This is the lying down movement sequence from the mindfulness based stress reduction course.
So beginning by finding a comfortable place,
Perhaps with a mat underneath you,
A space where you can lie down on your back and just allowing your legs to lie straight out in front of you,
Your arms by your side,
The back of your hands resting on the mat beneath you.
And during this practice,
We'll be tuning in to the sensations in our body as we move through a sequence of simple stretches and positions.
But allowing yourself to make choices within the practice which best nourish and take care of yourself,
Which may include not doing a particular movement or stretch.
Just remembering that you know the wisdom of your own body the best.
And if you find yourself in a position where there is pain,
There is discomfort,
Listening to the guidance but also paying attention to your own body,
Seeing if it's possible to sense into your own limitations and the boundaries of your own body.
Noticing what is there with a precision and a sense of kindly awareness.
Observing those edges,
Asking yourself perhaps the qualities that you find there.
Seeing if it's possible to notice if your mind is reacting or responding.
But all the time,
Encouraging these safe limits,
Listening to your body today in this moment and making choices which best nourish and nurture you.
Knowing that at any point in time,
You can always come back to this position,
Come back to lying flat on your back.
And if anyone stretches too much,
Perhaps exploring how it would feel simply to rest in stillness and visualising perhaps the stretch instead.
Returning to the anchor of your breathing.
Breathing now,
Your own breathing in your body.
Sensing into the rhythm of your breath,
To the movements perhaps of your chest,
Your abdomen rising and falling.
Breathing in,
Just allowing your attention to rest here with your breathing.
And breathing out,
Sinking deeper into the mat,
Into the floor.
Releasing down,
Letting go.
And arriving.
As we breathe in,
Drawing your arms up behind your head,
Resting them back down on the mat.
And stretching here from the tips of your fingers all the way down your body to the tips of your toes.
Tuning in to your body,
Sensing the sensations of this stretch.
Seeing maybe the feel of the stretch in your arms,
In your shoulders.
Seeing if it's possible just to rest your awareness here.
Breathing in,
Stretching deeper and breathing out,
Drawing your arms back down.
Releasing,
Letting go.
What can be sensed in your arms right now?
Drawing your arms now out parallel to your body,
Stretching from one side to the other,
Creating almost a letter T with your arms.
Bringing your feet up underneath your knees so that the soles of your feet are resting on the mat.
Breathing in now,
Pressing your lower back against the floor.
Breathing out,
Arching your lower back,
Using the muscles of your pelvis,
Your hips,
Supporting you in this gentle rocking.
Moving through,
Pressing down onto the mat and releasing up,
Creating space.
Using this arch of your lower back,
Seeing if it's possible in your own time just to tune in to this gentle rocking of your pelvis,
To the changing shape beneath the small of your back.
Coming to a resting neutral space now.
As we breathe in,
With both legs bent,
Bring your knees up to your chest,
Tucking them in tightly towards your chest,
Allowing your arms to hold just below the knees,
Maybe holding at the wrists or the forearms.
Creating a comfortable position where you can rest here,
Your knees tucking in to your chest.
Observing maybe a changing nature in your breathing.
Not needing it to be anyway,
Just noticing how it is.
As you stretch here,
You might like to experiment with bringing your head and your shoulders up off the mat towards your knees,
Drawing your body in closer and holding this stretch just for as long as feels okay for you.
Listening always to the inner wisdom of your own body and releasing back down towards the mat,
Your legs flat on the floor once again,
Your arms by your side.
Breathing in now,
Bringing just your right knee up towards your chest,
Holding it just underneath the knee,
Your left leg stretched out straight on the mat and your right knee drawing in towards your chest.
Breathing here,
Guiding your attention as best as you can to observing the sensations here.
Once again you might like to explore with bringing your head and your shoulders up from the mat,
Drawing them in towards your knee.
Once again listening to your own body,
Allowing it to be your guide.
If you haven't already,
Just releasing your right leg down to the mat and bringing your left knee up now towards your chest,
Not trying to achieve anything at all.
Just resting into this stretch as best as you can,
Becoming as curious as you can about the sensations across your legs,
The feeling of your right leg as it rests down on the mat and of your left knee,
The point of contact with your hands around the leg.
And becoming curious as well about any sensations of stretch or pulling across your neck,
Your shoulders.
Drawing these edges with simple curiosity,
What is here in this moment?
If there is discomfort,
How is this showing up?
Gently now releasing your leg down to the mat and coming back to neutral stillness,
Your arms by your side.
Your feet just gently falling to the sides.
Noting any sensations in your body here.
Being curious perhaps about areas of your body where there's a warmth,
Feeling of activation having moved a little.
Noting these points of contact with the mat,
The places where your body is supported.
And holding your awareness with your body,
Moving now,
Becoming curious even about how we move,
Moving now so that we come to all fours.
Your hands resting on the mat underneath you,
Your knees just hips width apart with your lower legs straight out behind you.
Just taking a moment to rest here in this new position,
Feeling into the shape of your body.
Noting the weight of your hands on the mat,
Perhaps making any adjustments that you need to make.
Using your own practice as best as you can.
Breathing in now,
Arching your back up towards the ceiling,
Allowing your head to fall down between your shoulders.
Reaching your back towards the ceiling,
Rolling your shoulders.
Breathing out now,
Arching down,
Bringing your head up towards the ceiling,
Allowing your gaze to look up.
Feeling into that stretch across your back,
Your shoulders,
Feeling into the weight of your body on your hands and your knees.
Breathing in,
Arching your back up again,
Rolling down with your shoulders and your head.
And moving through these two complimentary stretches in your own time now.
Exploring the rhythm of your breathing as you move through the stretches.
Taking care at all times to listen to yourself,
To listen to your body.
Returning to stillness,
Returning to the anchor of your breathing,
If that's what you need in this moment.
Coming now to stillness.
Still with your hands and knees on the mat,
Still on all fours.
And gently now beginning to lift your left arm off the mat,
Stretching it out in front of you and if it's possible for you at this time,
Raising your right leg as well from the mat,
Stretching the toes on your right foot behind you.
Balancing now with your left arm in front of you and your right leg behind you.
Breathing across your body.
Listening to your own inner wisdom as when it's best to come back to all fours,
To release your arm down,
Release your leg down.
Feel into the weight of your body.
And breathing in now,
We're going to turn our attention to stretching our right arm out in front of us,
Lifting the left leg and stretching it behind us.
And noticing if there's any sense of competition with yourself or with others.
Notice about any sense of striving,
Achievement or perhaps of giving up.
Seeing if it's possible to observe these responses and to tune back in for the sensation of your body in this stretch.
Your right fingertips stretching forwards,
Your left leg stretching back.
And moving with a sense of purpose,
Coming back down now to all fours and returning to the mat so that your back is once again lying on the mat.
Bringing the soles of your feet just underneath your knees,
Stretching your arms back behind your head,
Resting them on the mat.
And breathing in,
Just lifting your hips,
Lifting your bottom so that the whole of your bottom now is off the mat.
Sensing the weight of this on your shoulders,
On your upper back,
On the weight of your hands,
On the floor behind you.
Sensing into this stretch across the whole of your back.
And once again,
If there's any pain or difficulty here,
Just making choices within the practice to take care of yourself,
Which might include just coming to stillness and visualising,
Moving through the postures rather than practising them.
But releasing back down now towards the mat,
Your bottom once again on the mat.
And bringing your hands behind your head,
Cradling the back of your head.
And bringing your knees together,
We're just going to let them fall gently to the right side of your body.
And they may or may not reach the floor.
But allowing your knees now to fall to the right hand side of your body.
And if it feels okay,
Gently turning your head towards the left,
Allowing for a gentle twisting sensation here.
Tuning in to this twisting,
Noting perhaps where it shows up for you most strongly in your body.
And in your own time,
Bringing your knees back up to centre,
Resting here for a moment.
And then allowing them to fall gently to the left hand side of your body and turning your head towards the right.
Moving with kindly curiosity for whatever is showing up for you here.
Not trying to achieve anything at all.
Breathing in,
Bringing your knees back up to centre,
Your head coming back.
And bringing your arms now down by your sides.
And straightening the muscles in your right leg now,
Keeping your left leg bent with the sole of your foot on the mat,
Drawing your straight and right leg up,
Seeing if it's possible to find that edge,
To find a place of comfort.
Starting here with your right leg pointed straight up.
You might like to support yourself by holding onto your right leg,
Perhaps holding at the back of the thigh,
Drawing it in towards your head,
Seeing if it feels okay to bring your head and your shoulders up off the mat,
Drawing them in towards your knee.
Just exploring the sensations here.
There's nothing that needs to be achieved.
Even noticing any edges,
A sense of needing to be,
A sense of striving.
Perhaps playing with the possibility of moving your foot,
Gentle circles,
Engaging your ankle,
Pointing the toes of your right foot up towards the ceiling,
From side to side,
Resting in awareness and the sensations in your right leg now.
Keeping your attention here in your right leg as we gently lower down towards the mat,
Bringing the sole of your right foot to the mat and stretching out your left leg now,
Leaning gently to lift it up towards the ceiling.
Once again,
Perhaps supporting yourself in this by holding behind your left leg,
Drawing it in towards you,
Not forcing this movement in any way,
Simply accepting your body wherever it is,
However it is.
Breathing in to this stretch.
Breathing out now,
Releasing gently down,
Stretching out both your legs,
Resting your hands by your side and simply pausing here for a moment,
Tuning in to the effects of the movement and what can be sensed in the body right now.
Next we're going to just gently roll onto our right side,
Resting your head in the palm of your right hand,
Your upper arm and elbow on the mat,
Supporting yourself with your left hand,
Palm down on the mat in front of your chest and keeping your right leg straight on the floor,
Just lifting up your left leg now,
Just as far as it will go,
Keeping it straight if possible,
Seeing if it's possible just to lift it a little bit higher,
Observing what happens within you and releasing your left leg down and moving on to your left side,
Supporting your head with your left hand now and with both legs straight keeping your left leg on the mat and drawing your right leg up,
Stretching across your upper legs,
Your groin,
Observing the sensations at your hip,
Your waist and once again listening to your own body for when it's best to release your leg down and turning gently over now onto your stomach,
Allowing your head just to fall to one side,
The back of the mat against your cheek,
Your forehead,
The back of your hands resting on the mat,
Tuning in to your breathing here and turning your head now so the chin is resting on the mat and with both legs straight behind you,
Gently lifting your left leg up towards the ceiling,
Tuning in to any sensations of difficulty and seeing how it is to simply rest with them,
To rest with the qualities of the sensation here and letting go,
Bringing your left leg down,
Breathing in,
Bringing your right leg up towards the ceiling,
Observing the moments of striving or competition with yourself as we rest in this stretch now,
Your right leg up towards the ceiling and releasing down,
Taking a moment just to rest here and tune in to the effects of this movement and on your next in-breath keeping both legs together and gently lifting them off the mat just as far as they can go,
Listening to the limitations and boundaries of your own body,
Looking deeply into whatever is here for you now in this moment,
Not needing to push beyond anything,
Seeing whatever is here for you in this moment and breathing out,
Releasing down towards the mat if you haven't already done so and transitioning now,
Coming to resting with your back on the mat,
The back of your head on the floor,
Your legs straight out resting on the mat,
Your feet gently falling to the side,
Your arms resting by the side of your body and simply tuning in,
Sensing your own body here,
Drawing your attention to your breathing,
Noticing what is precisely here for you in your body,
What is showing up for you now as we come to the end of our movement practice.
Perhaps there are certain places in your body which are showing up for you most strongly,
Sensations maybe of tension,
Of tightness,
Of warmth,
Tingling as we've activated our body or perhaps observing the places where the muscles are letting go,
Releasing,
Returning your attention now to your breathing,
Observing your breath as you lie here resting in stillness,
Resting your attention on this soothing and nurturing rhythm of your own breath until you hear the sound of the bell.
