This meditation will help to reset your nervous system.
Take a moment to get comfortable,
Preferably lying on your back.
Make sure you are warm enough.
Gently close your eyes.
Say to yourself,
I'm going to stay aware.
I will acknowledge the thoughts,
Feelings and sensations without attachment and let them go.
I will stay focused.
I will not sleep.
We are going to start by contracting all of the muscles of the body and then releasing.
First,
Tense both your feet,
Curling your toes under.
Then tense your calves,
Your thighs,
Your glutes,
Your core,
Your chest.
Make your hands into fists and squeeze your hands and your whole arms,
Lifting your shoulders to your ears.
Tense all the muscles of your face,
Your eyes,
Your mouth.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Hold for a moment.
And as you exhale,
Release all the muscles in your body,
Opening your hands,
Dropping your shoulders,
Letting your legs feel heavy and sinking into the surface beneath you.
Taking another deep breath in through your nose,
Holding and exhaling all the tension out.
Another slow,
Deep breath in,
Hold and a long breath out through your mouth.
Make any small adjustments that you need to,
Making sure you're as comfortable as possible.
Settling into stillness,
Relaxing your jaw,
Your forehead,
Your eyes.
Notice all the points where your body makes contact with the surface beneath you.
Without straining,
See if you can notice any sounds in the distance.
Then bring your awareness to any sounds in the room that you are in,
The sounds of your slow breath,
Resisting the urge to judge the sounds or label them,
Just listening.
Now let your awareness freely flow through the different parts of your body,
Like a gentle energy moving through your body.
Everywhere it goes,
It soothes,
Gently brushing off tension.
Bringing your awareness to the inside of your mouth,
Your teeth,
Your gums,
Your tongue,
The inside of your cheeks.
Let it flow from the inside to the outside,
Your jaw to your right ear and left ear.
Let it smooth your forehead,
Gently brush your right eyebrow,
Your left eyebrow and the space between them.
Relax your right eye and left eye,
Your cheekbones and your temples,
The top of your head,
The back and front of your neck,
The inside of your throat.
Let your awareness flow through your right collarbone,
Down the right shoulder,
To your upper arm and elbow and forearm and wrist and back of the hand and palm of the hand,
Your right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger.
Feel your whole right arm soothed and relaxed.
Now let your awareness flow through your left collarbone,
Down the left shoulder,
To your of the hand and palm of the hand,
Your left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger.
Feel your whole left arm soothed and relaxed.
Bring your attention to the right big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Fifth,
The sole of your feet,
Your heel,
The top of the foot,
Ankle,
Shin and calf,
Right knee,
Top and back of the thigh,
Right hip,
Right groin,
Right glute.
Travel to your left side,
Bringing your awareness to your left big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Fifth,
Your sole,
Your heel,
The top of your foot,
Ankle,
Shin and calf,
Left knee,
Top and bottom of the thigh,
Left hip,
Left groin,
Left glute.
Move your awareness to your core and relax your lower back,
Your chest,
Your shoulders,
Your whole torso,
Your torso together with your pelvis and legs and arms,
Neck and head and face,
Your whole left side,
Your whole right side,
Your whole body soothed,
Completely relaxed,
Your whole body at ease inside and outside.
Pure awareness of your whole body.
Notice the rhythm of your natural breath,
A calm,
Slow breath,
A gentle inhale of pure awareness,
Lifting your abdomen and your chest,
A long and calming exhale,
Completely relaxed,
Your abdomen and chest lowering down towards your spine.
Come back to your body,
Invite some movement to your fingers and toes,
To your legs and arms,
To your whole body.
When you're ready,
Softly open your eyes,
Slowly inviting back the sense of sight and the outside world.
The practice is now complete.
