Welcome to your practice,
Cultivating the inner resource.
Allow yourself to become as comfortable as possible.
Focus on your exhale as you settle the body,
Letting the in-going breath be natural and emphasize the exhale with a sigh.
Taking a gentle but full belly breath in,
Exhale with a complete open mouth sigh.
Let's do this again.
Deep belly breath in,
Open mouth exhale.
And together again.
Deep belly breath in,
Open mouth exhale.
Let your breath be natural in and out of the nostrils.
And as you continue to breathe,
Breathe.
Notice with the outgoing breath,
All tensions of the body and mind melt and dissolve away.
Gently feel the breath flowing without any need to change it.
Just feeling the breath as a soothing flow.
It flows in with a soothing quality,
Nourishing every cell of your being.
And as it flows out,
You feel a gentle release,
A soothing release.
Continue to breathe like this,
Inhaling,
Feeling soothed and nourished,
And exhale,
Feeling the gentle release,
Muscles,
Bones.
The whole body begins to settle deeper.
Continue breathing in this way.
And as you and as you continue to breathe,
Recognize a part of yourself that is at ease,
Observing the breath,
A part of yourself that is witness to the breath.
The unchanging part of your being,
Always watching at ease.
This part of yourself,
Which is whole and complete,
Nothing can add or take away from it.
This wholeness is all abiding awareness.
This awareness lies within you,
Ever present.
The content of experiences change,
Yet awareness remains as a still,
Silent observer,
Watching with compassion and ease,
With every moment running in the backdrop of all experience.
Now becoming aware of your own awareness,
Consider the self inquiries of your inner resource again.
But this time,
As you recall,
Feel the response arise from the body rather than the mind.
What soothes me?
If it is a person or a place,
Feel how it is experienced as soothing in the body.
Notice how what you identified translates into physical sensation.
Perhaps it is a softening of the belly muscles.
Perhaps your shoulders drop all holding.
Or perhaps there may be a feeling of spacious expansiveness through the chest and an ease to the breath.
Just feel that soothing sensation unfold within you as the breath continues to flow and as the breath continues to flow in its own natural rhythm.
Tune attention naturally into the felt experience of yourself.
Continue your inquiry,
This time asking,
What nourishes me?
Now feel inner nourishment as a physical sensation.
Notice how it feels to be nourished,
And from that nourishment comes an effortless revitalization of your energy.
Welcome feelings of ease and well-being into the body.
Notice,
Perhaps you may feel the small muscles of the face soften.
Perhaps the jaw unhinges,
Releasing any tension in the jaw area.
Perhaps even the breath corresponds with a slower pace,
With the effortless feeling of being at ease.
Now what helps me feel secure?
Recall your answer previous and welcome the sensations of feeling secure in the body right here and now.
Notice its effect on the muscle tone,
The organs,
The spine.
Perhaps you may feel the whole body deepening into a release,
Into the support beneath you.
Continue to breathe in and out,
Feelings of being at ease and secure.
And now a new inquiry.
When do I feel most rested?
What does deep nourishing rest mean for me?
What does it look like?
Perhaps a memory of being deeply rested comes to your consciousness,
Or perhaps the safe,
Secure feeling as as simple as being in a clean,
Comfortable sheets and bedding.
Or perhaps for you,
The sensation of being revitalized after a nice restful vacation,
Or perhaps as simple as feeling rested after a nap.
There are no wrong answers,
Just inquire within.
And as you inquire,
Welcome those restful feelings to come into your body.
And as you continue to breathe,
Welcoming feelings of being rested,
You might even feel the body's intrinsic association with a sigh or a yawn,
A deep going into sensations of rest.
It may even feel deeply familiar,
Personal,
A coming home and a revisiting of a special part of yourself that knows what to do and exactly how to rest.
This exquisite body that does so much.
Take a moment connecting to your heart's center.
Evoke feelings of gratitude for taking time to access these brilliant and intelligent parts of yourself,
Connecting to them whilst also remaining aware of the part of yourself that is watching,
Aware of your inner self,
Your whole self,
Rested,
Nourished,
Secure,
At ease and revitalized.
Know that you can come back into this rested feeling and associations of being secure and at ease in your waking life at any time and any day.
The more you evoke and nourish these feelings within,
The more you can call upon them as a resource to bring ease into your daily life.
Now,
When it feels good,
Begin to notice the space around you.
Take a moment to deepen the breath.
Come back into your waking state,
Feeling renewed and revitalized and centered.
Take your time to emerge and open your eyes.
Your practice is now complete.
