Allow yourself to find a comfortable resting position for your body,
Supported by whatever props you need.
Let the shape of your body feel nurtured and supported.
And as you settle into your position,
Get out any last few wriggles and shifts.
Notice how you feel as you sense your body beginning to get heavy and unfold to the mat.
If you feel comfortable closing your eyes,
Do so.
If not,
You can leave them gently open,
Gazing softly.
Begin by practicing tension and relaxation.
By tensing and alternatingly releasing your body's muscles.
So take a deep,
Deep inhale,
And at the top of the inhale,
If it feels comfortable for you,
Hold the breath and make fists with your hands,
Tightening your arm muscles,
Your legs,
Your belly,
Your face,
Your buttocks.
Every muscle in your body.
Hold it tight.
And then exhale and release.
And do this three more times on your own.
In-holding and tensing.
As you inhale,
All the muscles in the body,
The face,
The arms,
The legs,
The buttocks,
The belly,
And then exhale and release.
Two more times on your own.
Just begin to let your body release into the support beneath you.
Visualize now that you are drawing a circle of protective energy around your body.
You can create this circle out of any substance that feels nurturing to you.
Water,
Moonlight,
Protective light,
The energy of love.
Feel as though this circle emanates healing power towards you and you feel cocooned by its presence,
Bathed in the vibration of healing.
Notice that your body is breathing.
Feel your navel moving up as the body inhales and down as the body exhales.
Just notice how the breath is effortless.
Feel the abundance that is available to you through this effortless breathing.
There is nothing you need to do to earn or to receive this breath.
Just be with the breath and watch it flow in and out,
Feeling the navel rising and falling for the next 10 breaths.
Continue to feel the support of the earth beneath you.
Notice all of the places in the body that are connected to the earth.
Feel into the support beneath the body and the layer of support beneath that until you reach the layer of the earth.
Notice how when your body breathes in,
The earth feels as though it is rising up to hold you,
Offering a healing space for you to rest.
As your body exhales,
You soften into the kindness and compassion of the earth.
Continue to feel the support of the earth beneath you.
Notice how when your body breathes in the earth feels as though it is rising up to hold you,
Offering a healing space for you to rest.
As your body exhales you soften into the kindness and compassion of the earth.
Experience unconditional holding,
Nurturing and love.
Body inhales the earth rises.
Body exhales,
Softening in to the support beneath you.
Welcome the permission to receive all of what the Earth has to offer you.
Ten breaths.
You may wish to devote the next three breaths to offering your gratitude back to the earth.
Rest your attention at your forehead,
At the very center of your forehead.
Feel it softening.
The center of your forehead is softening.
Sense your breath penetrating deeply into that space of your forehead as though it is smoothing out and softening any wrinkles on the surface of your skin and even deeper into your mind.
Five breaths.
Begin to move awareness through the body and just feel one breath at each of the following places.
One breath in and out,
Just a natural breath,
Letting go of any controlling or forcing.
Just let the breath be gentle and natural.
Feel the breath now at your third eye point.
At your eyes and eyebrows.
Bridge of your nose.
Cheeks and jaw.
Throat center.
Heart center.
Solar plexus.
Navel centre.
Pelvic center.
Base of your spine.
Hips.
Knees.
Ankles,
Tips of your toes.
Sense three breaths moving in and out from the tips of your toes.
Soles of your feet,
Heels,
Ankles,
Hips.
Base of your spine.
Pelvic center.
Navel center.
Heart center.
Throat centre,
Shoulder joints.
Upper arms.
Elbows,
Wrists.
Fingertips.
Feel three breaths moving in and out from your fingertips.
Elbows,
Shoulders.
Throat centre.
Third eye point.
For it.
For three breaths,
Move in and out of the forehead.
Feel your body being held by the earth.
For the next minute,
Just feel your body being fully supported and held by the earth.
Rest your attention at your third eye point.
Rest at your throat center and feel or sense the presence of a full bright moon.
Resting at your throat center,
Healing moonlight.
Rest awareness at your heart center.
As your attention rests here,
Notice what you feel.
Without judgment,
Just notice.
Is there a lightness,
A heaviness,
Constriction or space?
Feel acceptance rising as you observe whatever you find there and feel your body soften.
Keeping your attention at your heart,
Feel as though you can breathe in and out from the heart space.
Now feel the breath coming in through the heart center.
And going out through the heart center.
As though the spiritual heart center itself was breathing.
Feel the breath guiding you deeper into a place within you that is sacred.
Feel the breath guiding you deeper and deeper inside toward the cave of your heart.
Each breath draws you deeper inside.
See a door to the innermost cave.
Push the door to the cave open.
Inside the cave you see an altar.
Walk toward the altar and take a comfortable seat in front of it.
Notice all of the items on the altar.
There is a single candle flame there.
See its colour,
Its vibrancy.
It is alive.
Take a few moments to connect with this flame,
It's light,
It's warmth,
It's knowing.
This flame is the part of you that knows and knows that it knows.
Ask the flame any question that is in your heart.
Listen carefully for the answer.
Offer thanks to the flame and ask for anything you need in life.
Now be here with the flame.
Keeping your awareness at the heart.
Sit in front of the altar of your heart.
Feel the walls of the cave expand with each out breath.
And contract with each in-breath.
The flame has a gift for you.
Accept this gift and offer your gratitude to the flame.
Offer gratitude to the part of yourself that is free from doubt and the strains of the mind.
Remember that it is always within you.
Now let go of doing and rest with all of your awareness deep in the cave of your heart.
Rest now in this space of timeless presence of wisdom and healing.
As you begin to awaken and deepen your breath.
Imagine this eternal light is guiding you.
It will guide you to take your next breath.
To move in a way that is supportive for you to come out of the practice.
And to either come fully onto your side.
Or into the waking state.
Listen to your inner knowing.
Take your time and be gentle with yourself as you rest in this liminal space in between.
