We can begin by settling into our seat,
Relaxing your posture,
And taking a moment to notice how the breath can help clear the mind.
Letting go of any thoughts.
Let's begin by noticing the breath as it enters our nostrils.
Drawing your focus to the tip of your nose or that upper lip.
Noticing the quality of the breath as it both enters and exits.
Now following the breath as it enters your nostrils into your sinuses in the area of your cheeks,
The space below your eyes.
And as you breathe into this,
Relaxing the muscles.
Inviting your eyelids to loosen.
Noticing any tension you might be holding in your brow.
Relaxing the temples and area of the forehead.
With each breath,
Settling more deeply into this practice.
With your next breath,
Draw your awareness to your jaw,
Mouth,
And throat.
Relaxing these muscles that often hold tension.
If you choose,
Even opening your mouth slightly to loosen the grasp of the jaw and the mandible.
Softening the tongue,
Back of the throat.
Now take a moment to feel the entirety of your head.
From the top of your scalp down towards the back of your head,
Including all of your face.
Relaxing and also noticing the energy of the breath as it enters this area.
From the head,
Let's now bring our awareness to our neck.
This is along the back of the neck and the shoulders.
Breathing into these areas that might be holding some tightness or tension.
Either softening it or just noticing the experience.
From the shoulders,
Noticing the upper back,
The muscles along the spine.
Breathing in and noticing if your posture is stiff or if you're holding yourself upright.
With a sense of ease,
Noticing and feeling the rise and fall of the shoulders,
The expansion of the ribs on inhalation and exhalation.
Notice the experience of your body breathing without your mind telling it to.
Noticing whatever rhythm your body's chosen without needing to change.
Now drawing your awareness to your chest and your heart space.
Seeing if you can feel the spaces in between the muscles,
That which being encased by the ribs.
Notice if you can hear or feel your heart beating.
Now draw your awareness deeper into your abdomen.
Noticing the organs of digestion,
Elimination,
Reproduction.
Your belly and all the muscles that surround your belly and your lower back.
Once again,
Drawing the breath into these areas and relaxing any tension that you might be carrying.
Notice the muscles of your pelvis,
Sit bones,
Hips and thighs.
And if you're seated,
Notice how they're supporting you.
Draw that awareness downwards from your hip to your thighs,
Knees and calves,
Down to your lower extremities and your feet.
Bringing it all the way down to the soles of your feet and your toes.
Experiencing your legs in their entirety from the inside.
Not as a third person observer,
But as the muscles of your legs themselves.
Notice if you feel any tingling in your toes or warmth or coolness.
Now with your next breath,
Draw your attention back upwards to the breath as it enters.
Bringing the breath down again through your nostrils,
Throat,
Shoulders.
Now to the upper extremities of your arms.
Repeating the exercise we did with the legs,
But this time experiencing your arms from the inside.
Noticing the triceps,
Biceps,
Elbow,
Wrists,
All the way down to your fingertips.
Noticing again if you feel any warmth,
Tingling,
Coolness along your arms or the tips of your fingers.
With your next breath,
Feel the body in its entirety.
Top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Breathe in to your body,
Easing any tension.
Now allowing your mind to relax as well.
Clearing space for us to sit in silence for a few minutes with the experience of the body.
Noticing any thoughts arising and again drawing ourselves back to the breath in the body.
And to close today's practice,
I'd like to close with gratitude.
Just take a moment to think of all that you're grateful for.
And when you hear the bell,
I invite you to take a few more deep breaths and then return to our space together.
