Lay down

Lie down on your back or sit in a way that feels effortless. (8-beat pause) Let gravity hold you. Feel the surface beneath you taking your weight. (8-beat pause) Close your eyes. Notice the rhythm of your breath. (8-beat pause) Bring awareness to the very top of your head … the scalp … the skin … the tiny movements beneath it. (8-beat pause) Sense your forehead … smooth … open. The space behind your eyes softens. (8-beat pause) Feel the eyelids resting … the corners of the eyes melting toward stillness. (8-beat pause) Notice the cheeks … the nose … air brushing in and out. (8-beat pause) Feel the lips, the mouth, the tongue … the quiet inside your jaw. (8-beat pause) Let your throat relax … soundless, wide, easy. (8-beat pause) Move attention to the neck and the back of the skull … loosen what holds. (8-beat pause) Sense your shoulders … dropping away from the ears … releasing what they carry. (8-beat pause) Down the upper arms … elbows … forearms … wrists … palms … fingertips … each finger alive with calm. (16-beat pause) Bring awareness to your chest … the breath expanding and settling … heart steady … patient. (16-beat pause) Feel your ribs widening with each inhale … narrowing gently on the exhale. (8-beat pause) Move into the belly … soft, rhythmic … warm from within. (16-beat pause) Sense your sides … the flanks … the curve of your waist meeting the air. (8-beat pause) Let awareness travel across your back … shoulder blades … mid-spine … lower spine … each vertebra easing into rest. (16-beat pause) Now to the hips … seat … pelvis … the base of your body connecting to the ground. (16-beat pause) Feel the upper legs … thighs heavy and supported. (8-beat pause) Notice the knees … soft hinges of quiet motion. (8-beat pause) Move down to the calves … the shins … ankles … tops of the feet. (8-beat pause) Bring attention to the soles … arches … heels … every toe. (16-beat pause) Your whole body is breathing … a single field of warmth and rest. (16-beat pause) Let go of all effort. Trust the breath to move itself. (16-beat pause) When you are ready … deepen the breath. Gently move fingers and toes. (8-beat pause) Stretch … open your eyes … carry this quiet awareness into the rest of your day. (16-beat pause) Ah-men.