S DeadKit Welcome to this extended Shavasana.
This Shavasana is either intended for you to practice at the end of a yoga session,
However you can indeed practice it also as a stand-alone whenever you feel the need to unwind and relax.
So let's begin by taking a position on a mat,
The floor,
Any comfortable surface where you wish to do this practice.
Get yourself comfortable,
Perhaps using a pillow to support your head,
Maybe throwing a blanket over your body to keep you snug and warm.
Make any minor adjustments to make sure that you're as comfortable as you possibly can be.
Bring your awareness to your feet,
Allowing your ankles and your heels to be free from any tightness and tension.
Just let your feet fold outwards.
Then bring your awareness to your hips and notice whether both of your hips are positioned equally on your mat.
If you're not sure,
You can just lift your hips off the mat for a few moments and bring them back down and this will help to realign the pelvic area and balance your hips on your mat.
Then bring your awareness to your shoulder blades.
Shoulder blades should be tucked in underneath and supporting the back body.
When they're in the right place,
You'll feel your shoulders melting down towards the surface beneath you.
Your heart and chest will be open.
Take a deep breath here and really take in the sensations.
And then move your awareness to the back of your head,
Lengthening the back of your head ever so slightly,
Bringing your chin in towards your chest.
Just enough so that the chin is slightly lower than the forehead.
So now you're in this ultimate position which allows all of your energy centres,
Your chakras,
To be nicely and beautifully aligned.
Starting at the root,
The base of the spine,
All the way up to the crown chakra at the top of your head.
And having your chakras aligned means that the energy is able to flow through your body without any obstacles.
Take a deep breath here and notice how you're feeling at this present moment in time.
It's important to keep your focus on the here and now,
Staying present with each and every moment as it arises.
If your mind at any point begins to wander off to thoughts in the past,
Just become aware of it and invite your breath back.
Keeping your focus on your breath at all times.
As you lay there,
Feel your body becoming heavier,
Sinking into the surface beneath you.
Allow your limbs to feel heavy,
Your muscles to be limp and free from any tension,
Any tightness.
If you feel any signs of stress in your body,
Begin to work with your breath,
Inviting this stress to release on your exhale.
So as you breathe in,
Direct your awareness to the whereabouts of this stress,
This pain or tension.
And as you breathe out consciously,
Visualize this tension being released with your breath.
Do this for as many times as you need to until you feel better.
And as you take your next inhale with your mind's eye,
Visualize the journey of the breath in your body.
Start by noticing the air around your body,
The air touching any part of your body that's not covered.
And as you breathe in,
Feel the breath entering the nostrils.
From the nostrils,
Feel the breath lifting up into the nasal cavities and moving into the throat.
From the throat into the chest,
From the chest into the base of the lungs and beyond.
When it's time to exhale,
Visualize the breath lifting from the base of the lungs into the chest,
From the chest into the throat,
From the throat into the nasal cavities and out of the nostrils.
Keep repeating this process for as many times as you need to.
You can also intensify this experience by becoming aware of the temperature of your breath,
Comparing your inhale to your exhale on the top of your lip.
.
.
Now gently invite your awareness to the muscles in your face.
Soften your forehead,
Your eyes,
The space beneath the eyes,
The eyelids,
Eyelashes and eyebrows.
Relax your temples,
Your cheeks and jaws.
Relax your mouth,
Tongue,
Teeth,
Gums and lips.
Relax the muscles in your nose and your chin.
Then move your awareness to your head and begin to relax the muscles in your scalp,
Your neck and your throat.
Moving down into the shoulders,
Allowing the shoulders to melt into the surface beneath you.
Relaxing the arms,
The hands,
Making sure there are no tension in your fingers.
Bring your awareness to your spine,
Begin to relax the spine from the top all the way down to the coccyx in the base of the spine.
Relax the muscles surrounding the ribs and then move your attention to the front body,
Relaxing the chest and the abdomen,
Inviting a softness into your body.
And move your awareness to your hips,
Relaxing the hips and the buttocks,
Relaxing the thighs,
Knees and calves.
Relax the ankles,
The heels,
The soles of the feet and the toes.
Take another deep breath here,
Noticing how you feel once again,
Allowing the sensations of peace and calmness to vibrate through every cell of your being.
Inhaling and as you breathe in inviting positive attributes into your being.
Exhaling and as you breathe out consciously send away anything that isn't serving you,
Be that physical or emotional.
Keeping your mind focused on your breath,
Body still.
Exhaling and as you breathe out consciously send away anything that isn't serving you,
Be that physical or emotional.
Exhaling and as you breathe out consciously send away anything that isn't serving you,
Be that physical or emotional.
So now it's time to bring your awareness back to your breath,
Back to your body.
Take a deep inhale,
Notice the sense of peacefulness and calmness within.
Feel the relaxation oozing through every cell in your body.
Become aware of your surroundings once again and your body as you gently invite some movement into your hands and your feet by wiggling your toes and your fingers.
You might wish to rotate your wrists and your ankles a few times as well.
Then gently begin to roll your head from side to side ever so gently stretching your neck.
And then when you're next bring your head back to the centre,
Give your body a nice big stretch.
Bring the arms behind you,
Point your toes and contract as many muscles in your body as you can.
And then as you exhale bring your knees into your chest and hug them very closely.
As you hug your knees in towards your chest you can gently begin to rock your body from side to side to massage your lower back,
Your hips.
And then to come up to sitting you can either roll onto your side and push yourself slowly up into Sukhasana,
Easy pose.
Or indeed you may wish to rock along the length of your spine and bring yourself up to a sitting position.
When you come up just bring your hands to your heart centre.
Notice how you feel,
Once again connecting to your body and your breath.
Feeling that relaxation,
That peace,
That calmness within.
Thank you for joining me.
Namaste.
