Lie back and adjust yourself for comfort,
And remove any distractions if you just finished exercise or yoga practice.
Maybe cover yourself with a blanket so you won't be chilled as the body cools down.
Close your eyes and open to receive the work you did on your yoga mat today.
Open to all the benefits of doing this practice,
And allow your whole body to settle into your mat or your bed.
Release your legs,
Your hips and torso,
Your arms and shoulders,
And your head.
And finally,
Sense the relaxed presence of your whole body together.
Let your thinking mind drop into the background.
Awaken your sensory awareness.
Don't analyze or mentally process your experience in any way.
Just feel the fullness of what it is to be alive in your body at this moment.
In effect,
Lose your mind and come to your senses.
Become aware of any sounds around you.
Just notice the sounds without attaching to any of them.
Notice any sounds outside of this room.
Any sounds in the room with you.
The music in the background.
The sound of your body breathing.
Nostrils.
Your sinuses.
Feel the gentle whisper of the breath as it moves through your sinuses and your throat.
Maybe you can even taste the breath as it moves across the back of your tongue.
Sense the texture of the air as it moves in and out of your body.
Become aware of the subtle movement of air on your face,
And the sensation of your clothing against your skin.
Experience the sensation of your whole body resting on the surface below you.
Awareness inside your chest,
To center on your heart.
Open to the sensation of your beating heart,
Sensing its power.
Allow the space around your heart to open and soften.
Observe how the breath naturally blossoms into this space.
Force the breath.
Just notice how the body welcomes the breath as you create space for it.
Sense the breath as it moves to fill the space just below your collarbones and your upper chest.
Feel it now expand into your upper back.
Feel the sides of your ribcage begin to yield as you gently guide the breath into this space.
Focus now on the area just inside your low back ribs.
Send the breath into these,
The deepest lobes of your lungs.
Awareness of the breath to the solar plexus and the upper abdomen.
The more you relax here,
The more your diaphragm can expand into the abdomen below.
The more you relax,
The more the cadence of the breath naturally slows.
Your whole belly soft as it slowly floats up and down.
Feel the breath as it seems to fill the low belly and the bowl of your pelvis below.
This is your natural breath,
Your whole body breathing.
Use all of your senses to experience what it is to be alive in your body at this moment.
If your mind wanders,
Simply come back to your sensory awareness.
Stay with this feeling for the next few minutes,
And I'll bring you back with the soft bell sound.
As you come back to an awareness of yourself in this room,
Sense your surroundings.
Picture the room around you,
The ceiling above you,
And again the sensation of your body on your mat or bed.
Be aware of sensations in your whole body.
Be aware of your breath as you now allow it to deepen a little,
And in your mind's eye,
Picture the possibility of movement.
When it feels right,
Begin the transition into movement.
Start with small movements at first,
And then add whatever your body needs to begin the transition.
When it feels right,
Stretch your arms past your ears over your head,
Reaching from your toes to your fingers,
The whole length of your body.
Now hug your knees to your chest,
And rock gently from side to side,
Releasing any stiffness in your low back.
Use your body weight to massage the muscles around your sacrum.
As you finish,
Roll onto your side and pause for a few breaths.
Notice the subtle changes as your body adjusts to this new position.
When you're ready,
Push up and find a comfortable seat.
Now pause for a few moments,
And be aware of how your body breathes.
Breathe knowing that all of the life that surrounds you,
Breathes with you.
Namaste.
