The Art of Relaxation

21st century living can be very stressful,

Resulting in an agitated and restless mind.

This also means the body is overworked with the continuous bombardment of information that we process not only daily,

But on a moment to moment basis.

When do you ever really give your body time to relax?

It seems our lives are getting busier and busier with little to no time to truly relax our bodies.

And then we wonder why our bodies break down.

Many come home to watch television or spend countless hours online.

This is definitely not relaxing the body or mind,

Rather it's overstimulation of artificial energy.

Relaxation is the most important gift you can give your body in today's society.

Only when you indicate to the body that it's time to relax will it heal,

Rejuvenate,

Recharge,

And restore inner balance.

If you don't do this,

Then you're running the risk of your body accelerating itself into potential health risks.

If you're listening to this meditation,

Then it's a good sign that your intuition is telling you to relax and slow down.

After all,

Life is not a race.

Connecting back to the natural flow of life that transcends physical reality is essential for spiritual growth.

We are spiritual beings going through a human experience.

Your body is a temple.

It is your one and true home.

Even if you care about where you live,

Then you must look after your home.

A busy mind only leads to busy signals to the body,

Which in turn promotes stress.

Our bodies are not designed to handle chronic stress.

Find yourself a comfortable position for this practice.

Maintain a nice straight back and place your hands on your knees or palms facing up if you wish to lay down for this practice.

Now gently close your eyes and mouth.

Let's start by taking in some deep breaths,

Breathing in through the nose,

Breathing out through the nose,

In through the nose,

Out through the nose,

In through the nose,

Out through the nose.

A Zen master once said,

Meditation is the clarifier of the cloudy mind.

Let go of the outside world.

Let go of all distractions.

Let go of all thoughts.

But don't try to control the flow of your thoughts.

As you continue breathing in through the nose and out through the nose,

Allow all thoughts to drift softly and float aside.

Keep your attention with your breath and let's just follow our breath for the next few moments.

Feel your body becoming relaxed.

Starting at the top of your head,

Allow a feeling of relaxation to begin to spread.

Feel the relaxation grow with each breath you take.

Inhale.

Relax your scalp and head.

Exhale.

Let the tension go away even more.

Breathe in relaxation.

Feeling your face and ears relax.

And exhale all the tension.

Inhale.

Inhale.

Feeling your neck and shoulders relaxing.

As you exhale,

Allow all the muscles of your neck and shoulders release their hold.

Relaxing even more fully.

Breathe in,

Feeling the relaxation continuing down to your arms and hands.

Breathe out the tension.

Breathe out the worry.

Breathe out the stress.

And breathe in relaxation.

Allowing your chest and upper back to relax.

Just release all the tension as you exhale.

Release the muscles of your back and stomach as you breathe out.

And as you take another deep and full breath,

Feel your lower back relaxing.

Breathe into the whole body.

Inhale.

Feel the tension leaving as you release your breath.

Breathe in relaxing your hips and pelvic area.

And breathe out relaxing it even further.

As you inhale,

Feel your upper legs relaxing.

Feeling the muscles of your legs completely as you breathe out.

Take another breath drawing in relaxation all the way down to your feet.

And feel your legs getting more and more relaxed as you exhale.

Now you are feeling very,

Very relaxed,

Deeply at ease and surrendered in the moment.

Now imagine that you are floating on white clouds.

Feel the surface beneath you becoming softer.

Let it rise a little further,

Taking you with it.

See everything around you disappearing as you float into the sunny blue sky,

Drifting on this beautiful peaceful cloud.

Feel your body sinking into the cloud even deeper.

Notice how the cloud feels soft,

Comforting and fluffy.

Weightless and carefree,

Just let all your thoughts go.

Simply disconnect from the outside world.

As you float away,

Far,

Far away on this cloud,

Feel a wave of relaxation take over your body.

It is a wonderful feeling of peace and joy and clarity and unobstructed consciousness.

You are just drifting away,

Far,

Far away.

The sky above you is bright blue,

Sunny and inviting.

You are warm and comfortable,

Warmed up by the sun's rays shining down peacefully upon you.

You are one with the vast blue sky as you float weightlessly away from all you know,

Away from your work,

Away from everyone.

This is your time to completely relax and unidentify yourself with the outside world of stimuli.

It's you and your breath taking your body on a journey of relaxation,

Floating away,

Far away.

Notice you on this cloud starting to get higher now.

Allow this cloud to joyfully rise into the sky.

It's very calming and very relaxing to be up here.

You are so relaxed,

It brings a smile to your face.

How does it feel to be simply floating on this cloud?

Just letting go,

Allowing yourself to completely detach,

Disconnect and embrace this moment.

Take notice of how relaxed you are right now.

Until you hear the sound of the bell,

Embrace this relaxation.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.

Relaxation for the rest of this practice.