Hello and welcome.
My name is Sandra Menzies.
I'm a yoga teacher,
Massage therapist.
And life coach.
I spent a lot of my time with bodies that have been living for a long time.
It's a body scan with a special focus on your joints.
The places where your body bends,
Turns,
And carries you through your day.
You don't need any experience.
You can sit in a chair,
Lie down,
Recline.
Whatever is most comfortable for you right now.
If at any time something doesn't feel right,
Skip it.
You are the expert on your body.
Let's arrive,
Allowing your body to settle.
Feeling whatever is underneath you,
Whether it's the chair,
A couch,
Or bed,
The floor.
Letting it hold you.
If it feels okay,
Letting your eyes close or softening your gaze.
Taking a breath in through your nose and letting it out softly.
Breathing in.
.
.
And breathing out.
Now letting your breath find its own rhythm.
There's nothing to fix,
Nothing to do,
But be here right now.
Before we begin,
I'd like to offer an idea.
Your joints are the couplers of your body,
The connections between one part and the next.
They have been bending and holding and carrying you for every day of your life.
Some of them may be feeling easy today.
But some might feel stiff,
Achy,
Or tired.
All that is,
Is welcome here.
We're not scanning for problems.
We're visiting.
The way you might visit an old friend.
With curiosity,
Compassion,
And kindness.
Bringing your attention to your hands.
Notice the fingers,
The knuckles.
The palms.
What's here?
Warmth or coolness.
Tingling or stiffness.
Maybe nothing at all.
Just notice.
If you'd like,
Gently curl your fingers in and slowly open them.
Once.
Twice.
Only as much as feels good for you.
Now moving your awareness to your wrists.
These small joints let you write,
Cook,
Hold a hand,
Open a door.
You might silently say,
Thank you.
All your wrists do for you.
Letting your attention travel up your forearms to your elbows.
Just noticing how they're resting.
Moving your attention up to your shoulders.
Shoulders often carry more than their share of tension,
Worry,
Responsibility,
And bags.
On your next breath out.
See if you can let your shoulders soften,
Even a tiny bit.
If your shoulders don't want to let go.
That's okay.
Simply notice without asking them to be different.
Now moving your awareness to your neck.
Top of your spine.
Holding your head up all day long.
If it feels comfortable,
Letting your chin dip slightly and then returning to center.
Small and slow,
Just noticing.
Moving your awareness to your jaw.
Is it clenched?
Can your teeth move apart just a little?
Allowing your tongue to rest softly within your mouth.
Bringing your awareness to your spine from the base of your skull down between your shoulder blades through the middle of your back.
To your low back.
Your spine is a chain of small joints working together.
Noticing where you feel supported and where you feel effort.
Breathing in,
Imagining a little bit more space between each joint of each vertebrae.
And as you breathe out,
Letting your back.
Rest.
Settle.
Now moving your awareness to your hips.
Deep,
Strong joints that connect your upper body to your lower body.
Your hilps help you stand,
Walk,
Climb,
Sit,
And rise from a chair countless times in a day.
You Whatever you notice here,
Ease or tightness or discomfort.
Breathe toward it gently.
The way you rest a warm hand on a friend's back.
Letting your attention drift down your thighs to your knees.
Our knees often hold our stories,
The falls,
The kneeling,
The miles moved.
You don't need to fix anything.
Just say hello.
I see you.
Thank you for all you've done.
If it feels good for you,
Gently straighten and bend one knee.
Than the other.
Or simply imagine.
Your knees moving.
Your legs extending.
Imagining is also a way of paying attention.
You Now moving your awareness to your ankles and your feet,
The foundations that has carried you this whole time.
If you'd like,
Slowly circle your ankles,
First in one direction.
And then in the other.
You might consider pausing the ankles and wiggling your toes.
Scaling the soles of your feet.
If they're touching the floor.
Noticing the contact.
If you have socks on,
You might feel the socks connected to the base of your feet.
This is your ground.
Now let your awareness widen to include your whole body.
Every joint from your fingertips to the top of your head.
Down your spine.
All the way to your toes.
Feel every single joint all at once.
This body has carried you every day of your life.
And it continues to carry you right now.
Offering him one simple phrase,
Either silently or out loud.
Thank you for caring me.
I'm listening.
Begin to bring a little movement back into your body,
Each joint.
Stretching your fingers,
Rolling your shoulders,
Letting your spine sway from side to side.
You can even extend your arms over your head and stretching your feet out in front of you.
Continue to take fuller,
Deeper breaths.
When you're ready,
Opening your eyes,
Focusing on the details around you,
Noticing the edges of the room as they connect with your ceiling.
Maybe there's a window you can look out and notice what you see.
As you move through the rest of your day.
See if you can treat your body.
The way you did just now.
With attention.
Compassion.
And kindness.
Thank you for practicing with me.
My name is Sandra Menzies.
Be well.
