A relaxation script

Begin by making yourself comfortable. Sit in your chair and allow your back to be straight, but not stiff, with your feet on the ground. Your hands could be resting gently in your lap or at your side. Allow your eyes to close, or to remain open with a soft gaze.

Let us start by taking several long, slow, deep breaths.

Breathing in fully and exhaling slowly.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth. Feel your stomach expand on an inhale and relax and let go as you exhale.

Begin to let go of noises around you. Begin to shift your attention from outside to inside yourself. If you are distracted by sounds in the room, simply notice this and bring your focus back to your breathing.

Now slowly bring your attention down to your feet. Begin by observing the sensations in your feet. You might want to wiggle your toes a little, feeling your toes against your socks or shoes. Just notice, without judgment. You might imagine sending your breath down to your feet, as if the breath is traveling through the nose to the lungs and through the abdomen all the way down to your feet. And then back up again out through your nose and lungs. Perhaps you don’t feel anything at all. That is fine, too. Just allow yourself to feel the sensation of not feeling anything. Notice if you are carrying any tension in your feet, stretch them out and then relax again, feeling the tension dissipating. When you are ready, allow your feet to dissolve in your mind’s eye and move your attention up.

Moving your focus to your ankles, calves, knees and thighs. Observe the sensations you are experiencing throughout your legs. Breathe into and breathe out of the legs. If your mind begins to wander during this exercise, gently notice this without judgment and bring your mind back to noticing the sensations in your legs. If you notice any discomfort, pain or stiffness, don’t judge this. Just simply notice it. If you are holding any tension within your legs then tense them and relax, letting your cares drift away. Observe how all sensations rise and fall shift and change moment to moment. Notice how no sensation is permanent. Just observe and allow the sensations to be in the moment, just as they are. Breathe into and out from the legs. With every breath focus on breathing slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth, slowly slowly in and out.

Then on the next out breath, allow the legs to dissolve in your mind.

And move to the sensations in your lower back and pelvis. Softening and releasing as you breathe in and out. Any tension you are holding drifting away. Slowly move your attention up to your mid back and upper back. Become curious about the sensations here. You may become aware of sensations in the muscle, temperature or points of contact with furniture or the bed. With each outbreath, you may let go of tension you are carrying. If you notice your mind drifting and thinking of anything else just take note of it and then bring your focus back to breathing. Breathing slowly in and out, in and out.

Very gently shift your focus to your stomach and all the internal organs here. Perhaps you notice the feeling of clothing, the process of digestion or the belly rising or falling with each breath. If you notice opinions arising about these areas, gently let these go and return to noticing sensations.

As you continue to breathe, bring your awareness to the chest and heart region and just notice your heartbeat. Observe how the chest rises during the inhale and how the chest falls during the exhale. Let go of any judgments that may arise. Just focusing on breathing in and out in and out, noticing with each breath the miracle that is your body, keeping breathing and keeping working without your making any noticeable effort. Notice that as you relax your body continues to function.

On the next outbreath, shift the focus to your hands and fingertips. See if you can channel your breathing into and out of this area as if you are breathing into and out from your hands. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the sensations in your hands. Keeping breathing slowly in and out, in and out. Moving your attention from your hands up your arms. Observe the sensations or lack of sensations that may be occurring there. You might notice some difference between the left arm and the right arm – no need to judge this. As you exhale, you may experience the arm soften and release tensions. Continue to breathe and shift focus to the neck, shoulder and throat region. This is an area where we often have tension. Be with the sensations here. It could be tightness, rigidity or holding. You may notice the shoulders moving along with the breath. Let go of any thoughts or stories you are telling about this area. As you breathe, feel the tension rolling off your shoulders as if it was a physical object.

On the next outbreath, shift your focus and direct your attention to the scalp, head and face. Observe all of the sensations occurring there. Notice the movement of the air as you breathe into or out of the nostrils or mouth. As you exhale, you might notice the softening of any tension you may be holding.

And now, let your attention to expand out to include the entire body as a whole. Bring into your awareness the top of your head down to the bottom of your toes. Feel the gentle rhythm of the breath as it moves through the body. Imagine this body, which has been holding so much tension and working so hard, relaxing, feeling totally at peace. Lying in a cornfield perhaps, or lying on the beach. Feeling the sun on your face, feeling the gentle breeze drifting by. Hearing the sounds around you, birds singing, crickets chirping, or perhaps the sea gently lapping near your feet.

As you come to the end of this practice, take a full, deep breath, taking in all the energy of this practice. Exhale fully. As we count down from 10 you will find yourself becoming more and more alert, more and more aware. 10, 9, 8 feeling yourself gradually coming back into the room, 7, 6, 5, 4, feeling calm and focused on having a positive day filled with positive interactions, 3, 2, 1, eyes open and back in the moment.

Enjoy your day…. 

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