Welcome to this guided muscle relaxation session.
You're invited to find your comfortable position.
I might suggest that you prioritize finding a place to lay down or to recline.
You want your body fully supported.
If you want to,
It's perfectly okay to sit in a chair,
But make sure that your feet are on the floor and that your head can be supported.
You want to choose a spot where your body is fully supported and your muscles don't have to do any work.
They can just let go.
Settle into your spot and then begin to breathe through the nose if that's possible for you.
If not,
Purse your lips and breathe through your mouth.
Breathe slowly,
Deeply,
Gently.
No tension in the breath,
Just pure bliss.
Close your eyes if you haven't already,
And if that's not comfortable for you,
Simply soften your gaze.
Turn your attention to your body and gently scan your body from head to toes.
If you notice something that doesn't quite feel as comfortable as you would like it to be,
Feel free to adjust.
Move around a little,
Maybe stretch a little.
Let's just remove any distracting discomfort.
Settle in.
Maybe cover yourself with a blanket if it's cool in your space.
Our journey today involves bringing our awareness to different parts of our body and then relaxing and releasing any tension we find in that part.
And then we will,
Towards the end of the session,
Use our breath to relax even more.
Let's start with our breath.
Slow the inhale.
Lengthen the exhale.
Nice and gently,
No tension here.
You might even want to release your belly,
Release your facial muscles.
And bring your breath as deep into the belly as you can,
Filling your lungs to about 80%,
And then slowly exhaling that air.
Do that for a few rounds.
And let your breath guide your awareness into your body and its muscles and tissues.
Let's begin our journey.
Bring your attention to the back of your head.
See if you can't relax that area.
Move to the base of your skull.
Can you relax any tension there?
The back of your neck,
Your shoulder blades.
If there's any tension there,
Just let it go.
There's no need to hold on to it.
Let your shoulder blades fall into your support.
Your mid-back,
Where your ribs are.
Notice anything there?
If it's tight or tense,
Let it go.
Bring your awareness to your lower back.
Release any gripping there.
Your glutes.
Relax your glutes and your hips.
Let go of any tension in the back of your thigh,
In your calf muscle,
Your heels.
And bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.
They do a lot of work.
Can you release any tension that your feet or the soles of your feet are carrying?
And your toes.
Relax your toes.
Even maybe give them a little happy wiggle,
If you'd like.
Let's bring your attention to the top of your feet.
Relax any tension or gripping that's happening there.
Relax your ankles.
All the tissues and muscles around your shins and your shin bone.
Relax.
Release any tension that you might be carrying in your knees.
Let them relax.
Your thighs.
Let them release any tension or gripping that they might be carrying.
Bring your attention to that place where your legs attach to your torso.
See if you can't release those muscles.
Bring your attention to your belly as a whole.
Relax.
And then bring your attention to your lower belly.
Is there more opportunity there to let go?
We tend to brace ourselves by using our abdominal muscles.
Let them take the next few minutes off.
Just let them relax.
Bring your attention to that area that's right in the inverted V of your ribs,
The solar plexus.
That's like your main circuit board.
And that is another area that we tend to grip and brace ourselves against the demands of life.
See if you can't let go,
Even just a little,
In that area.
Bring your attention to the large chest muscles in your upper chest,
Right above your heart.
Can you open those muscles?
Let them relax.
And let the heart have a chance to shine.
Let's go to the front of your shoulders and the top of your shoulders.
We carry a lot of attention there.
Let's relax those muscles and let them enjoy a few moments of rest and restoration.
Bring your attention to the back of your arms,
Your upper arm,
Your lower arm,
The top of your hand.
Can you relax all that?
How about the palms of your hands?
They do a lot of work during the day.
Let your palms open up and let your palms relax.
And let your fingers and your thumbs be happy.
And savor the moments of relaxation,
The release of tension.
Let's bring your attention to the inside of your arms,
The lower arm,
The upper arm,
Both sides,
Right and left.
Can you release any tension in your elbows?
Let's take your awareness to the front of your neck.
Relax any tension we carry there.
And go inside,
Relax the throat.
When we constrict our throat,
Our nervous system responds to that in an activated way.
See if you can't release any tension you're carrying in your throat.
Let's move to your facial muscles.
Relax your forehead,
The space between your eyebrows.
See if you can't release tension that sometimes sits around our eye muscles.
Relax your eyes and let them savor this moment of quiet.
Relax your nose,
Your nostrils,
Your cheeks,
The skin around your ears,
The tissues around your ears.
Relax that spot where the upper jaw and the lower jaw come together.
Let the lower jaw relax.
Relax the roof of your mouth,
Your lips,
Your tongue.
Just let it melt into the bottom of your jaw.
And let's think about our skull and our scalp.
Release any tension that you're carrying there.
Let it all go.
There's no need to carry any worry,
Any tension.
You're safe.
Your body is safe.
Let it all go.
Allow your body to rest and to let go and relax.
If your mind wanders off,
That's okay.
Just open your awareness again and bring it back to your body.
Your body laying here,
Reclining here,
Or sitting here.
So relaxed,
So safe,
So secure.
It need not worry about anything.
Let it go.
Let your mind soften too.
And let it be here with your body,
Resting and relaxing.
Allow yourself,
Your mind,
Your body to savor this gift of ease and peace.
Allow your body and your mind be nourished by this stillness.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
Notice its rhythm.
Notice how as you breathe in,
Your body,
Your belly expands.
And as you breathe out,
Your body expands.
Your body relaxes and releases.
Bring your awareness to that rhythm and let the rhythm relax you even more.
As you breathe in,
See if you can sense the oxygen coming in and ultimately moving to your tissues to nourish them,
To nourish your muscles and your tissues.
And as you breathe out,
See if you can't release some more tension or relax your body even more,
Even if it's just a little bit.
Your body is getting all it needs right here in this very moment.
There's no role or no place for tension right now.
So think about nourishment on the inhale and then letting go,
Relaxing even more on the exhale.
With each exhale,
Release even more into whatever is supporting you and your body.
Let gravity be your friend.
Let it be the gentle pressure that reminds you to let go.
With each exhale,
Melt into whatever's supporting you even more,
To the point where your body blends into whatever you're sitting on or laying on.
It just melts even more,
Almost disappears.
And all that is here is your awareness of the bliss of this moment.
If something distracts you,
That's okay.
Notice it and let it go and return to this blissful stillness.
Your body and your mind are awake,
Aware,
Yet still and relaxed.
Savor this moment.
Go ahead and bring your awareness back to your body.
Whether your hands and your toes,
Maybe even your jaw.
Savor the stillness.
Then as slowly as possible,
And I mean really slowly,
Really luxuriate in how slowly you can bring your attention back to your surroundings and how slowly and gently you can open your eyes.
Smile a little bit.
Savor the peace,
Savor the relaxation.
And may the peace you found here today remain with you for the rest of your day.
