This is Susan Ginsburg with Stop and Breathe,
Full body relaxation.
Please sit or lie down in a comfortable,
Quiet place and gently close your eyes if it's safe for you to do so.
If you're already doing so from a previous exercise,
Now is a good time to make any necessary movements or bodily adjustments to get as comfortable as you possibly can be.
Let's begin by softening your entire face.
Gently roll your shoulders down and away from your ears.
Connect with your breath as you begin to follow your inhalations and your exhalations.
We are now going to travel through our bodies,
Relaxing our parts of our bodies from head to toe.
Let's start first at the very top or the crown of your head.
Feel a sense of opening at the top of your head or simply a relaxation at the top of your head.
Relax your forehead.
Relax your eyebrows.
Relax the space between your eyebrows,
The thinking mind.
Relax your eyes,
Your cheeks,
And your nose.
Feel the breath as it travels in through your nostrils and then feel it as it exits through your nostrils.
Relax your mouth.
Relax your chin.
And then separate your jaw ever so slightly,
Especially if you have a tendency to clench your jaw.
Even allow your tongue to rest.
Let it float in between the upper and the lower palates of your mouth.
Feel a slight smile coming to the outer corners of your lips as your entire face begins to relax.
Take a moment to visualize yourself with a beautiful,
Soft,
And tension-free face.
Relax your neck,
The front,
The sides,
And the back of your neck.
Relax your shoulders,
Releasing any weight they're subconsciously carrying.
Relax your upper arms,
Your lower arms.
Relax your elbows.
Relax your wrists,
Your hands.
Relax your fingers and your fingertips.
Take a breath from the tips of your fingers traveling up your arms and shoulders,
And then exhale,
Relax the center of your chest and the middle of your spine as well.
Inhale fully and deeply into the center of your belly,
Expanding outwards,
And then slowly exhale and relax your belly.
Relax all the internal organs,
Knowing that everything is functioning more efficiently than it was even moments ago,
And trusting in this process that we can't quite see with our eyes.
Relax the middle of your spine.
Relax your lower back.
In and relax your buttocks,
Your pelvic region,
And your hips.
Relax both of your legs,
And just let them feel like they're made of jello,
The muscles no longer gripping the bone as they do when you walk and move,
But letting go and being loose.
Relax your knees,
Your shins.
Relax your calves.
Relax your ankles,
Your feet,
And each of your toes.
Take a breath from the tips of your toes,
Traveling up your entire body,
Touching each and every part with this fresh invigorating energy.
As you come up to the crown or the top of your head,
Feel the breath turn over,
And then begin to exhale and cleanse your body of any toxic thoughts,
Any things you've said that you wish you could take back,
Or anything that just feels like a burden to you.
Exhale it down your body,
Sending what you've released out through your toes,
And then imagine that you're standing on the shore of a beautiful body of water.
Watch the waves that go out from the shore take away that that you have released,
Feeling lighter,
Making room for more fresh invigorating air,
Energy,
To enter your body once again with the next breath.
Inhale once again from the tips of your toes,
All the way up to the very crown of the head.
Touching all parts of your body with this breath,
This vital yet peaceful energy.
As the breath turns over at the crown,
Send with it anything you're holding onto and would like to let go of.
Send it down your body and out through the toes.
Once again,
Picture yourself standing at the shore of that expansive body of water.
Let each wave carry what you have released out deeper and deeper and deeper,
Watching what you have released disintegrate into the vastness of that beautiful body of water.
Getting rid of that energy that might have felt toxic,
Feeling lighter and freer now that you've made room,
Made space for the purest of fresh breath and energy to enter your body with each subsequent breath.
Let your mind be aware of the calm and serene flow of your breath as you continue to breathe in this way.
