Welcome to the practice of deep rest.
Find your most favorite,
Most comfortable restorative yoga position.
Or if you can't decide,
A simple starfish shavasana is perfect.
Lying on your back and bringing your hands and your feet,
Your arms and your legs a little bit further away from your body than a usual shavasana.
Use whatever props you have to hand to make sure that your head and neck feel supported.
Maybe adding some elevation to the ankles,
Maybe covering yourself with a blanket.
Feel free to pause this recording at any stage in order to add those little touches.
If you notice candles or essential oils or simply telling your family do not disturb.
Allow yourself now to settle into that position and to commit to being present physically,
Mentally,
Emotionally and spiritually for the duration of our practice.
Notice the sensation of being held by the surface that's supporting you.
Noticing the sensation,
The touch of the fabrics or materials or even the air in the room on your skin.
Allow yourself to feel safe now.
Safe,
Supported and held.
The crown of your head and just above your head,
Where the crown chakra resides.
And consciously allow the space to soften and to energetically open.
Soften and smooth any little frown of concentration from your forehead now and let your temples soften.
Anything that you're holding on to in the face start to melt,
Dissolve,
Drain away as the cheeks soften.
The jaw releases,
The lips just gently part.
Unclench the jaw,
The teeth separate,
The tongue falls away from the roof of the mouth.
The softness comes into the throat and the neck.
The head is supported and relaxed.
The shoulders drop down now,
No need to carry any more weight.
The arms become heavy.
From the shoulders to the tips of the fingers,
Soft,
Heavy,
Relaxed.
Fingers are curling.
There's no gripping or holding on in the hands or anywhere else.
Allow yourself to feel heavy.
Notice again the sensation of being held and how comfortable your spine is right now.
It does not have to hold you up.
It can relax,
It can melt,
It can soften,
It can heal.
The upper back,
The middle back and the lower back right into the hips are comfortable with a delicious heaviness.
The hips dropping down.
The legs start to become heavy too.
The toes just gently pointing away from each other to gently open the hips.
All the muscles in the legs are relaxed right now.
There is no effort anywhere,
Only ease.
The torso is relaxed.
Collarbones wide.
The chest,
The ribs,
The belly might be rising and falling a little or a lot with the breath.
Whatever is happening is happening.
There's no need to make it happen,
No need to force.
No effort,
Only ease.
The whole body is relaxed.
No tension in any muscles.
The whole body is relaxed.
The body feels heavy onto the surface that's supporting it.
And yet at the same time you feel weightless.
So maybe the surface that's supporting you doesn't feel solid and might feel like you're floating now.
Embracing the duality of lightness and heaviness.
The eyelids are so heavy.
The body is relaxed.
So we go deeper into a state of deep rest.
No effort,
Only ease.
And as you breathe,
The body is healing.
The body is relaxed.
The body is getting stronger.
The body is relaxed.
The mind becomes still.
Bringing the awareness back up to where it started,
To the crown and the crown chakra.
And feeling open,
Energetically.
Letting whatever wants to arise in your awareness arise.
Observing with detachment the thoughts that you're having.
The sensations,
The feelings,
The emotions,
The colours,
The pictures.
Welcoming whatever arises with detachment.
Observing the sensations.
Knowing at all times that you are not your thoughts.
Allow yourself this time to just flow.
Floating on a cloud of pure awareness.
And while you might be physically alone in this space,
You are connected.
To everything and everyone and universal consciousness.
The whole body relaxed.
You're about to have the most restorative sleep that you've had in a long time.
Affirm it to yourself.
If you are not settling down for the night and you need to rest,
Finish this meditation and be alert.
Then I invite you to bring some gentle movement into your fingers and toes.
And allow yourself to,
Metaphorically,
Gently float back down to the surface that's supporting you.
Take some gentle moves,
Some gentle stretches.
Yawn,
Sigh.
Do whatever you need to gently bring yourself around.
