Today's guided meditation is specifically designed for those of you experiencing chronic pain.
Our body's perception of pain is closely linked to the state of our nervous system,
And so by relaxing the body we can down-regulate the nervous system,
Effectively turning down the dial on how we perceive pain.
It doesn't get rid of our pain,
But it can help us to find some ease,
And it can help us to soothe that discomfort.
So that's what we're going to be doing today,
In this recording.
So when you're ready,
Finding a cosy spot to lie down,
Perhaps on a yoga mat or on your bed,
And if it's cold wherever you are in the world,
Then grabbing a blanket,
And also just checking if you need support for your neck,
Or anything else you need for your comfort.
Taking your time to get settled in,
There's no rush,
And feel free to pause the recording if you need a moment to get set up,
And then as you start to settle in,
Maybe just feeling the weight of your body,
The pull of gravity,
The feel of the back of your body in contact with the surface beneath you,
And actually just feeling what's happening in the back of the body,
Just on its own,
Can be quite soothing for the nervous system,
So sensations in the back of the head,
The backs of the shoulders,
And the buttocks,
And the backs of the legs,
And the feet.
If there's any sense of bracing away from whatever you're lying on,
Maybe just seeing what it's like just to fully give up the weight of your body to gravity.
Simply let yourself surrender and settle back down into the ground,
And as you continue to settle in,
Maybe just noticing your body's innate ability to relax,
Your arms and hands softening,
Sinking into the surface beneath you,
No effort is needed,
Your body just knows how to relax if you just let it happen,
Legs and feet melting down into the surface beneath.
So every part of you is just gradually letting go,
Sinking and relaxing,
Your head starts to feel heavier,
And your face begins to relax,
The muscles around your mouth and jaw start to soften,
The jaw becoming loose and slack,
Releasing any tension that it might have been holding onto,
Contributing to a sense of ease that starts to spread throughout the face and the head,
The muscles down the sides of the neck are opening up and lengthening,
The whole of the neck is softening and relaxing,
Creating a sense of ease that flows down into the shoulders,
And the shoulders are dropping down away from the ears,
Relaxing back down towards the earth,
The muscles in the tops of the shoulders releasing their hold,
Becoming soft,
Supple and relaxed,
And the upper back is sinking down into the surface beneath you,
The muscles in the upper back softening and letting go,
A sense of overall relaxation and ease slowly spreading through the upper body,
The muscles in the chest,
The pectorals and the little muscles between the ribs beginning to open up and release,
So the whole of the chest is softening and relaxing,
Allowing for a more expansive feeling in the upper body,
The arms beginning to soften and relax,
Sensations of relaxation spreading from the shoulders down to the elbows and then to the wrists,
Space opening up in the joints between the bones in the arms,
The hands and fingers are releasing any tension that they might be holding onto,
Each finger is softening from the knuckles down to the fingertips as they gently sink into the surface that they're resting upon,
The muscles cradling your lower back releasing their grip,
Gently easing towards the ground,
The entire lower back area is softening and contributing to a sense of ease in the middle of the body,
The belly is relaxing,
Becoming softer and rounder,
All the muscles in the abdomen beginning to release and soften as they let go of any tightness or tension that they might have been holding onto,
The buttocks are surrendering and softening down into the floor's embrace,
The whole of the pelvic region softening and melting down into the surface beneath you,
The upper legs slowly beginning to release,
Softening down into the floor,
The quads and the hamstrings letting go of any gripping that they might have been holding onto and as they let go just bringing a sense of relaxation throughout the legs,
The muscles around the knees are beginning to release and let go,
The knees are softening and just contributing to a sense of ease in the lower legs,
The calf muscles releasing their hold,
Allowing your lower legs to soften and relax as they gently sink into the surface beneath them,
Your ankles and feet grounding even more as every toe starts to uncurl and relax,
The feet becoming soft as if sinking into a warm sand,
Bringing a sense of grounding and stability,
Relaxation just spreading throughout the whole body as it sinks deeper into relaxation,
The whole body releasing and softening,
Becoming heavier as if you're wrapped in a comforting blanket of relaxation,
Whole body softening and relaxing,
The whole body slowly sinking,
Melting into the surface beneath you,
The whole body soft and relaxed and just savouring any feelings of calm or relaxation that might be present,
Feelings of softness,
Of space,
Of openness and just absorbing any feelings of well-being that might be here,
Taking in the good,
Allowing yourself to bask in this feeling for as long as you need,
Knowing that this state of relaxation is a sanctuary within you that you can return to whenever you need and of course it's natural that you might still feel some discomfort within the body,
Remember it's okay to acknowledge any lingering pain,
By allowing these feelings rather than resisting them we give ourselves permission to heal,
Find peace.
Dana Folds explains this beautifully in her poem called Allow and it goes like this,
There is no controlling life,
Try corralling a lightning bolt containing a tornado,
Dam a stream and it will create a new channel,
Resist and the tide will sweep you off your feet,
Allow and grace will carry you to higher ground,
The only safety lies in letting it all in,
The wild and the weak,
Fear,
Fantasies,
Failures and success,
When loss rips off the doors of the heart or sadness fails your vision with despair,
Practice becomes simply bearing the truth and the choice to let go of your known way of being,
The whole world is revealed to your new eyes and when you're ready just beginning to deepen your awareness of your surroundings,
Noticing nearby sounds,
The feel of your clothing on your skin,
The surface beneath you and perhaps just gently bringing some movement into your fingers and toes,
Maybe coming into a satisfying stretch and if your eyes are closed just blinking them open,
Bringing the calm with you as you return to your life and if this meditation was helpful you might consider revisiting it when you need to find ease in the body in the future but for now thank you for joining me for this relaxation exercise today and I wish you all the best,
Thank you.
