Hello,
Welcome,
Welcome to your practice,
A space to shift into non-doing,
A space of being,
Letting your body unwind,
Allowing your body to really absorb the benefits of deep rest.
There is no rush,
Take your time to find a place of comfort,
Of ease,
A place that will support your practice of deep rest and relaxation.
That might be laying on your bed,
On the couch,
You might have your head supported with a pillow,
A cushion,
Your legs can be lengthened out long or perhaps your knees bent,
Soles of your feet grounding down into the surface that is beneath you.
In our culture of doing,
Achieving,
Performing,
Rushing,
Rest can feel really unfamiliar.
So this is a space to relearn how to rest,
How to reclaim our body's natural state.
There isn't anything to get right,
This is really a chance,
An opportunity to be with yourself,
Allowing what arises to arise and be here,
Using what arises as information about ourselves,
Using this information to get to know yourself just a fraction more.
You might begin by feeling into the space that is all around you,
The space above you,
The space in the room that you're in,
All of the space beneath you that is holding you and supporting you.
What might it be like and feel like to really let your body be supported here,
To soften into the support beneath you.
Maybe you can let your body grow heavy here,
Sinking,
Melting down.
If you could be just a little bit more comfortable here,
Perhaps one or two percent,
What shifts or adjustments would you have to make?
Perhaps gently rolling your neck from side to side,
Nestling down through your shoulders,
Squeezing and separating your fingers and your toes,
Honoring any quiet whispers of your body here to shift.
To find more ease and comfort.
Feeling into the entire weight of your body,
Grounding down,
Surrendering down to the ground.
Taking a moment to really acknowledge what's present just in this moment.
You could observe here how you're breathing without any need or desire or demand to change your breath.
Feeling into how your body is breathing for you,
With you.
This loyal,
This generous breath.
As you feel ready,
Drawing in a breath through your nostrils.
Feeling your belly with air and pausing for a moment at the top.
As you feel ready,
Release your breath slowly out through your mouth,
Maybe with a sigh.
Let's take a few more breaths in this way,
Breathing in through your nostrils.
Feeling your belly with air,
Feeling your belly expand outwards,
Upwards.
Pause for a moment at the top,
Release the breath as you're ready.
So beautiful.
One more in your own time,
With your own breath.
Feeling the movement of the air as it dances around your body,
Nourishing every cell,
Every muscle,
Every bone.
Letting your body soften and grow heavier on your exhale.
Bringing your awareness to your face and the skin across your brow.
Can you invite the skin across your brow to soften and smooth?
Letting any tension drip down,
Melt down your temples.
Feeling your eyelids and the skin,
The space all around your eyes soften.
The skin around your cheeks and your jaw softening,
Letting go.
Allowing your tongue to drop from the roof of your mouth.
In your mouth,
Your jaw might drop open here,
Really allowing any tension from your jaw to release.
Imagining that any tension in your neck is dissolving completely.
Your head growing heavier.
Inviting your shoulders and your upper back to open and release.
Allowing your shoulders to fully relax into the earth.
As you next exhale,
Visualising any tension or stress from your day dissolving completely.
Observing how it feels to relax,
To invite your body to rest.
Knowing that it is perfectly natural and normal to drift off into thought.
Our brains are designed for thinking.
No need to let thinking be a barrier to your rest and relaxation.
You might like to acknowledge what has arisen,
Using it as useful information.
Whenever it feels okay to do so,
Observing the feeling,
The parts of your body meeting the ground,
Meeting the surface that is underneath you.
Letting the sensations of your body meeting the earth capture your attention.
Anchor your attention in your body with your breath in this moment.
Allowing you this space in quiet stillness and reflection to be with yourself.
Some space without the sound of my voice,
Just for the next few minutes.
I'm right here practicing along with you.
Sensing into the weight of your body that's sinking,
Melting down into the surface underneath you.
Becoming aware of the space that is above you.
The space that is all around you.
You might gently blink open your eyes and orient yourself in the space.
Observing what it is that captures your attention.
An object,
A color,
The quality of the light.
Taking a moment to check in with how you feel.
Taking a moment to check in with how your body is breathing.
Breathing in as you stretch your fingers out long.
And exhale as you let your fingers soften and curl back in.
Making some gentle movements with your head and your neck.
Your shoulders waving your spine.
Feeling a sense of being here,
Grounded and present in your body.
You can choose whether to remain resting.
Or perhaps rolling onto one side.
Pressing your way back up into a comfortable seat.
Honoring how you feel.
As always,
I'm so grateful to share this space together.
Sending you warmth,
Care and gratitude.
I hope that we can relax together again really soon.
