G'day,
My name is Rachel Grace.
Thanks for joining me for this practice.
I invite you to take a moment now to prepare for this practice by finding a posture that supports you to be both alert and relaxed.
Allowing your eyes to gently close or softening your gaze down to the floor if that feels right for you.
We'll start the practice with the ring of a gong.
As you come into stillness,
Let your attention rest on the breath.
Feeling yourself breathing with a natural and gentle rhythm.
Breathing in,
Know you're breathing in.
Breathing out,
Know you're breathing out.
Now bringing awareness to your body.
Noticing how your body feels in this moment.
Without judging what it feels like,
Just noticing what it feels like.
What is the state of your heart and mind right now?
Holding whatever is there with a kind attention.
Wherever you are,
Whatever the state of your body or mind,
You're welcome to share in this practice from that place.
So we begin by bringing a relaxed attention to the eyes and forehead.
Noticing whatever sensations are there.
Perhaps there's warmth or pressure or numbness.
Consciously allowing the eyes and the forehead to soften and relax.
Shifting attention to the jaw and tongue.
If there's tension there,
Just allowing the jaw to unclench.
Relaxing the root of the tongue.
Mouth and jaw relaxing and releasing.
Gently shifting your awareness to the neck and shoulders.
Breathing in a sense of ease into that area.
And as you breathe out,
Consciously letting go of any tension in your neck and shoulders.
Now scanning down the arms to the hands.
Feeling your hands from the inside out.
Noticing warmth or coolness or numbness.
Whatever sensations are there.
Inviting a sense of ease and relaxation to flow throughout your arms and hands right now.
Scanning down along the chest and to the belly.
Becoming aware of all the physical sensations there.
Noticing how little effort is required to simply be aware of the body.
Noticing the belly softening and letting go as you breathe out.
Feeling the chest rise and fall.
Relaxing with each out-breath.
Now bringing awareness to your back.
And imagine that the light of your awareness is warm like the sun.
So that when your awareness passes through those places of tension in your back,
You feel that tension begin to melt and soften like ice melting to liquid in the sun.
Allowing the warmth of your awareness to scan through your entire back.
Bringing a sense of ease and relaxation all throughout your back right now.
Breathing gently and letting go.
Now moving your attention through your entire pelvic region.
Releasing any holding or tightness you find there.
Relaxing and letting go.
And as you continue scanning down to the upper legs and lower legs.
Notice how your legs feel right now.
Becoming aware of any tension there.
And if you notice any tension,
Meet it with a warmth and kind awareness.
Allowing your legs to be at ease right now.
Letting the legs be heavy.
Legs relaxing and letting go.
And as your awareness arrives at the feet,
Let the feet be heavy.
Let them soften.
Totally relaxing into the pull of gravity.
Sinking down and being supported by the ground beneath them.
The feet relaxing.
And now I invite your awareness to fill your whole body.
Holding the entire field of changing sensations in the body with a gentle and relaxed awareness.
The whole body relaxing.
As we prepare to conclude our practice in a few moments,
I just invite you to bring your awareness to the breath.
Feeling the sensations of breathing in and breathing out.
Feeling how your body feels supported by the seat beneath you.
Feeling your feet resting on the floor.
Let the corners of the mouth rise ever so slightly.
Allowing a gentle half smile as you savour the state you've created for yourself in this practice.
In a few moments I'm going to ring the gong three times to signal the end of the practice.
When you hear the gong,
I invite you to allow your eyes to gently open.
Bringing your attention back up into the environment around you.
And as you do,
To maintain an awareness of the sensations in your body.
Extending the practice in this way will build your capacity to stay connected to sensations in your body as you go about your day.
Feel the sensations right now in your body as you breathe in.
Continue noticing the sensations in your body as you breathe out.
Allow your eyes to open.
Gently bringing your attention back up into the environment around you.
Take a moment now to stretch or perhaps sit back a little and just notice how you feel.
Do you feel the same right now as you did before the practice?
Or has something changed?
Take a moment to notice and perhaps savour the impact of this practice on the state of your body and your mind.
You can also take a moment to appreciate yourself for the dedication to your own wellbeing that you've just demonstrated.
Each time you practice,
You are changing your brain for the better and building your capacity to handle life more skillfully so well done.
May mindfulness positively impact you,
What you do and all of those around you.
Thank you for practicing with me.
I hope you'll join me again.
