Tara Brach - Meditation: Relaxing into Sleep (no bell at end) (2017-07-19)

Starting point is 00:00:05 The following meditation is led by Tara Brock, meditation teacher, psychologist, and author. This guided practice is specifically geared towards relaxation, letting go, really resting with ease, become aware of this body breathing, and begin to extend the in-breath, lengthening, and deepening, so that you're filling the whole chest and lungs. So breathing in, deep in breath, and a slow out breath, slowly releasing, letting go,

Starting point is 00:01:08 letting go. And again, a deep full in-breath, expanding the chest, filling the lungs, and a slow-out breath, evenly, smoothly, releasing, so you can feel,

Starting point is 00:01:29 feel the sensations of the breath as you exhale. Long, deep, full in-breath, you might begin counting with the in-breath to six counts and matching the out-breath, six counts out. And if that feels like too long, it's quite fine to do four counts, but let the in-breath and out-breath be matched, continuing in this way. Sense with the in-breath and opening to receive a yielding to the breath and with the out breath a releasing, a letting go, a relaxing outward. Continuing with this long, deep in breath, slow out breath. You might find that as you're breathing you can bring a slight smile to the mouth and soften the eyes.

Starting point is 00:04:03 The mind wanders. You notice you've lost track of the breathing. Just gently come back again, begin again. You might sense with the in-breath how much it's possible to soften and open and receive and with the out-breath, how much it's possible to release as if you're following the breath out into the space around you, relaxing outward, letting go, continuing with this full in-breath and full out-breath. And sensing that you can bring the breath and the attention to the

Starting point is 00:05:38 small muscles in the face, softening, relaxing, letting the tongue fill the lower palate, relaxing at the root of the tongue, continuing with the breathing and sensing the possibility of relaxing more at the shoulders, with the in-breath, opening, receiving, feeling the space inside the shoulders and with the out-breath, letting go, letting go. Getting the breath and the attention to the hands, letting the hands be soft, relaxing and letting go. Feeling the breath and the awareness at the heart. So that as you breathe in, you open to receive, feeling the aliveness that's there. And with the out breath, a letting go, releasing, relaxing.

Starting point is 00:07:35 Feeling the breath deep in the torso, letting it fill the belly with the in breath. And with the out breath, a letting go, letting go, letting go. And widening to sense the whole body breathing, so with the in-breath you're filling every cell of the body, opening, receiving, and with the out breath, releasing, letting go. Letting go of any controlling of the breath, allowing the breath to resume in its natural rhythm. relaxed attentiveness, the gentle movement of the breath, the sensations in the body, the sounds around you.

Starting point is 00:09:59 Relaxing back and just resting in this wakeful openness, letting life be just as it is, moment to moment to moment. If the mind gets lost and distracting thoughts, let your practice simply be to re-relax, re-relax open the attention. Aware of the sounds that are here, in the background sound of silence, gently scan the body, perhaps re-relaxing the shoulders a bit, softening your hands, relaxing your heart, backs back, resting in the awareness that's right here, letting life be just as it is. You might ask yourself if it's possible to relax and let go just a little bit more, gently scanning to notice the habitual places of contraction, of tightness and with kindness and gentleness to soften in a bit. Namaste.

Tara Brach - Meditation: Relaxing into Sleep (no bell at end) (2017-07-19)

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