Let's take a moment to get comfortable.
Any position that feels good and supportive for your body.
You deserve time to unwind and release.
So maybe you want to add some extra pillows to your body,
Maybe sitting or lying down.
Move and adjust so you can get into a position where your body can feel truly held.
And then when you're ready,
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through the nose,
And a long,
Easy breath out.
And again,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Taking one more big,
Deep breath,
Signaling to the body that it's okay to release and unwind,
And that now is the time for rest.
And we're now going to gently move through the body.
We're going to do a practice called tense and release,
Where we intentionally put some tension in different parts of the body for a moment,
So we can fully release and let go of any squeezing or clenching.
So we'll begin with the feet.
And now moving your awareness up to your legs,
Engaging the muscles here,
The calves,
The shins,
The thighs.
Squeezing,
Inhale,
And exhale,
Completely release,
Letting go.
Feel the weight of your legs being heavy,
Soft and supported.
And now move your awareness to your hands.
Softly make fists,
Curl the fingers in,
And then engaging the arms and even up to the shoulders.
Squeezing,
Clenching,
Inhaling,
And exhale,
Let it all go.
Arms are long and heavy.
Fingers are soft.
Let your arms and hands be held and supported.
Now bringing your awareness to your jaw and your face,
Creating tension here,
Inhaling,
Filling up with air,
And exhaling,
Letting it all go.
The face,
The jaw,
It all softens and relaxes.
Allowing your body to rest and release,
And being held.
Bringing your awareness now to your belly,
And just feeling the natural rise and fall of the belly with every inhale and each exhale.
And now in your mind's eye,
Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a quiet path.
This place feels peaceful and untouched.
It's safe here.
And it's the early morning.
There's a soft mist in the air.
And there's light that begins to move through the trees.
The air is fresh.
And it's cool.
And it carries the scent of rain-damp earth and soft greenery.
And you take a big deep breath here.
And you begin to walk down the path.
Each step is easy.
There's tall trees that line the path.
They're beautiful and strong.
And you can see the different textures and colors on their trunks.
You can hear the quiet sounds of nature around you.
A river off in the distance.
And as you continue to walk,
You see that up ahead the path opens.
And up ahead there's a calm,
Still lake.
The surface is smooth and it's reflecting the morning light.
You don't need to go anywhere.
And so you decide that you want to rest here for a bit.
And you find a place along the shoreline,
A patch of grass and a smooth stone to lean against.
And you just take a moment to settle here.
Being present in this moment.
Looking at the beauty of the lake and the nature all around you.
And as you rest here,
You take your hands and you rest them on your belly.
Connecting with your baby.
Knowing that your baby is held safe.
Within you.
And you take a slow breath in and a long breath out.
You and your baby becoming calm and still like the lake in front of you.
And as you breathe,
You imagine that anything you've been carrying,
Any stress or tension,
Worry,
Mental chatter,
It leaves your body.
Being drawn out of your body through the earth.
As the nature receives it,
Recycles it,
Takes care of it.
And you know that there is nothing that you need to do.
There is nowhere that you need to be.
Just allowing yourself to be here.
You and your baby together.
Unwinding.
Releasing.
And just being.
And you take a few final moments here.
Just feeling gratitude.
Gratitude for the beauty around you.
And the stillness within you.
And all around you.
All is well.
And beginning to return by taking a big deep breath in.
In through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Returning to your body in this moment.
Slowly reawakening.
And ending your meditation practice.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
