Welcome to this guided deep relaxation meditation.
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down while you listen to this.
It's not recommended to listen while driving.
As you find a comfortable position,
Letting your body settle in,
Relaxing into your seat.
We'll start by taking a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in.
Feeling your lungs to the tippity top and holding for a breath before exhaling slowly.
Let's do that one more time.
Breathing in deeply.
Feeling your lungs.
Pause at the top.
And exhale slowly.
Slowly emptying your lungs.
And return your breath to normal.
Not changing your breath or forcing it anyway.
As you bring your awareness to your breath,
Notice the silence between the in-breath and the out-breath.
That one moment of peace,
Stillness and quiet.
As you breathe,
Find one aspect of your breath to focus it on.
Maybe the temperature of the cool air as it comes in through your nose.
The warmth of the breath as it leaves.
Maybe the feel of the air traveling from your nose down to your lungs.
Maybe you notice the expansion of your lungs and your chest,
The rise of your abdomen.
Focus in on that one aspect of your breath.
As a resting place to bring your attention once you've noticed that it's wandered.
Your mind will wander.
Once you notice your attention is elsewhere,
Planning,
Remembering,
Judging,
Thinking.
Just acknowledge it and bring your awareness back to your breath,
To your body,
And to the present moment.
Noticing the different areas of your body where we hold tension because of stress.
Let's see if you have room to release that tension as you sink deeper into your seat.
Noticing behind your eyes there's a tightness or pressure,
Releasing the tension strained with strong emotions.
Your jaw that clenches in stress or fear or anger,
Relaxing any hold that still remains.
Your shoulders that tighten with all the emotions you carry,
Soften them as you release.
Your chest,
Heart,
And lungs visualize the tightness unraveling,
Releasing,
Relaxing.
Allow a smile to emanate out from your heart as it washes over you and lands on your face.
Your lips curling up slightly,
Cheeks pulling in and up just a bit.
Releasing any tension you're holding in your stomach from your solar plexus down through your intestines.
No need to hold on here right now.
Now relaxing your hips,
Your butt,
Your thighs.
Common area for us to hold tension when we're stressed.
As you breathe out,
Say to your hips,
Relax.
Now give your whole body a scan from head to toe as you say to yourself,
Soften.
If you feel any lingering pangs of emotional tension,
Dis-ease,
Nervousness,
Fear,
Apprehension,
Repeat to yourself,
I am safe.
Bringing your attention back to your breath.
Focusing in on that one aspect of your breath as a resting place to bring your attention once you've noticed it wandered.
See yourself relaxing by a beautiful calm lake.
The breeze softly blows over the lake and you watch the thousands of tiny ripples it creates on the surface.
Your surroundings here are so calm and pleasant that it brings a feeling of complete peace.
This calm feeling washes over your entire body and mind.
Breathe in deeply and allow the peacefulness to fill you.
You notice the birds singing in the trees,
Softly chirping and singing songs of their simple happiness.
Take the time now to release any worries,
Any disturbing thoughts,
Any sadness you may be feeling.
Let those feelings float up,
Out and away,
Floating far away for this moment.
Whatever that has happened today that has bothered you,
Now is the time to let that go.
Know that you are really in control of your mind and your body.
You can choose to allow these bothersome emotions to leave.
In doing so,
You'll free up space in your heart and mind for positive things to come.
Bringing your attention back to your breath.
Focusing in on one aspect of your breath as a resting place to bring your attention once you've noticed it wandered.
Look for that silence in between your breaths.
Continue breathing as long as you need.
