Hello and welcome.
My name is Keri Bethan.
Today's practice will be a gentle,
Mindful body scan to embody the present moment.
Laying down on your back with your arms gently resting at your side,
Begin to find comfort as you settle into the support beneath you.
Allow yourself to be held as you sink into the floor.
Become aware of your contact with the ground,
And whenever you're ready,
Gently closing your eyes,
Begin to take in a few long,
Deep breaths as deeply as possible.
As you release and let go with each exhale,
Release the day so far,
Releasing stress and worries as you inhale deeply and exhale fully,
Letting go of trying,
Of doing,
And moving gently into being.
Nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
But be.
Let the body relax more and more with each breath,
Finding peace,
And as the natural flow of the breath returns,
Allow your body to begin to settle into stillness as you arrive in this present moment.
This moment is all there is.
This body is the only one you have.
Sometimes we neglect our body in daily life,
So now is the time to come home to your body,
To get to know your body,
To care for and make friends with your body.
As you now begin a mindful scan of your whole body,
Observe your experience without judgment.
Simply notice as the awareness moves.
See if you can try to not direct attention with your eyes,
As this could create tension,
But rather feel into your body as you connect to the sensations within.
Thoughts may naturally arise,
And gently label thinking,
Thinking.
Notice them passing without judging,
Then place the awareness on the breath.
The breath brings you back home to the body,
To the moment,
To yourself,
With the support of your breath.
Return your attention to the sensations of your body.
Return to the quiet of your being,
The quiet within you.
Begin to place your attention at the top of your head.
Feel all of the sensations there,
And allow your head to rest,
Not looking for anything in particular.
Simply notice.
Allow your attention to move down,
As you feel the sensations on the back of the head,
Your ears.
Notice the sensations through the forehead.
Raise the eyebrows,
And soften the brow as you release,
Softening the muscles around the eyes.
Allow the eyes to relax.
Notice your nose,
Cheeks.
Release the jaw,
And release any tension around the mouth,
By bringing a soft,
Gentle smile.
Smiling releases tension.
Feel the energy of the smile bringing kindness to the body,
Coming down now to your neck,
Throat,
Shoulders.
And without judgment,
Notice the sensations here.
If you notice any tension,
Breathe into the shoulders,
Sending your breath here,
And letting go with each exhale,
Releasing all you have been carrying.
As you let your attention slowly move down through your arms,
Hands,
And fingers,
Ensure that they are resting in an easy and effortless way.
You can move your fingers if you need to,
To allow the muscles to relax.
Notice the sensations in your hands,
Palms,
Back of the hands.
Notice the tingling,
Pulsing.
Feel each of your fingers,
And sense the energy moving through your fingers to your thumb.
Attune your awareness to the aliveness of the physical body,
Feeling the life of your body from within.
Place your attention at your chest,
And notice the sensations in this whole area.
Feel the expansion and contraction as you breathe.
And as the awareness rests here,
See if you can feel your heart beating within your chest.
The gentle rhythm.
Connect to the beauty and support within.
Perhaps this is the first time today you pause to acknowledge your heart.
As you embrace your heart with mindfulness,
Send love to your heart for allowing life to be possible.
Your heart has been beating for you and caring for you since before you were born.
As you breathe here,
Allow your heart to soften,
To relax.
Take care of your heart.
Slowly moving your attention down now to your stomach,
And releasing,
Relaxing the belly on each breath.
Taking a moment here to feel the sensations with a soft awareness.
The abdomen rising and falling,
Rising,
Falling.
As you place your awareness on your back,
Take a moment to feel your connection to the ground.
And as you move down through your shoulder blades,
Mid-back,
Lower back,
Feel how you are held.
Feel the strength and support of your spine.
Breathe into all the points of contact,
Pressure.
And continue to let this relaxed awareness sweep through your body as you feel the sensations within the hips,
Down through the legs,
Feeling them from within.
Notice the weight,
The stillness,
As you allow them to rest and just be.
Releasing any remaining tension,
Breath by breath.
And coming down into the feet and toes,
Perhaps wiggling the toes to help them to relax.
And feel all the sensations here.
The temperature.
And coming home now to the whole body.
Feel yourself at peace.
Relax.
If any particular sensations call for deeper attention,
Bring your awareness to them.
Not resisting,
Clinging,
Or pushing anything away.
Continue to simply notice without judgment.
What are the actual sensations arising?
Are they solid or moving?
Pleasant?
Unpleasant?
Neutral?
What happens to the sensations as you hold them in awareness?
Feel the aliveness of your body.
The multitude of sensations dancing within.
And as you rest in stillness,
See now that the body is always moving.
Every moment,
Changing.
And return your awareness to the rhythm of the breath,
Rising and falling.
Deepen your inhales and extend your exhales,
Breathing fully through the body.
Introduce gentle and mindful movement,
Wiggling fingers and toes,
Rolling wrists and ankles.
And as you do,
Notice how it feels for the body to be moving after stillness.
And mindfully,
Gently,
Place your hands at your heart center,
Offering love and gratitude to your body as you honor your practice today.
From my heart to yours,
Thank you.
Namaste.
