Take a moment to find a comfortable laying position,
Feeling the muscles of the face begin to soften,
Letting go of any expression,
Either gently closing the eyes or finding a softer gaze,
Allowing the physical body to settle,
A little heavier against the earth,
Like your body were made out of honey,
Slowly beginning to expand and take up more space,
Feeling the tension start to leave the body,
Soft fingers,
Hands,
Heavy arms,
Soft toes,
Feet,
Heavy legs,
Belly soft,
Shoulders and heavy through the back of the head,
As it rests comfortably against the surface beneath it,
Begin to inhale slowly through the nose,
Open the mouth,
Taking a gentle sigh,
Starting to notice and to listen to the sounds that you can hear around the body,
The sounds in your environment,
Without needing to analyse the sounds or figure them out,
Simply notice a sound,
Let it go and find another,
If the mind gets distracted know that this is ok,
Each time that you notice any thoughts pulling you away,
Simply let them go and return to the sound,
Can you find some smaller sounds that might be hidden behind the larger ones,
Bring the awareness of sound a little closer to your body,
See if you can find the sound of the breath and beginning to notice the qualities of breath,
Slow or fast,
Long or short,
Smooth or ragged,
Again seeking not to judge,
Simply to become aware,
To observe,
Slowing the rate of breath and beginning to find a more rhythmic quality,
Introducing a count of 4,
4 counts in and 4 counts out,
Wherever you are in your current breath cycle,
Simply release,
Smooth,
Slow inhale through the nose,
Smooth,
Slow exhale through the nose,
Beginning now,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Exhale 4,
3,
2,
1,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Exhale 4,
3,
2,
1,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Staying with this count,
Working with the body,
You can reduce or extend,
No force,
Slow,
Steady,
Rhythmic,
Staying with this rhythmic counted breath,
Beginning to visualize the breath like the tide rolling up and down the shore,
With every inhale,
The tide rolls up,
Like breath rolling over the body,
With each exhale,
The tide returns to the sea,
Like breath leaving the body,
Inhale,
The tide rolls up,
Exhale,
The tide rolls away,
The transitions of the tide as it changes direction are too smooth,
Calm and steady,
Creating smooth junctions and transitions between the in and the out breaths,
Calm,
Slow,
Steady,
Staying with this,
If your consciousness shifts away,
Simply bring it back,
Gently,
Releasing the waves,
Releasing the count,
And finding a natural rhythm of breath,
Once again,
Become aware of your surroundings,
The space that you are in,
The sounds that you can hear,
And the sensations that you can feel in the body or on the skin,
The feeling of clothes,
The weight of the body,
Take a moment to acknowledge where you are,
And welcome in a more awakening breath,
In through the nose,
And out through the mouth,
Starting to wiggle through fingers and toes,
Swallowing,
Moistening the lips,
Rocking the head gently from side to side,
Have a big stretch,
Knowing that your meditation has now come to an end.
