Feel free to remain alert or asleep,
Either way something deep inside you will receive exactly what it needs.
Allow yourself to come into a position that feels supported,
Whether lying down on your back,
Reclining in a chair,
Or propped with bolsters or blankets,
There's no one right way to rest.
Let your body know it doesn't need to do anything right now.
Feel the contact points where your body meets the surface,
The back of your head,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Spine,
Legs,
Heels,
There's nothing you need to fix or figure out,
Just notice,
You are here and it's enough.
If at any point during this meditation you feel discomfort or overwhelmed,
Know that you can pause,
Adjust your position,
Open your eyes,
Bring your attention back to the room and to your inner resource,
You're in control,
Take a moment to sense into why you're here today,
Is there an intention,
Maybe to feel grounded,
To rest,
To heal,
Or to simply reconnect with yourself,
Allow an intention to arise from within,
Not from the head,
Something felt,
If nothing comes,
That's okay too,
Just let the intention be to be here now.
Now bring to mind a memory,
Place,
Image,
Or sensation that feels supportive and safe,
It could be a memory from deployment or home,
A favorite nature spot,
An animal,
Or a moment of strength,
Let it arise,
Fill it around you and inside you,
Where do you feel it in the body,
What colors,
Sounds,
Or textures are part of it,
Let this inner resource be a place that you can return to at any point during this practice or in life,
Feel it anchoring you there,
You are not alone,
Let's gently move attention through the body,
There's no need to concentrate or control,
Just noticing,
Begin at the mouth of the nostrils,
Noticing the air moving in and out,
Bring attention now to the eyes,
Jaw,
And tongue,
Roof of the mouth,
Left inner cheek and right inner cheek,
Lips softening,
Move to the throat,
Neck,
And the space behind the neck,
Now the shoulders,
Relaxing down toward gravity,
Fill your arms,
Upper arms,
Elbows,
Forearms,
Hands,
And fingers,
Sensing warmth,
Coolness,
Or pulsing,
Just notice,
Now the chest,
Perhaps noticing the breath rising and falling,
Feel the heart area,
And if it feels right,
Imagine this space softening with each exhale,
Move attention down to the abdomen and belly,
What sensations are here,
Spaciousness,
Holding,
Warmth,
Notice your back,
From upper spine to lower back and tailbone,
Feel the pelvis,
Hips,
And sit bones,
Resting into the surface,
Now the legs,
Thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Ankles,
And feet,
And all 10 toes,
Let the whole body be sensed as one unified field,
Held,
Supported,
Resting,
Now rest attention with the breath,
Not changing it,
Just feeling it,
Let the breath move like a wave,
Inhaling,
Rising,
Exhaling,
Settling,
Let each breath be an anchor now,
You don't need to follow every breath,
Just sensing the rhythm,
Like being rocked gently,
Now,
As it feels comfortable,
We'll explore the opposites of sensation,
Begin by sensing comfort or ease in the body,
Even if it's small,
Maybe warmth in the hands,
Or the support beneath you,
Now shift to sensing discomfort,
Tension,
Or tightness,
Without needing to change it,
Feel it for a few moments,
And then return again to comfort or ease,
Notice that you can move between these opposites at will,
That choice is always available,
You're not stuck,
Now let both sensations be here at once,
Comfort and discomfort,
Side by side,
Notice what it's like to hold them both,
Now let both sensations be here at once,
Comfort and discomfort,
Side by side,
Notice what it's like to hold them both,
Now let both sensations be here at once,
Comfort and discomfort,
Side by side,
Notice what it's like to hold them both,
Now let both sensations be here at once,
Comfort and discomfort,
Side by side,
Notice what it's like to hold them both,
Now let both sensations be here at once,
Comfort and discomfort,
Side by side,
Notice what it's like to hold them both,
Now let both sensations be here at once,
Comfort and discomfort,
Side by side,
Notice what it's like to hold them both,
Can you feel the space in which everything arises,
Body,
Breath,
Sounds,
Emotions,
That background of stillness,
Nothing to do,
Nothing to fix,
Just resting in being,
This is your home,
Begin to return awareness to the body,
The room,
And this moment,
Feel the surface beneath you again,
Wiggle your fingers and toes if you'd like,
Let the breath deepen,
Notice how you feel,
Not needing to change it,
If your eyes were closed,
You may slowly open them,
Perhaps place a hand on the heart and belly,
Fill the inner resource still with you,
Grounded,
Steady,
Aware,
Take with you whatever serves you,
Into the next moment,
The next breath,
The next day,
You are not alone,
You are whole,
And the space of rest is always within reach,
Thank you for your presence.
