This recording is intended to be used to assist you in relaxing the body in preparation for meditation.
It is not to be used while driving or operating heavy machinery.
Find a place that is quiet and free from distractions.
Situate your body in a way that will allow you to relax.
If you are just beginning your meditation journey,
You may choose to lie on your back on the floor.
Allow your arms to rotate outward,
Palms facing up to deepen the relaxation response.
Separate the legs away from each other and soften into the space.
If you are more advanced in your meditation practice and choose to be seated,
Be sure to find a position that is comfortable and will allow you to stay there for some time.
You may choose to sit in a chair or leaning against a wall.
Placing a pillow or cushion under the sits bones will help to straighten the spine.
If the knees are lifted from the floor while seated,
Put some cushion or a pillow under the knees as well.
Once you have settled into your space and you know that you are safe,
Go ahead and close the eyes.
Scan the physical body beginning with the head.
Relax and soften the scalp.
Relax the forehead.
Soften the nose and cheeks.
Release any tension in the lips,
The tongue and the jaw.
Relax the shoulders,
Arms and hands.
Relax the heart center of consciousness.
Release any tension in the low back.
Let the hips sink downward.
Relax the legs and the feet.
Listen for any sounds around you.
Allow the awareness to stretch as far as the ears can hear.
Listen for sounds in the distance.
When you hear a sound,
Don't label it.
Just allow your attention to travel from sound to sound.
The listening moves effortlessly from sound to sound.
Now listen to sounds that are a bit closer to the physical body.
Again,
Allow your attention to move from sound to sound without labeling or judging.
Just listening.
Now listen to the sound inside your body.
Notice the sound of the breath.
Notice the sound of the mind.
As you listen to the inner voice,
Do not label,
Do not judge.
Simply listen.
Allow your awareness to move from thought to thought effortlessly,
Without judging or attaching.
Now bring awareness to the heart center.
Listen for the sound of the heart beating.
Observe the sound of your heart beating inside the chest.
Allow this sound to grow louder.
As your awareness focuses only on the sound of the heart beating.
Now sink your awareness into your toes.
Feel the heartbeat in your toes.
Notice a fine vibration as if all of the cells in your toes were vibrating with a sense of aliveness.
Send gratitude to the toes and then allow those cells to come to stillness.
The toes are relaxed.
Bring awareness to the feet.
Notice the fine vibration of awareness in the feet.
Send gratitude and allow the feet to relax.
As the feet relax,
They gently rotate outward,
Little toes melting towards the earth.
Bring awareness to the lower legs.
Feel a tingling or warm sensation of awareness in the muscles around the shins,
The calves and the knees.
Send gratitude to the lower legs and allow the muscles of the shins and the calves to melt towards the earth.
Shift awareness to the upper legs.
Feel the vibration of your focused attention in the thighs.
Send gratitude there and allow the muscles of the quadriceps to sink into the hamstrings which relax and soften into the earth.
Shift your awareness to the hips.
Notice a fine vibration of awareness in the hips.
The lower belly,
The hip flexors,
And as they soften,
They sink down towards the glutes which soften and sink into the earth.
Bring awareness to the torso.
Feel a fine vibration there as if all the cells in the middle of the body are vibrating with aliveness.
Send gratitude for the healthy functioning of all the internal organs and the vertebra.
And with that gratitude,
The muscles of the low back release and melt towards the earth.
The muscles around the spine and the upper back respond and release towards the earth.
Bring your awareness to the arms.
Notice a fine vibration that moves from the shoulders through the elbows and into the hands and fingers.
Send gratitude into the arms.
And that gratitude allows the cells to come to stillness.
The arms feel heavy with relaxation.
Bring awareness to the neck.
Feel the fine vibration there.
Scan the muscles of the neck to see if you're holding on to any tension.
And as you send gratitude into the neck,
The muscles respond by releasing,
Loosening from the cervical vertebra and relaxing into the earth.
Notice the muscles of the face.
Feel the warm or tingling sensation of awareness in the face.
Send gratitude to all of the sense organs.
And then release the lips.
Allow the tongue to sink down away from the roof of the mouth.
And loosen the jaw.
The nose and cheeks soften.
The eyelids heavily blanket the eyes,
Which relax down into their sockets.
The gaze is gently upward toward the space between the eyebrows.
And as you bring your awareness there,
Notice if there's any tension in the forehead and allow it to melt down the sides of the face and into the earth.
Relax the scalp.
Now shine the light of awareness on the mind.
Notice the place inside the head where the thoughts occur.
Feel the fine vibration of awareness in that place.
Be grateful for the mind.
Send gratitude to the place where the thoughts occur.
Allow that gratitude to soften that space as you sink your awareness behind or beneath the thoughts.
Become the detached witness,
The observer of the thoughts.
Rest in this space for a little while.
Stay here in meditation or drift off to sleep or reawaken the body and gently open the eyes.
Namaste.
