To begin,
Find a comfortable place to be on your mat.
Take a few long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
And with each exhale,
Allow the body to settle a little more comfortably against the earth.
The job of the muscles is over,
And they can relax away from the bones.
The bones can settle deeply into the earth.
Let the breath find a rhythm that's uniquely yours.
And now we'll begin Shavasana,
Where we consciously relax the body,
But the mind stays awake and alert while fully relaxed.
Send conscious relaxation to the soles of the feet and the toes.
The tops of the feet and the ankles relax.
The lower legs and knees relax.
Upper legs,
Hip joints,
And pelvis relax.
Relax the navel,
And above the navel,
The stomach.
Let go of any gripping or tension in the abdominal organs.
Let them settle into the support of the earth.
Relax the contents of the rib cage,
The chest,
The lungs,
And the heart.
Relaxing the areas around the heart,
Relaxing around the experiences of your own heart.
Relax the fingers and the hands.
The wrists and the lower arms relax.
Elbows,
Upper arms,
And shoulder joints relax.
Let the motion of your breathing release your shoulder blades.
As the mid-back and lower back relax.
Let the wide muscles of the back release completely into the earth.
Relax the throat and the pit of the throat relax.
Relax the back of the neck and the base of the skull relax.
The jaw and the hinges of the jaw relax.
Nose and cheeks relax.
Ears and scalp relax.
The eyes grow heavy and fall away from the eyelids.
The tongue goes limp at the bottom of the mouth.
The forehead,
The eyebrows,
And the space between the eyebrows relax.
And now relax the mind as if the mind were a muscle too.
Not feeling attached to any thought that might arise.
Feeling no need to do anything about them at this time.
Letting the past be the past.
Knowing the future is yet to be.
But we are here now in this body in this moment.
The mind is like a deep,
Still lake.
Your thoughts merely the ripples on the surface.
And you sit on the shore,
Observing from a detached point of view.
Training the mind to become a witness.
Diving deeper still.
Searching for the heart,
That center of consciousness.
Resting there and deeply letting go.
Resting in your own true nature.
Resting in your own true nature.
And from that place of peace and stillness deep within,
Let the mind peek out and observe the body.
Begin to notice breath as you deepen your inhale and lengthen your exhale.
Let that breath inhabit the spaces of body.
As if the whole body were breathing in.
As if the whole body were breathing out.
Let it move into every nook and cranny.
Let it inspire some movement in your fingers and toes.
Gently wiggling the fingers and gently wiggling the toes.
Noticing as your conscious mind returns to your body.
And with your next inhale,
Let the left arm come up over the head until the back of the hand touches the floor.
Bend the knees,
Roll onto one side,
And pause.
Taking a few breaths here to reconnect to the activity side of the brain.
Easing your transition from stillness to movement.
When you feel ready,
Use your hands to slowly and carefully return to a seated pose.
Hands return to the heart center.
As we send gratitude out to the universe for this chance to practice together,
Know that the light in you has not gone unnoticed.
Namaste.
