Starting by settling into a position that allows ease.
And you might be lying down on your back.
You may be resting on your side.
You could be supported in a chair sitting.
And you may use blankets,
Cushions,
Anything that helps your body feel comfortable and held.
And let this be a practice of kindness.
And as you arrive,
Know that nothing needs to change right now.
Nothing needs to be fixed.
There's nowhere else to go or to get to.
This is a time for resting with what is here.
And if it feels supportive,
You might allow your eyes to close or just soften the gaze.
You can keep your eyes open.
And just noticing that you have arrived.
Noticing the places where your body meets either the ground,
The bed,
The mat,
The chair,
Sensing the support beneath you.
Just feeling how you're being held.
And you may choose to notice the breath moving naturally in and out of the body.
Perhaps the rise and fall of the belly,
The movement of the ribs,
The touch of air in the nostrils.
And if that awareness of the breath is not comfortable today,
You might notice instead another anchor.
It could be the contact of your body with the support beneath it.
The feeling of your hands touching.
Sounds in the room or beyond.
It could be the weight of your body.
Or just the rhythm of time passing.
Whatever feels safest and easiest is what you might want to choose.
And you might take a moment to set a quiet intention for this practice.
It's something that can be very simple.
It could be something like,
I can rest with myself as I am.
Or I do not need to push this moment away.
Or there is room for sensation and room for ease.
Or it could be your own words.
And just let that intention drop softly into awareness.
And we'll begin the rotation of consciousness,
Moving awareness through the body.
There's nothing that needs to change.
Just notice things as they come up.
So bringing awareness to the thumb of the right hand.
The second finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger.
The little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm Elbow upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
The right waste.
The right hip.
The thigh.
Shen.
Calf.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
The second toe.
The third toe.
The fourth toe,
And the little toe.
Switching over to the left.
Starting with the thumb of the left hand.
Second finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpits,
Left waist.
Left hip.
Thigh,
Me.
Shin.
Cough.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Baked dough.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And the little toe.
Moving on to the back of the body.
The right shoulder blade.
The left shoulder blade.
The spine.
Lower back.
Pelvis,
The back of the right leg,
The back of the left leg,
Back of the heels.
And over to the front body.
Crown of the head.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between the brows.
The right eye.
The left eye.
The right cheek,
And the left cheek.
Nose,
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Jaw.
Throws.
Right chest.
Left chest.
The Heart Center.
The upper belly.
The navel,
And the lower belly.
The whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole back body.
And the whole front body.
The head.
And the entire body together.
And you might notice or begin to notice sensation.
Noticing whatever is present in the body right now.
It could be warmth or coolness.
Heaviness or lightness.
They could be tingling or pulsing.
It could be pressure or spaciousness.
Tightness or softness.
Stillness or movement.
Comfort or discomfort.
There could be numbness,
Or there could be vividness.
There's no need to search or label perfectly,
Just sensing.
And if a sensation feels neutral or pleasant,
You might rest your attention there for a few moments.
And if a sensation feels uncomfortable,
You might stay.
Only if it feels manageable.
You might also notice it from a distance.
Or simply soften your attention.
Or even move to another anchor at any time.
You're not trapped with any sensation.
You can change your focus.
And notice too that sensations can change.
We can shift.
Or intensify.
They can fade.
Or move.
They might pause,
And they can return.
Notice if there is a sensation that seems fixed or constant.
It could be an ache,
A tightness,
A buzzing,
Pressure,
Or just emotional heaviness.
It could be that it seems to take up the whole landscape of experience.
And without trying to remove it,
Try to gently widen the lens.
Perhaps sense that that sensation can be noticed within awareness rather than being the whole of the awareness.
And around that sensation there may be other experiences present.
There could be the feeling of clothing on the skin.
A feeling of support from the floor,
Bed,
Or surface beneath you.
There can be also air touching your face.
There could be the sound of something distant,
Like a car or a bird.
There may be warmth in the hands.
There may be a spot or just a place in your body somewhere that feels quiet.
And that sensation may still be there,
But it's no longer the only thing that's here.
You might think of it as a weather pattern that's moving through a white sky.
You're not required to become the sensation.
You're the awareness that can notice the sensation.
But that can also notice space,
Change,
And support.
And we'll explore opposite sensations just in a gentle manner,
Just in your imagination.
There's no need to manufacture strong feelings.
You might sense these sensations physically or just remember them or imagine them.
So feeling heaviness.
Sensing the body dense,
Grounded,
And weighted.
The muscles softening downward.
The bones resting into the support beneath them.
The pull of gravity.
And at the opposite,
You might feel lightness.
Sensing spaciousness,
Buoyancy,
Ease.
It's as though parts of the body are floating unburdened.
Like they're finding a little more room inside.
And next you might feel warmth.
Maybe sunlight on the skin.
Or warm water.
A blanket.
Heat in your hands.
A comforting glow.
And the opposite sensation of coolness.
Fresh air on the cheeks.
Shade on a warm day.
A clear cooling stream.
And next,
Feeling the sensation of firmness.
Stable,
Structured.
Strong edges.
Supported boundaries.
And feeling the opposites of softness.
The jaw easing.
The belly loosening.
The teeth on clenching.
The skin receptive.
Just an overall yielding.
The next feeling effort,
The memory of striving,
Holding,
Bracing and doing.
And quite the contrary,
Ease.
Nothing to carry.
Nothing to prove.
Just letting yourself be supported.
And notice how awareness can hold both opposites.
Heaviness and lightness.
Warmth and coolness.
Firmness and softness.
Effort and ease.
And you are larger than any single state.
And if one opposite feels unavailable today,
That's okay.
Simply notice that one is present.
And imagine if its counterpart also exists somewhere else in a wider field of possibility.
And then let all opposites dissolve.
No need to choose,
No need to hold.
Just resting in what remains.
Simple,
Aware presence.
And then you might bring your awareness back to the natural breath if that feels welcome.
Or you can return to your chosen anchor.
And imagine with each softening moment that the body can be a little less guarded.
Imagine a warm steady light at the center of the chest or the belly.
Quiet and steady.
Then may you rest there.
And you might notice the whole body breathing or resting or just being.
Notice space around the body.
Notice the body within the space.
And you might return to your intention.
I can rest with myself as I am.
There is room for sensation and room for ease.
Rest is possible even now.
And if you'd like to stay here,
Allow yourself to do so.
Otherwise you might start to feel again the support beneath you.
Sense the room around you.
Sounds near and far.
And you might begin to invite small movements,
Wiggling fingers or toes if that feels right.
Maybe rolling the head.
Maybe stretching.
Taking your time.
And may you carry with you the knowing that sensation can be met with presence,
And that rest can exist even in the midst of feeling.
If there was anything at all that was unsettling during this practice,
Please reach out to a trusted person or engage in an activity that feels grounding for you.
And thank you so much for taking the time to take care of yourself today.
Namaste.
