Hello and welcome.
It is most relaxing if you do this meditation lying down.
Make sure you're fully supported on a bed,
A couch,
Perhaps laying on the ground.
It can be nice to have some support underneath the knees,
The head and any places where your body is in contact with a hard surface.
Before we begin,
I'd like you to take a moment to notice whether there are any anxious,
Controlling,
Obsessive thoughts going on in your head about the speed or the quality that this relaxation should take place in.
And if you have any expectations of your body,
Just notice them without judging yourself.
And then see if you can ask this part of you,
This part that is trying to protect you,
Trying to tell you how important it is to relax,
If you can ask that part to trust me,
To trust you and to step aside for a moment and allow us to make space for your body to relax at its own pace.
As it is often that if we stop trying to control and open up space for relaxation to happen naturally,
We know and we learn that our body knows how to relax.
Our body knows how to sleep,
To recover.
All we need to do is step aside and allow it to happen at its own pace.
So,
See if you can soften the way you engage with this moment with your body.
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
Open the mouth and sigh out.
Slowly in.
Allow your breath to soften like waves on a shoreline,
Waves rolling in,
Placing your awareness on the soles of your feet,
Notice your heels,
Trust your feet,
Know how to relax,
Just allow them to release into the surface beneath you.
Notice your calves,
Your shins,
Allow them to soften.
Notice your upper legs,
Front and back,
And just allow all those parts of you to release.
Your chest,
Your shoulders,
To release.
Feel a lightness,
Perhaps even a floating with every inhale,
And a letting go,
A heaviness,
A sinking down with every exhale.
Trust your body,
Your body knows how to relax.
Release your shoulders,
Release the back of your neck,
The back of your head,
Release your ears,
Whole body like a cloud of sensations,
Letting the waves of your breath roll over you and through you,
And releasing you to these slow waves.
Stay here for as long as you like.
Thank you for practicing.
