- [Amelia Thorn] - Make sure you are fully comfortable, supported, and held in a way that allows for complete freedom of effort. Sweep your awareness down the entirety of your body and notice any obvious areas of tension. If possible, allow those areas to soften and release. Direct your attention all the way down the body to the toes of both feet. Notice your toes and the space between your toes. Perhaps there is a sensation of moisture or dryness, coolness or warmth. Draw your attention all the way up to the balls of the feet and wrap all the way around both of the feet, the tops, and the bottoms of the feet, noticing what sensations are here to be felt at the level of the skin, and perhaps even deeper in the tissues and the bones. Bring your focus now up to both ankles, circling your awareness around the ankles, present with whatever sensations may be here. And now exploring the body from the ankles to the knees of both legs. The long muscles of the shins, the backs of the calves. Perhaps feeling the weight of the calves on the floor or the bolster. Noticing the knees, the backs of the knees, knee caps, and deep within the knee joint. Continuing upwards to become conscious of both thighs, the entire circumference of the thighs, the skin, the muscles, and the bones within. And then broadening the scope of awareness to include the entirety of both legs, from the hips all the way down to the toes. Aware of any sensations that are here for you. Now sweep your awareness upwards to the hips, glutes, and pelvis, sensing deep within to the organs held within the abdomen. Notice the effect of the breath in this part of the body. Circling around to the low back, noticing any pressure here or how the weight is resting against the floor. Moving further up the back to the middle part of the back, the upper back, allowing your focus to be wide enough to encompass the entire back. Wrap around the sides of the torso, the waist, all the way up to the armpits, embracing awareness around the region of the chest. Sensations that rise from the skin and muscles of the chest. The movement of the bones as the lungs expand and then return. Perhaps the possibility of feeling the beating of the heart as it's cradled between the lobes of the lungs. Following the chest up to the shoulders, the tops of the shoulders, the backs of the shoulders, the shoulder blades, where they rest on the floor, supporting the entire shoulder girdle, sweeping down both shoulders, all the way down the arms, and coming now to the hands. Noticing any contact the hands may be in touch with. Perhaps the fingers are gently curled. Scanning up to the wrists where the hands are connected to the arms. Bringing a gentle attention up past the forearms to the elbows. Notice if the arms are straight or bent, and if the sensations that arise from being in that position, and become aware of the upper arms and the shoulders and the arm bones as they rest in the shoulder sockets. Feeling now where the shoulders connect with the neck and throat. Notice the position of the jaw, if it's clenched or slack. Open the teeth slightly and bring awareness to the mouth. Let the tongue fall off the roof of the mouth, and be aware of sensations of bold cheeks and the nose. Feel the eyes resting in their sockets, the eyebrows and the temples, all the way up to the top of the head. Feeling the weight of the back of the head on the pillow, expanding awareness to include the entire head, and then increase the field of awareness to contain the entire body, from the head all the way down to the toes. Sensations of movement or stillness, sensing the aliveness of the body. Let's end this practice with a few deep breaths, in through the nose, and back out through the mouth. Thank you for joining me in this practice today.