Please prepare for the Express Destress Practice.
This is a short guided relaxation practice that is beneficial to do at any time of the day.
It helps to relieve tension from the body and mind allowing you to feel relaxed and refreshed.
Find a quiet location to do this practice,
Preferably a room where you can close the door and will not be disturbed for the next 15 minutes.
Lying down on your back on the floor,
Ensure that you have sufficient comfort and support underneath the body.
I'm placing small support underneath the back of the head if you like.
If you do have a sensitive back then you can also bend your legs and have your feet resting on the floor.
So in the lying position,
Placing the body so that it's comfortable,
Separate the legs a little,
Let the feet be hip width apart and the arms down beside your body.
If you have a watch on or eyeglasses or any restrictive jewellery,
Removing those and check if there is any tight clothing,
Loosen that so that you're completely comfortable.
Make sure the head is centrally placed,
Not falling to one side.
Draw the chin in slightly so there's a little lengthening through the back of the neck.
Make any final adjustments to your position so that you're ready to be still for the remainder of the practice.
As you lie on the floor,
Let your body settle into this position.
Next time you breathe in,
Drawing the air in through your nose,
Taking a deeper breath,
And then as you exhale let go of your day,
Of all the busyness,
All the activity,
All the commitments,
Letting that all go with your breath.
And do that breath three more times.
Allow your whole body to rest down onto the floor.
Let your breath return to a comfortable,
Easy pace.
Scan your awareness through your body,
Noticing if there's any areas of tightness or tension,
That those areas soften.
Particularly around the face,
The eyes,
The jaw,
Release.
Have the eyes and the lips gently pressed together.
Prepare to feel into each part of the body as it's named.
Let your awareness be guided around your body.
There's no physical movement,
Just your awareness and a sense of hearing is active to follow the instructions.
Slowly become aware of the right hand.
Feel into the right hand and let it relax.
And then feel into the right wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Right side of the waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Chin,
Ankle,
And the right foot.
Become aware of each of the parts on the right side of the body.
Let them relax just that little bit more.
Feel into the left hand and the wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Armpit,
Side of the waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Chin,
Ankle,
And the left foot.
And now feel into all the parts on the left side of the body.
Let the left side of the body soften and relax a little bit more.
And come to the back of the body,
Feeling the parts along the back of the body that meet the floor.
Start with the heels,
Both heels.
Feel into the calf muscles,
The back of the thighs,
The buttocks,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Both shoulder blades,
The back of the neck,
The back of the head.
Become aware of all the parts of the body.
Come in contact with the floor.
Feel into the whole back of the body.
Moving on to the front side.
Feel into the forehead,
Eyes,
Cheeks,
Nose,
Mouth,
Jaw,
Throat,
Chest,
Sternum,
Upper abdomen,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis,
Top of the thighs,
Knees,
Shins,
Top of the feet.
And now become aware of the whole front of the body,
From the feet up to the head.
Feel the plane along the front of the body.
And feel into the right side of the body again,
The right side of the body.
Feel into the left side of the body,
Left side of the body,
The back of the body,
And the front of the body.
Feel into the whole body now.
All the parts together,
The right side,
The left side,
The back,
The front.
Feel into the whole body.
Feel into the whole body lying on the floor.
Feel into the whole body lying on the floor.
More settled,
More relaxed.
Change the focus and become aware of the breath as it comes in and out.
Notice the body breathing.
And do this without changing the breathing.
Just notice it in its own natural form.
Feel the breath entering and leaving the body.
Notice the area of the abdomen,
The subtle movement that occurs in the abdomen with the natural breath,
Slight expansion and contraction.
And following the natural breath in the space of the abdomen,
Begin to count the breath from 11 down to 1 in the abdomen.
Check that you're following the practice of counting the breath in the abdomen.
You lose count or 1 is reached and recommence the counting from 11 down to 1.
And finishing the counting,
Whichever count was reached,
Let go of that and come back to the body lying on the floor.
Have an awareness of the whole body lying on the floor in the pose of relaxation.
Feeling the calmness and the quietness in this space.
Become aware of the parts of the body.
Feel into the arms and the legs.
Feel into the trunk of your body.
Feel that your body has a shape,
It has an outline.
Next time you breathe in,
Taking a slightly deeper breath in,
Let your lungs inflate a little bit more,
Let the ribcage expand.
Recalling your position in the room,
Which way you're facing,
Where the door is,
Where the windows are.
And take your awareness outside beyond the room.
Listening to the different sounds around you.
Peering to come back into the day,
Relaxation practice is drawing to an end.
When you're ready,
Come back to your body lying on the floor and slowly begin to introduce movement.
In your own time,
Gradually begin to move your body in whatever way feels nice.
You might like to stretch or yawn,
Give yourself a massage or a hug.
Whatever feels like a nice thing to do.
The relaxation practice is complete.
Rolling onto one side and when you're ready to,
You can open your eyes,
Making your way up into an upright position.
The relaxation practice is complete.
