Thank you for joining me for this music-free meditation.
My name is Renee.
I'm happy to have you here.
I'm here to offer you a space to maybe notice your body.
You are welcome to take any shape you like during this meditation.
You can lie down or sit,
Maybe recline in a chair.
Just choosing a shape where you can fully relax the muscles in your body.
Whatever shape you choose is just fine.
Coming into this space together,
Into our practice,
You might like to notice your breath.
You don't have to change anything about your breath,
But just notice the rise and fall in your chest,
Maybe the expansion in your belly.
Noticing these movements that come naturally as you breathe in and out.
And if you'd like,
You can maybe control your breath a little bit here.
Maybe taking a nice long inhale.
Maybe trying that two more times,
An inhale and an exhale.
And maybe one more time,
An inhale.
So just coming back to your natural breath,
Settling in.
I'm just going to take some time to name different parts of your body.
And if you'd like,
You might just bring your awareness to the parts that I name.
As you bring your awareness to different parts of your body,
You might notice if you're holding on to anything from the day,
Any stress that you feel in your body.
And maybe consider letting that go.
Maybe beginning at the bottom of your feet.
Notice if you're scrunching your toes,
Just allowing the bottom of your feet to soften.
Bringing your awareness to your ankles,
Your ligaments,
Your muscles that move your ankles around.
Just letting those settle in and know that you don't have to use them right now.
Perhaps noticing your calf muscles and just letting those calf muscles soften.
Even the muscles on your shins.
Just letting that lower part of your legs just soften and let go of the day.
You might bring your awareness to your kneecaps.
If you happen to be lying with your feet out straight,
You might notice if you're lifting your kneecaps at all.
Just letting them relax.
Bringing your awareness to the top part of your legs.
Those large muscle groups that you stand on or sit with.
You might just let your hamstrings and your quad muscles,
Just let those muscles soften and let go of the day.
Maybe bringing your awareness to your glutes.
The many muscles that hold our hips and our legs together.
Your lower back.
Just let the space in your body soften.
Sometimes we're not even aware that we're holding those muscles tight on our body.
Just letting everything relax.
Perhaps bringing your awareness to your lower abdomen.
To the middle of your abdomen.
Your oblique muscles.
The middle of your back.
Allow your body to rest.
Maybe bringing your awareness to your chest muscles,
Your upper abs.
Notice if you can make any changes to relax those muscles just a bit more.
As you're ready,
Just bringing your awareness to your shoulders.
Your triceps,
Your biceps.
Not having to hold onto anything here.
Noticing your forearms,
The palms of your hands,
Even your fingers.
No need to pull up your fists.
Maybe just letting them be neutral.
As you're ready,
Bringing your awareness to the base of your neck.
The base of your skull.
Letting all those muscles settle down.
Maybe bringing your awareness to the muscles in your scalp.
Your jaw.
Even your tongue inside your mouth.
Sometimes it can be glued to the roof of your mouth,
Kind of.
And just letting even your tongue settle behind your teeth.
And finally,
Coming to your forehead.
We often carry emotions in our face.
Just letting the day go.
Noticing your eyes even.
The muscles that open and close your eyes.
Just letting all that soften.
Just take a scan fully over your body.
Bringing your awareness to any part of you that maybe needs to let go a little bit more.
And here I'm going to take some time.
Maybe for 30 seconds here.
Bring your thoughts to what your body does for you every day.
Your body is what carries you.
It gives you life.
So just for 30 seconds,
Perhaps bringing gratitude.
Thanking your body for all that it does with its automatic work.
Your heart pumping.
Your lungs breathing.
And on a cellular level,
What happens.
Every single day for us to be.
So with gratitude,
Thinking about that.
Before bringing you back out of this meditation,
I'll go ahead and begin that 30 seconds now.
And if you'd like,
Maybe letting this be an activity to just bring you back into your body.
Maybe you're headed off to bed,
Or maybe even getting back started with the rest of your day.
At whatever time you're joining me on this meditation,
From wherever you are,
I just want to say thank you for coming.
