Welcome to this body scan meditation where the focus and encouragement is on making adjustments.
You don't just simply lay down and instantly become relaxed.
You focus on each area,
One at a time.
Allow for the release of the tension and adjust as needed.
Allow yourself to find a relaxing pace of breath,
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
Allow each breath to be an invitation to relax even more.
Preferably you have found a comfortable lying position but you could also be seated or reclined.
Begin by scrunching your toes,
Give your ankles a roll inward and outward,
Maybe shake your knees or give them a little bend.
Feel your feet fall outward gently,
Relaxing your legs,
Squeeze your glutes and find a gentle pelvis settling into the surface.
Breathe in letting the air fill your belly,
Breathe out letting it go,
Allow your belly to soften.
As you breathe in maybe scrunch your shoulder blades up and as you exhale let them slide down your back,
Nestling your upper back into the surface that you are lying against.
Bend your elbows and squeeze your hands into fists,
Letting them drop and release.
Give your head a turn from left to right,
Returning to the center and relaxing the muscles in your neck.
Allow your tongue and jaw to soften,
Unclench,
Allow your lips to be lightly parted as you and your eyelids release the tension.
Allow your brow to fall,
Let your forehead relax,
If there are any places that you still feel are holding tension or feel uncomfortable,
Adjust.
You can always adjust.
Allowing the body to fully rest helps remove the physical distractions,
Allows you to focus on the present breath,
The present moment.
You don't have to experience anything in life the way that someone else told you to.
That's the beauty of the human experience.
Much like this practice,
You don't have to just go through the body scan one time and expect to be fully relaxed.
As you breathe,
You may find focus and attention repeating from your feet,
Up your legs,
To your chest,
Your back,
Your face.
You are allowed to do this as many times as it takes.
Meet yourself right where you're at.
Don't let your perception of someone else's way make you rush your own process or think that it is not good enough.
Those are not your standards to maintain.
As long as you are trying,
That's all that matters.
Reversing through the body scan,
Starting at the top and working our way down to the feet.
Feel the light touching at the top of your head,
Tingling.
Allow it to move to your forehead and your brow.
Raising your eyebrows,
Letting them fall,
Bringing back some motion around your eyes but maybe not opening them just quite yet.
As the light reaches your nose,
Breathe it in and let it go.
Allow it to brush across your lips.
Move your jaw up and down,
Allowing your lips to remain slightly parted.
Once again,
Give your head a turn to the left and the right,
Allowing your neck muscles to return to center.
Give your shoulders a roll,
Bringing them up toward your ears,
Letting them drop back down and allow them to settle back in comfortably.
You can place your hands on your heart or on your belly as you take your next breath in and out.
You can leave them here or place them back at your sides.
Squeeze your glutes,
Maybe give your pelvis a little tilt forward,
A tilt backward,
Finding a neutral position and settling back into a relaxing place.
Flex your quad muscles,
Feel them squeeze down to your knees,
Release and let them relax.
Give your legs a little shake.
The light is traveling down almost to your feet,
And awakening your ankles as you give them a roll one way and then the other,
Finally ending back at your toes,
Giving them a little scrunch and letting them go.
Allow yourself another deep cleansing breath in.
Notice how good it feels to listen to your own body,
How it feels to let go of others' expectations and just go with the flow.
With what feels right for you in that moment,
Knowing that you have permission to adjust at any time.
Adjusting is not wrong.
It allows your experience to become more full of awareness,
More relaxing and at home.
Just know that this can be true in any meditation that you do,
Whether it be a body scan or otherwise.
Meditation is not meant to be comfortable or silent or mindless.
It is a constant observing,
Observing,
Adjusting,
Releasing.
Your practice will not look like someone else's.
Where someone else might be comfortable,
Maybe you are not.
That's okay.
It is a gift that we get to experience the practice of meditation again and again.
And it is only for ourselves.
There are our own observations,
Adjustments and ways of releasing.
So,
One final breath in.
As you return to the room around you and allow your body to awaken,
You might blink your eyes open now and give yourself an even bigger stretch,
Moving your arms,
Your legs.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I hope you found comfort in knowing that you can adjust whenever you needed to.
I love you.
Sending endless love and divine light.
