A warm welcome to you.
My name is Fleur Chambers and as always,
It's my pleasure to spend this time with you.
This practice offers you the opportunity for deep relaxation and release of physical,
Mental and emotional tension.
You can listen to this meditation anytime you feel stressed,
Out of balance or in need of a deep nervous system reset.
Enjoy.
So please,
Settling into your preferred position today,
Perhaps sitting up with your back supported or lying down,
Closing down your eyes if it pleases you and allowing your focus to land on your breath.
As always,
Our breath is an entry point into our physical bodies and the present moment.
In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh,
Breathing in,
I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know that I am breathing out.
Life can feel complicated,
With endless responsibilities,
Commitments and pressures.
But here in this moment,
All you need to do is be present for your breath,
Really noticing the quality of your inhale,
Noticing the feel of your exhale,
Being aware of the rise and fall of your chest,
The expansion and contraction of your belly.
And can you allow this awareness of your breath to be enough to hold you in this moment?
As you settle into your practice,
Just being honest with yourself as you inquire,
How has my nervous system been feeling lately?
On edge,
Revved up,
Humming,
Relaxed,
Balanced,
At ease,
No right or wrong,
Just noticing,
Curiosity deepening as you inquire,
What clues does my nervous system give me about how it's feeling?
Does my nervous system speak to me in tension or tightness?
Does my posture shift?
Does my nervous system communicate with me via the thoughts I have or the emotions that run through me?
For the next few minutes,
We're going to practice a deeply grounding breath technique called box or square breathing.
It involves breathing in for four counts,
Holding for four counts,
Breathing out for four counts,
And holding again for four.
Let's try it together for a few rounds.
Don't worry about getting it exactly right.
Just try your best.
Inhaling for 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold for 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale for 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold for 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale for 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale for 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
I'll leave you for a minute to continue on your own.
Allowing your breath to return to its natural rhythm,
Nervous system moving into rest and digest.
Deepening this experience of ease by intentionally relaxing your body now,
Beginning with the area above your eyes and your temples,
The places we store so much busyness,
Our mental to-do lists and our responsibilities.
Really softening all the muscles in and around your eyes and your temples,
Eyelashes,
Eyeballs,
Eyelids,
All softening the small muscles within your cheeks,
These muscles working all day as you talk,
Express yourself and project a certain image out into the world.
Here in this moment,
Your cheek muscles are softening and noticing how this naturally changes the position and feel of your jaw,
A gentle space forming between your upper and lower teeth,
Tongue gently touching the back of your front teeth,
Sensing now how your entire face is at ease.
Now tracing your awareness down your spine,
Imagining that every vertebrae is relaxing,
One by one,
Each vertebrae letting go of tension.
Now picturing the muscles,
Tissues and ligaments that come from your spine and extend out into your back,
All of these relaxing,
Upper back relaxing,
Mid back relaxing,
Lower back relaxing,
Awareness moving to your front body,
Imagining your lung breathing in sync,
Expanding and contracting in perfect timing,
Relaxed and at ease,
Your heart beating to its own rhythm but also to the rhythm of the universe,
Your heart safe and sound within your chest,
Your rib cage protecting your heart and lungs all day every day,
Allowing your rib cage to spread and soften,
Long smooth inhale,
Long smooth exhale,
Entire front body softening,
Inviting breath deep into your belly now,
Allowing this breath to feel soothing,
To soften any fears or worries that may have found home deep within your belly,
Hips and pelvis heavy,
Feeling safe in the support of the earth below,
Legs heavy,
Thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Shins,
Ankles,
All becoming heavy and relaxed,
Feet,
Balls of feet,
Heels,
The space under the arch of your foot too,
All relaxing,
All ten toes,
Even the space between the toes is softening,
Inviting this sense of softening to travel down your arms,
Reaching your elbows,
Forearms,
All the small bones within your wrists and hands,
A sense of relaxation greeting all ten fingers,
Greeting the space between your fingers also,
When we allow our entire body to relax,
We create the conditions for inner balance,
Healing and insight,
Inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling through the mouth,
Inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling through the mouth,
Making a sigh if that feels good for you,
A real letting go,
A letting go of tension within your body,
Clutter and confusion within your mind,
Stale emotions within your heart,
As you trust in this process of letting go,
Repeating silently in your mind,
I let go of things I understand and things I don't understand,
I let go of things I can see and things I cannot see,
I trust in my ability to let go,
With each long smooth exhale,
Your body is returning to its natural state of balance and harmony,
It feels good to come home,
Right and left hemisphere of the brain are balanced and equilibrium across your left and right shoulder,
Hips,
Knees,
Can you feel them all returning to a state of inner balance,
Your nervous system,
Your immune system,
Your skeletal system and digestive system,
All healing,
All recalibrating in this moment,
Every cell in your body healing,
Creating a new baseline of relaxation,
Peace and ease,
Can you allow this moment to feel like a gift,
An opportunity for you to give your body a moment of healing,
A way to return to wholeness,
Trusting that this moment will create positive ripples in your day,
Breathing in,
I know that I am breathing in,
Breathing out,
I know that I am breathing out and we thank our breath for guiding us home,
You might like to take a nice big stretch if you like or perhaps you are ready to drift off to sleep,
Whatever is next for you,
May it feel relaxed and easy.
