Welcome to this meditation,
Where we'll be focused on giving yourself a break,
A chance to rest,
A chance to relax and unwind.
This meditation is what I call a rest practice,
An opportunity to practice resting.
I will be guiding you through some exercises to help you to relax and release tension.
There will also be periods of silence with the background music playing for you to enjoy some time simply being quiet and still.
So first,
Begin by finding yourself a comfortable position.
I recommend that you lay down on a comfortable surface,
Or if you don't have somewhere to lay down,
Find a comfortable seat,
And if possible,
Somewhere where you can lean back and have your head supported to allow your neck and shoulders to relax more fully.
Go ahead and find that position now and get settled.
When you're ready,
Go ahead and close your eyes and take three full deep breaths to help you settle in even more.
As you settle in,
Allow gravity to do its work,
Giving you the sense that your body is being pulled downward,
Feeling the weight of your body,
Letting your body sink in.
Let's take another deep breath in and breathe out.
Take another deep breath.
When you breathe out,
Breathe out with the sigh.
Take another deep breath in and exhale slowly,
Extending the exhale for as long as you can.
Breathe in,
Exhale slowly,
And allow your breath to return to your normal rhythm and pace.
Continue noticing your breath without trying to control it,
Just be with it,
Noticing how your body moves when you breathe,
How your chest rises and falls as you inhale and exhale,
Noticing the feeling of the air coming in and out of your nose,
How the air feels cool when it goes in and warm when it goes out.
Continue focusing on your breath for a few more moments,
Paying attention to whatever part of your breathing catches your attention,
The rise and fall of your chest or your belly,
The air going in and out of your nose.
And at any point during this rest practice,
If you find your mind starting to drift into thoughts or you're distracted by any sounds around you,
That's okay.
Simply redirect your attention to your breathing or to the feelings and the sensations of your body resting on the surface beneath you.
I'm going to begin focusing on relaxing your body from your toes all the way up to your head by focusing in on one area of your body at a time and allowing yourself to release any tension that you might be feeling there.
We'll begin with your feet and starting with your toes.
You might want to move your toes a little to bring your awareness to your toes,
Letting them relax and be loose.
Your feet to relax,
Softening and releasing any tension in the arch of your foot,
Softening the top of your foot.
As you focus in on your feet,
You may even notice a slight tingling sensation.
Notice the sensations that you feel in your feet and in each pause,
Just notice what sensations you're feeling there.
Loosening,
Tension up and circling around your abs and shins.
Notice the sensations in your calf muscles and your shins.
Get to release,
Circling around,
Knees to loosen and relax.
Attention to your upper legs and thighs,
Noticing where your thighs are resting on the surface beneath you,
Feeling your thigh muscles softening,
Relaxing.
Moving up into your hips,
Noticing any sensations or tightness in your hips,
Sensing the bones and the joints,
What's joined with your pelvis.
Imagine that you're breathing into your hips,
Breathing oxygen into your hips and feeling the muscles release and relax and bringing your attention to your stomach,
Your belly,
Noticing if your stomach is tense or tight,
Just letting it soften.
Breathing in and out,
Noticing how your stomach expands and contracts as you breathe in and out,
Breathing deep into your belly,
Feeling it fill with air,
Then exhaling slowly and feeling your belly settle and release.
Now noticing your lower back,
Noticing if there's any tension or tightness held there,
So letting it release with each exhale.
Now bring your attention to your chest,
Movement in your chest as you breathe,
Feeling into the center of your chest and seeing if you can notice the beating of your heart,
Feeling a warmth emanating from your heart center,
Noticing how it radiates outward through your torso,
Noticing if there are any other sensations in your chest,
And release.
Attention to your mid and up,
Noticing what the fabric feels like against your skin,
Feeling how your back expands and contracts when you breathe,
And noticing any areas of tension or tightness and feeling it melt away as you continue to breathe in and breathe out.
Bring your awareness to your shoulders and your arms,
Notice any sensations that you feel as you allow your attention to move to the outside of your shoulders,
Sensing the inside of your shoulders,
Circling down into your elbow to your forearms,
Allowing each arm to rest with your muscles loose,
Feeling their weight,
Noticing where they're resting and what they're touching,
And relaxing your wrists,
Bringing your awareness to the palms of your hands,
Backs of your hands,
To each finger.
As you relax your hands,
You may notice a tingling sensation,
Notice a warmth radiating,
If you don't notice a warmth,
Imagining that radiating outwards towards your fingers,
From sensations,
Slowly back up your arms,
Through your elbows,
Through your shoulders,
Up into your neck and throat,
Noticing your neck and your throat,
Letting it be soft,
Releasing any tension that you might be holding there.
Attention to your jaw,
Allow yourself to let go of any tension that you're feeling in your jaw,
Perhaps allowing your jaw to drop open a little,
Letting your tongue rest gently on the bottom of your mouth,
Without any effort,
Breathing slowly and deeply in and out.
Now letting your whole face soften,
Relaxing the muscles in your cheeks,
Softening the muscles around your eyes,
Smoothing out your forehead,
Feeling your eyelids heavy,
Gently blanketing your eyes,
Feeling the stillness of your body at rest.
Now feel the entirety of your head,
Relaxing it around the back and the sides,
And all the way up to your crown,
To the very top of your head.
Feel into the area at the top of your head,
And pay attention to any sensations that you might feel there.
What does the top of your head feel like right now?
Imagine it releasing,
Perhaps with a slight tingling,
Or feeling a warmth.
Now noticing your whole body,
From the top of your head,
All the way down to your toes,
Feeling yourself sinking into the surface you're on,
Noticing how your body moves ever so slightly as you continue,
Noticing how it feels to have your rest right now.
And now we'll take some time to be in stillness,
To simply be and observe this restful state.
Else to be right,
This is your time.
Rest,
Staying with a sense of the whole body,
Relaxed,
Still,
At peace.
As we conclude this rest practice,
Take a moment now to thank yourself for giving yourself this time.
Try to take this feeling of peace and stillness with you throughout your day.
Thank you for joining me,
And may you rest well.
