Welcome.
So to begin,
Just allow yourself to find a comfortable position.
You might sit upright with your feet resting on the ground,
Or lie down if that feels more supportive for you.
And just take a few moments to allow the body to settle.
There is nowhere you need to go and nothing you need to fix.
For these next few minutes,
I'm just going to invite you to simply allow yourself to arrive.
Begin by noticing the breath.
You don't need to change it.
Just notice the gentle rhythm of breathing as it already is.
Air moving in,
Air moving out.
You might notice the breath in the chest,
Or perhaps the belly.
You might notice the subtle movement of the ribcage.
Just allow your breath to be natural.
Now gently bring your attention to the weight of the body,
The feeling of gravity holding you.
Notice the places where your body is supported.
Your feet on the floor,
Your legs resting,
Your back against the chair or the ground.
Allow yourself to feel that support.
Nothing to hold up,
Nothing to carry,
Just resting.
Now begin to scan through the body slowly,
Starting at the top of your head.
Notice any sensations present.
Coolness,
Tingling,
Or perhaps there's very little sensation at all.
Allow your awareness then to move down into the face,
Softening the forehead,
Unclenching the jaw.
Let the tongue rest gently in the mouth.
Now down into the neck and shoulders.
Notice if there's any tightness.
And if there is,
Simply acknowledge it.
No need to force it to change.
Often simply bringing awareness allows the body to soften naturally.
Continue slowly down through the arms,
Into the hands.
Notice the palms,
The fingers.
Now bring awareness to the chest.
Feel the gentle movement of breathing,
The rising and falling.
And the belly,
Perhaps allowing the belly to soften slightly with the exhale.
Nothing forced,
Just a little more space.
And now into the hips and pelvis.
The place where many of us hold tension without realizing.
Allow gravity to do the work here.
Allow the weight of the body to sink down through the thighs,
The knees,
The calves,
All the way to the feet.
And take a moment to feel the entire body now from head to toe.
A living field of sensation.
And you might notice that when attention moves into the body,
The mind naturally becomes quieter.
Not because we forced it,
But because awareness has somewhere else to rest.
Whenever the mind wanders,
Which it naturally will,
Simply guide it back to sensation.
Back to breathing.
Back to the body.
And just rest here for a few moments.
Breathing.
Feeling.
And as we come toward the end of this practice,
Take a slightly deeper breath.
Feel the body once again as a whole.
And notice how even a few minutes of returning to the body can shift the quality of the mind.
When you're ready,
Gently open the eyes and carry this sense of presence with you.
