One to 10 is part of a collection of creative and relaxing exercises
found in 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing.
One
to 10
Begin by closing your
eyes and turn your attention to your physical self, your body . .
. Take a few moments to notice how you feel right now . . .
Notice if there are any places that feel tight or tense . . .
notice what your energy level is . . . not to label or judge how
you are feeling, just to become more aware. . .
As you lie there, see
if you can get a solid sense of your body as it is pressing
firmly against the floor or chair. . . Let your awareness drift
to how your body is feeling right now . . . your legs . . . back
. . . arms . . . and head. You are becoming acutely aware of how
you are feeling in your physical body right now. Just become
aware . . .
Now, allow the air in
your lungs be released . . . just let your breath be released . .
. Take in a full deep breath through your nose, allowing your
lungs to fill up fully, see if you can let the air go all the
way in, and then sigh it out through an open mouth. Let all of
the tiredness, tension and negativity be released with your
breath . . . when you are ready, take in another big deep breath
. . . and sigh it out.
Take your time . . .
Breathing in . . . and out . . . Everytime you breathe out, you
feel as if you are slowing down and relaxing more and more . . .
Now, let your breath return to normal . . .
In another minute, you
will begin to count from one to ten. As you do, you will slowly
begin tensing all the muscles all over your body; your arms and
legs, your torso and back, your shoulders and face. At the count
of five, your body will be half the way to being tense all over.
By the count of ten, you will feel tension and tightness
throughout your entire body. This will help you know what tension
feels like.
Then you will count
backwards from ten to one. As you do, you will slowly release the
tension in your body. By the count of five, you will be half the
way to being totally relaxed. At the count of one, your body will
be relaxed completely. Then you will take in a nice, big breath
and then sigh it out.
Let's begin. One, just
a little tension . . . two . . . add some more . . . three . . .
four . . . five, you are half way there, six . . . seven . . .
eight . . . nine . . . and ten, you are all the way there now.
Feel it, and know it and experience it completely, so that you
will be able to recognize muscular tension and tightness later
on. Nine, release a little bit . . . eight . . . let a little bit
more go . . . seven . . . six . . . five . . . you are half way
there . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one. Let all of the
muscular tension and tiredness be dissolved and released. Let go
totally.
Experience fully the
feeling of being completely relaxed and calm . . . Let it soak in
. . . Learn to recognize the feeling of relaxation . . . If you
do still feel some muscular tension, you will find that you can
relax even more if your mind gives your body permission to relax
some more. Let those spots relax now by mentally giving yourself
permission to do so . . . It's OK to relax . . .
Relax your feet . . .
your legs . . . your hips . . . and back . . . and shoulders . .
. let the relaxation spread to down your arms and to your hands .
. . Allow your head . . . and face . . . forehead . . . eyes . .
. checks . . . nose and mouth relax. Good.
Take a nice big deep
breath and sigh it out, letting the air rush out through an open
mouth. Let the air stay out of your body as long as comfortable
and then take in another big, deep breath and sigh it out
completely. Notice that you can relax more and more, each time
you exhale . . . Let your breath return to normal.
Notice that you feel
as if you are sinking into the floor. Let the floor support and
hold you, feeling safe and secure. Your body feels as if it is
being supported entirely by the floor. Every time you breathe
out, you feel more and more relaxed. Calm and serene.
Draw your attention to
your mind now . . . Notice what is on your mind right now, what
thoughts are going through . . . Let your mind and thoughts
become still so that you can begin to center in and calm down
some more . . . If your mind begins to wander, gently bring your
attention back to the sound of my voice or to your breath.
Now, notice how your
emotional self is feeling right now. What kind of mood are you in
. . . Try not to judge your mood, just notice and accept what you
are naturally experiencing at this moment . . . Each time you
exhale, notice that you feel more and more settled and are
feeling a sense of harmony and balance occurring within your
body, mind, mood and spirit. Feel a sense of balance within your
body . . . mind . . . and emotions.
Whenever you are
ready, begin stretching and open your eyes feeling refreshed,
relaxed and alert.
Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing,
and Refreshing Journeys are available through Whole Person Press at
800-247-6789.
