Finding a comfortable posture either sitting or lying.
Letting the body settle and letting go of whatever tension can be released at this time.
Making any final adjustments so that as much as possible you can remain motionless for the duration of the practice.
Becoming aware of the earth below you and feeling into the points of contact between the body and whatever is immediately beneath.
Just allowing yourself to be held and supported.
And then taking a few deeper longer breaths in through the nose and a short pause then out through a small hole in the mouth.
Appreciating the refreshing quality of the in-breath and the releasing quality of the out-breath.
The quality of letting go.
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Then breathing normally and just letting the breath flow into and out of the body as it pleases.
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The body sitting or lying here breathing of its own accord.
And then perhaps letting there be a gentle smile on your face.
A smile that symbolizes your intention to meet your experience with acceptance and compassion.
And then beginning to scan up the body from feet to head.
Bringing kind attention to each part of the body in turn.
So starting with the toes.
Giving them a little wiggle if it helps to connect with them.
And becoming aware of any sensations that you notice there.
Tingling,
Warmth,
Pulsing or just a subtle sense of aliveness.
Then letting the awareness spread to other parts of the feet.
The soles,
The heels,
The tops of the feet,
The ankles.
All and any sensations in both feet.
Suffusing your feet with kind awareness.
Letting them be just exactly as they are.
Smiling with an awareness of your feet.
Letting the awareness flow up the legs.
The lower legs,
The shins at the front,
The calves at the back.
Up to the knees,
The upper legs,
The hips.
Awareness of all and any sensations in the legs.
Whether they be pleasant or unpleasant,
Strong or subtle.
Just seeing how accepting and allowing of the sensations in your legs you can be.
Letting go of any judgments.
Letting go of any tension.
Letting your legs rest just as they are.
Letting awareness flow now into the pelvic area.
Filling the whole of the pelvic area with friendly attention.
Letting it all be just as it is.
Then awareness flowing up into the lower half of the torso.
The abdomen inflating and deflating with the breath.
The lower back,
The area around the kidneys.
And letting your awareness flow up to the upper half of the torso.
The chest,
The rib cage and all the organs that are housed within it.
The upper portion of the spine,
The shoulder blades.
Noticing areas of comfort.
Noticing areas of discomfort.
Softening whatever can be softened.
Filling the whole of the torso with kindness and acceptance.
Awareness flowing now down the arms.
The upper arms,
The elbows,
The lower arms,
Down to the wrists,
The hands and the fingers.
Smiling with an awareness of the sensations in the whole of both arms.
Letting them be.
Letting them rest just as they are.
Letting the awareness flow now up to the shoulders and then into the neck and throat area.
Then to the back of the head,
To the sides of the head.
And then the features of the face.
The mouth and jaw.
Then up to the nose and cheeks.
The eyes and ears.
The forehead.
The crown of the head.
Now the whole of the body.
The whole of the body.
Filling the whole body with kind awareness.
Letting go of judgments.
Letting go of resistance.
Letting go of tension.
Letting things be as they are.
Your whole body nourished and soothed by your kind awareness.
The whole body.
The whole body bathed in kind,
Friendly awareness.
And then in the next stage of the practice,
Including in your awareness the breath,
Gently flowing into and out of the body.
And tuning into the nourishing quality of the breath.
This breath that is nourishing the whole of the body.
That is flowing into every part,
Into every cell of your being.
Exploring just how much you can tune into this sense of a whole body receiving the nourishment of the breath.
One cycle after another.
Perhaps a sense of the nourishment flowing into the chest with the in-breath and then the nourishment radiating out to the whole body with the out-breath.
The nourishing breath flowing into every part of the body.
And in the last stage of the practice,
Opening up the awareness to include also the space around the body to what is below,
To what is above,
To the space that surrounds you on all sides.
And opening up to the support and nourishment that you're receiving from the environment.
The earth that is holding you and in whose soil grows the food that sustains you.
The sky above,
The air that surrounds you that you breathe.
The warmth of the distant Sun on whom all life depends.
Becoming aware also of the community of plants and trees,
Humans,
Insects,
Birds and animals around you.
Or making it possible for you to have enough food to eat,
Enough water to drink,
Air,
Warmth,
Shelter and comfort.
Opening to the support that you receive from the whole wider community of plants and beings.
So perhaps with the in-breath,
A sense of the nourishment flowing into your body from the world around you.
And with the out-breath,
Offering out your thanks,
Your gratitude.
Breathing in the nourishment,
Breathing out gratitude.
Maybe sometimes offering gratitude to the world in general.
Maybe sometimes offering your thanks to more specific plants,
Beings or phenomena of the natural world.
Continuing in this way for the last short while.
Really opening to the support,
Nourishment and companionship that you're receiving from the world around you.
And offering your thanks and gratitude in return.
You you you
