This meditation will focus on body awareness.
In yoga,
There is a principle or an idea called proprioception.
And this is the ability to know where our body is in space.
It's called a sixth sense,
Knowing from within where we are.
We're going to invite this idea inwardly as we move through the body and begin to notice what is happening within us.
All the things unseen and yet we can feel them.
Often when we bring awareness to our inner being,
We begin to loosen and to release areas of tightness or stress.
So begin to get settled whether you choose to be seated or to come to lie on your back.
This meditation can also be used before going to bed or anytime you want to spend getting back into your body,
Loosening the grip of the mind.
So start with a few deeper rounds of breath.
And as you take in air through the nostrils down into the lungs,
The belly,
Begin to sense,
To feel what kind of movements happen as you breathe out and breathe in.
Notice all the tiny and big movements that are happening within your body.
And as you take five or six more deep breaths,
I invite you to soften your whole body,
To feel supported whether you're seated or lying down,
So that each new breath can bring about a greater feeling of awareness,
Of rest.
Now begin to shift your attention down to your feet,
Down to the soles,
The bottom of your feet,
To all ten toes.
And feel into not only the muscles,
All the different muscles of the feet,
But the bone structure,
The many joints,
A very often forgotten area of the body.
What kind of sensations are present there now,
If any?
What arises for you when you bring your attention to your feet,
The tops of the feet,
The ankles.
For all the time we spent externally focused,
It really does our body good to take the time to move inwardly,
To see what is there.
Slowly begin to shift your attention to the bottom half of your legs.
Even if you're not fully aware of the bone structure,
What the muscles look like,
Just try to imagine,
Really try to feel what's happening through that part of the body.
How do the muscles feel?
Can you let the structures of the bone feel supported by what's underneath you?
Notice the temperature of your legs.
Is there a sense of real stillness,
Or can you sense a subtle pulsation?
The ever moving,
Ever flowing blood circulation,
And even in our stillness,
There is a flow of energy,
Prana.
Continue up around the knees,
The upper parts of your legs,
Where we find bigger muscles.
The feet,
The legs,
All helping to carry us around through this world.
Up further still,
Through the area of the pelvis,
Pelvic bowl,
Hip joint,
And all the muscles and tendons that support this part of the body.
Breathe life and spaciousness through your pelvic bowl.
How does it feel to send or imagine breathing from this part of your body?
This is the seat of our intuition,
Creativity,
Our inner authority and knowing.
Without trying to change your experience,
What do you notice when you spend some time here?
Can you soften all the muscles of the core?
Take a few more nice full rounds of breath here.
Begin to feel into the wave-like curvature of your spine.
Try to observe in your mind's eye all the tiny muscles that help keep you upright throughout the day.
And as you take your next inhale,
Feel the lower part of your ribcage reach out,
Seemingly in all directions.
Imagine the muscles in between each rib.
As you bring your attention there,
Bring some softness,
A release to the muscles if you can,
An invitation to breathe a little bit deeper.
The body always serving in form and function as the ribs,
The muscles of the core,
Provide protection for the internal organs so our heart can pulse,
So we can breathe.
As you bring your awareness across the front of the chest,
The tops of the shoulders,
Even around and through the armpits,
Is there any where you observe that you can soften and release a bit more as you exhale?
Perhaps without even moving the body,
You observe as the shoulder blades get to soften down your back.
The muscles down along your arms can soften along the bone.
Observe the temperature and any sensation or sense of energetic movement around your hands,
Your palms,
Your fingers.
There is often so much happening within us if we just give ourselves the time.
Time to notice,
Time to slow down,
Time to listen.
Sweep your attention back up the arms,
Around the shoulders,
Around the area of the neck,
Where we can often hold so much unconscious tension and stress.
And whether you are lying down or seated,
Just trust that you have all the support you need to let some of that go as you continue to move around the scalp,
The back of the head.
How does the skin feel across your forehead?
How are your eyes sitting in their sockets?
Bring in a greater sense of release behind the eyes so they can just rest easy.
We invite an energetic shift just to see what happens.
No need to force or pull.
Let the tongue fall down to the bottom of your mouth.
And you can even imagine this feeling of spaciousness within your skull.
Just trust that this time here is in fact healing and restorative,
That we invite our body to do certain things and at the same time let go of expectations.
The invitation to surrender is often enough.
And now as if you could breathe through your entire body,
Take a few more conscious breaths.
Observe your whole space,
Your whole being.
Thank yourself for your awareness during this time.
Thank yourself for your breath,
Your body,
All that it does for you without any energy on your part.
It all happens on its own.
Allow yourself to settle a little deeper into your space.
One last sweet invitation to sink into yourself a little bit more.
Allow yourself to listen,
To be here,
To just see what your body is ready to share and tell you.
