Begin by lying down in Shavasana on your back.
Feet about hips distance apart.
Allow the feet to flop open.
Arms away from the body.
Palms face up in receptivity.
Wiggle the shoulder blades underneath the body and a slight tuck of the chin just so that the back of the neck is open.
Making any last adjustments now,
As small as they might be,
So that you won't need to move during the practice.
And then,
Through the nostrils,
Breathe in two sips of air.
And part the lips to allow the exhale to smoothly flow out of the body,
Releasing tension.
Two more rounds.
And then,
Closing down the lips,
Let the belly become open,
Tensionless,
So that the breath becomes effortless.
That involuntary action of the navel rising and falling on its own.
Feel the weight of the body succumbing to gravity,
Becoming heavier each time air exits the body.
Sense the body relaxing,
Letting go into the surface beneath you,
And completely held by the surface beneath you,
So that the body can release its tension fully.
And while feeling supported here,
Allow the body to open to sensation.
A sense of receptivity,
And move your awareness to the center of the eyebrows.
You're awake,
You're breathing,
And your awareness rests in the space between the eyebrows.
Come and notice the tongue,
Soft,
And the throat fully relaxed.
The throat is relaxed.
Shifting your full awareness into all ten toes.
Full awareness in all ten toes.
On the soles of both feet,
Even the heels,
The tops of the feet,
The ankles,
And the shins,
Calf muscles.
Mentally massage both calf muscles.
The knees,
Soft and tensionless.
The thighs,
The buttocks.
The pelvis,
Heavy and relaxed.
The hips.
Lower abdomen.
Navel.
Full abdomen,
And the upper abdomen.
Moving your awareness to your fingertips and thumbs.
Full awareness in the tips of the fingers,
And the thumbs.
You're awake,
You're breathing,
And you're fully aware of your fingertips and thumbs.
Nails of the hands,
And backs of the hands.
The wrists,
Forearms,
Elbows,
And upper arms.
Even the armpits.
Right side of the chest,
And the left side of the chest.
The right collarbone,
And the left collarbone.
And again,
The throat,
Relaxed.
And then the back.
Lower back,
Middle,
And upper back.
The whole spine,
Sense the whole spine,
Tensionless and supported.
The back of the neck,
The back of the head,
And the crown of the head.
The forehead,
Smooth and relaxed.
The eyebrows,
Soft,
And center of the eyebrows,
Open.
All four corners of the eyes,
Relaxed.
Bridge of the nose,
And the nose tip.
Right nostril,
Left nostril.
Both nostrils together.
Upper lip,
And lower lip.
Inside of the mouth,
And again,
The tongue,
Relaxed.
The chin,
The jawbone,
Returning to the throat.
The throat is relaxed.
And then sense the whole body.
The whole body,
The whole body.
The feet,
The legs,
Torso,
The hands,
The arms,
The neck,
And the head.
The whole body,
From the toes to the crown,
Is fully relaxed.
Heavy and resting on the surface beneath you.
The whole body,
Relieved of its tension,
Holding on to nothing in this moment.
Notice that you could witness the body from above,
And observe the body resting here.
The whole body resting.
And without changing anything,
Gently bring your attention to your navel.
Witness the navel rise and fall on its own accord.
Notice that the only part of the body that's moving is the navel,
As the body is being breathed.
Beginning to open the body to sensation again,
And become aware of external sounds.
Become aware of the texture of the fabric that touches your skin.
And begin to add the smallest of movements into your toes,
Fingers,
Ankles,
And wrists.
No movements in the neck.
Taking a deep breath into the nose,
And releasing through the mouth.
Take as long as you need to come back into the space.
Open the body,
Rested and restored.
