further rest.
Whole body leaving its full print on the ground,
Or on the surface.
Become aware of anything that you hear or you feel.
Bring attention to the breath if that supports you,
And if the breath isn't serving as an anchor,
Bring attention to the space in front of you,
The space behind you,
The space to the right of you,
And the space to the left of you.
Is there an underlying hum or a pulse in the body?
No sensation present in the body.
Whatever's happening,
Notice it.
Touch into the width of the physical body from ear to ear,
Shoulder to shoulder,
Hip to hip,
Ankle bone to ankle bone.
Touch into the depth of the body from the front of the forehead to the back of the skull.
The front of the heart to the back of the heart,
The front of the knees to the back of the knees.
Touch into the length of the body from the toes to the head,
And the head to the toes.
Whole body dropping into a state of calm,
The mind receiving calm,
Feeling the body and the mind calm.
Let be into this calm feeling.
Imagine a calming breath moving from the toes to the head on a breath in,
And an overall feeling of calm from the head to the toes.
Calm from the knees to the head on a breath in,
From the head to the knees on a breath out.
Come from the hips to the head on a breath in,
And from the head to the hips on a breath out.
Come from the belly to the head on a breath in,
And come from the head to the belly on a breath out.
Come from the heart to the head on a breath in,
And from the head to the heart on a breath out.
Come from the throat to the head on a breath in,
And from the head back down to the throat on a breath out.
Whole face being bathed with calm on a breath in,
Scalp,
Skull,
And face being bathed with calm on a breath out.
Nowhere to go,
Nothing to do.
In this moment there's nothing that needs your attention,
Nothing you need to figure out,
Releasing the body into a state of rest,
Feeling a deep sense of calm and peace and rest.
Resting here.
If you have an area that needs healing or an extra bit of calm or peace,
Allow your bright light and love to flow there now.
Allow then your bright light and love to expand to your community,
Beyond your community to your city,
Your state or your province,
Expanding beyond to your country,
And your own bright light and love flowing to all beings everywhere.
Sense the body resting.
And then very gradually begin to call yourself back into this space.
Take your time,
Don't hurry.
Noticing any sounds around you and sounds within you.
The quality of the air as it touches your skin and any clothing or blankets touching your skin boundary.
And as you gradually begin to move,
Sense the body from within all directions.
Whole body alive and vibrant,
Renewed with a sense of vitality and calm and peace.
Lingering in this deep inner experience,
Notice how at rest the body may be,
How soft the breath may be,
How quiet the mind or the heartbeat may be.
And then in your own time,
As you feel ready,
Allowing your eyes to gently flutter open,
Coming back into this space,
Taking this inner calm with you as you return back to your day.
