Ground and Space Relaxation
Ground and Space Relaxation
Start in Savasana, make sure you are comfortable- you may wish to use a blanket to keep yourself warm, this relaxation will continue for about 10 minutes, if you are pregnant you may prefer to lie on your side.
Begin to observe your breath- let its flow be free and spontaneous.
Please, be aware- that if at any time, you would prefer to not continue with the relaxation, just come back to the breath.
Or if your mind is busy with thoughts- acknowledge the thoughts, then release them, as you release your next exhale.
To aid in this process, we will begin to the relaxation with five sighing breaths, these can be as loud or as quiet as you wish. With each sigh, enjoy the sensation of releasing and settling. Your feet may roll out to the side, your fingers may be gently curled, your eyes are softly closed.
Enjoy the support of the floor under your heels, calves, thighs, buttocks, back, shoulders, backs of your arms, hands and head. Throughout the relaxation, I will refer to these places as your grounding points.
As we begin to relax, it may feel like the ground you are laying on is not hard, it is as comfortable to lay on, like a soft sandy beach.
Gently bring your awareness to your heels, explore their contact with the floor, what shape would they leave if you were laying on the beach? Can you release all tension held in the heels?
Continuing to your next grounding point, the next place where your body touches the ground, gently bringing awareness to this contact with the earth, Your body is totally supported here, able to release any held tension.
Travel between your grounding points staying momentarily grounded at each point, a gentle exhale can encourage the feeling of deepening each part into the ground.
From this secure, grounded place- begin to bring your awareness to the space, between your body and the ground. Your contact with this space is as soft and gentle as a warm summers breeze on your skin.
Begin with the small space under your ankles, the backs of your knees, the lower back, the backs of the wrists, your neck.
From here gently bring your awareness to the space between these body parts, the little spaces between the toes, between your legs, between your arms and the sides of your body, the little spaces between your fingers, the hollow of space within each palm, the expanse of space between your shoulders and ears, the little spaces within your ears. The delicate fissures of space in your nostrils, the pools of space around your eyes. Finally the expanse of space that surrounds the body.
Allow your awareness to float between these space points, retuning each place momentarily. At each point gently bring your awareness to your inhale, as you invite a little of that space within your body Begin to open and expand the space all around you. Widen these space points.
Recall your grounding and space points, on your exhale you may enjoy the sensation of grounding, on your inhale you may enjoy the sensation of expansion and liberation.
See how this feels for you.
Your body is the union between the grounding points, connected with the earth, and the space points merging with the space surrounding you. You may feel cocooned, nourished, held between the two. Rest here a while.
Allow three internal oms- to shimmer through the space within your body- dissolving into the space that surrounds you.
Our relaxation is almost finished, from here, we will revisit the grounding points. Feeling the support of the earth under our heels, calves, thighs, buttocks, back, shoulders, backs of your arms, hands and head.
Then from here, I will lead as through three oms with sound- allow the sound to resonate through the body, reverberating through the solidity of the body, revitalizing every cell, reawakening the body after relaxation.
When you feel ready, beginning to gently wriggle toes and fingers, rolling over onto your side when you are ready. Keeping the eyes closed, direct your gaze to the floor, gently part the eyelids, looking first at the carpet, then further away, until you see the whole room.
