As you establish the foundations of your meditation practice,
It is a good idea to have some routines of arrival.
This short practice will give you some experience of arriving in your body and performing a body scan to allow your body to release,
Soften,
Relax as you prepare for meditation.
Perhaps you are sitting.
Notice are your feet flat on the floor?
Is your spine straight?
Where are your hands?
Perhaps place them palm down on your thighs or palms up in an attitude of receiving.
Or perhaps you are comfortable with your hands against your belly or cupped in your lap.
Bring your full attention to your feet right down into your toes.
You might like to wriggle,
Stretch,
Tense and release your toes.
And notice that with a long breath,
A long releasing outward breath,
You can soften,
Release,
Relax your toes.
Notice also your feet.
Soften,
Release,
Relax your feet.
Bring your attention to your lower legs,
Your calves,
Your shins and knees.
And have an intention of softening,
Releasing,
Relaxing,
Letting go.
Notice your thighs and hips and your belly.
And allow that sensation of softening,
Releasing,
Relaxing and letting go.
Bring your full attention to your spine.
Have the sensation of one vertebrae stacked atop the other in perfect balance,
In perfect harmony.
It takes no effort to be in perfect balance.
And notice that your body around your spine softens,
Relaxes,
Releases,
Lets go.
Bring your attention to your chest and to your shoulders.
We often carry a lot of tension in our shoulders.
Perhaps you would like to roll your shoulders,
Pull them back and down and then release them into a natural pose.
And enjoy the sense of softening,
Releasing,
Relaxing and letting go.
Bring your attention to your arms,
Your upper arms,
Lower arms,
Your hands and every finger.
The sense of softening,
Releasing,
Relaxing and letting go.
Bring your attention to your neck and head.
Balanced perfectly atop your spine,
Taking no effort to be in perfect balance.
And allowing that sense of softening,
Relaxing,
Releasing and letting go.
Notice to your jaw.
We often have tension there.
You might like to wriggle your jaw around and then deliberately release,
Soften,
Relax and let go your jaw.
Place your tongue behind your top teeth.
And notice too your eyes and forehead.
Is your brow furrowed?
You might like to stretch your eyes open and squeeze them closed and then relax them into a natural state.
And that will soften and release your brow.
With a long,
Delicious breath.
Sweep your awareness back down from the top of your head,
Right down to your toes again.
Stretching out to your fingertips.
And enjoy the luxurious sensation of arriving fully in your body as you prepare now for your meditation.
