Ep 13: Guided Relaxation Meditation
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Perfectionist in Recovery
Guided Relaxation Meditation
[00:00:03] So today on the Perfectionist in Recovery podcast I wanted to share another meditation because it has been a little while since the last one. Today I'm going to be sharing a guided relaxation meditation because I really just think that we all could use that.
[00:00:20] But also because, as you know and as I've shared before, I think meditation is a really beneficial practice in facilitating your creative practice. Creating that practice of presence, the practice of noticing, the practice of becoming more conscious of sensations in your body and your experience in this body, is a really great way to help support your creative practice.
[00:00:51] But before we get into the meditation, I did just want to say thank you again for listening. Thank you, to those of you that have shared your feedback! I've been getting some great feedback lately on the podcast, and I am just so grateful. As you know and as I've shared before, your feedback is the best way to make the podcast better for you to listen to, so share your feedback either by sending me a direct message on Instagram at @marcyparksart or go to my website at www.marcyparksart.com And fill out the contact form there to send me your feedback about the podcast. Otherwise, if you are already enjoying the podcast, definitely follow, subscribe, leave a review on whatever streaming platform you're using. Reviews, especially reviews on Apple podcasts, are the best way to help support this podcast and to ensure its growth.
[00:01:58] Now, otherwise, I did also want to say thank you to those of you who have been following my collection release for the "There Are No Bad Emotions" collection, as I shared last week, the collection launch was huge and amazing and better than I could have ever hoped or dreamed! And now I am releasing prints coming up on Saturday, so by the time that this episode airs, the next day, the prints will be publicly available. And I am just so excited again to be making these prints available.
[00:02:37] I love making this work accessible to people, and I also love facilitating this conversation around emotions and feelings and how we navigate them, and I love that I'm able to do that through my work, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For those of you that have been following and supporting that work, I, again, I'm just so excited to get these prints out there and to keep the conversation going.
[00:03:09] Now, otherwise, back to the meditation for today. So today I'm just going to be sharing a guided relaxation meditation.
[00:03:18] So I'm actually going to ask that you lay down for this meditation, if that's not possible. No big deal. Ideally, you would be able to find a place to get really comfortable and just lay down. It actually would be a good meditation to even practice before bed. So if you want to do pause, come back to this later when it's bedtime, that's a great idea, otherwise, no problem. You can practice it however you need to and whenever you need to, whenever you have time to. But if it's one that you want to come back to later and practice when you can lay down and really enjoy it before bedtime. That's a great option.
[00:03:59] So let's go ahead and get started. So find a comfortable position either sitting in a chair. Sitting on the floor in a cross legged seated position or lying down supported by blankets, pillows, just get really cozy, get comfortable. And before you allow your eyes to close, so keep your eyes open for just a moment and.
[00:04:32] First, just bring your attention to your breath.
[00:04:41] Not manipulating your breath in any way at this time. Just noticing your breath and how it's moving through your body.
[00:05:07] And then I want you to take a big, deep breath in through your nose. And a big sigh as you exhale it out.
[00:05:27] Let's do that one more time.
[00:05:31] And this time, as you say it out, allow your eyes to close. So now I want you to continue breathing in and out through your nose and breathing more deliberately and with more.
[00:05:58] Attention and intention.
[00:06:02] To start to study your breath, smoothing it out, lengthening it just slightly. Taking in a fuller and deeper inhale. And a slower and smoother exhale. And keeping this.
[00:06:53] Attention to your breath, we're going to start synchronizing a little bit of movement with breath, and it's really not much movement.
[00:07:05] But what I'm going to ask you to do is on your next inhale, as you breathe in smooth and steady, I want you to start to scrunch and tense up your feet, almost like you're curling your toes in towards your heels. Just scrunch. Bring all the tension that you can into your feet. And as you exhale, I want you to relax your feet. Breathing in again, I want you to scrunch and squeeze your feet in this time.
[00:07:47] Let that move into your legs, stretch out your legs really long, tense your muscles, squeeze your feet.
[00:07:55] And as you breathe in, hold your breath at the top for three seconds. Keeping the tension in the lower half of your body. And then exhale, relax your legs, relax your feet. Inhaling Again, I want you to do that same thing, squeeze your feet, turn to your legs, stretch your legs out in this time, squeeze your glutes or squeeze your butt together.
[00:08:30] Hold your breath at the top of the inhale for three seconds.
[00:08:38] And exhale, relax the lower half of your body.
[00:08:46] Next, inhale tends to lower half of your body. Squeeze your legs, squeeze your butt, squeeze your feet. This time, start to flex your abdominal muscles. So tense your belly. Hold your breath at the top of the inhale for three seconds.
[00:09:10] And exhale, relax your whole body.
[00:09:16] Going to keep moving further up our bodies in this same way this time, and you inhale.
[00:09:26] Tensing up the lower half of your body, your butt, your stomach starts to squeeze your hands into fists, and as you get to the top of the inhale, hold your breath for three seconds.
[00:09:43] And exhale, relax.
[00:09:50] Inhaling again, tend to your feet, tense your legs, squeeze your butt, engage your abdominal muscles, make fists and stretch through your arms, bring tension into your arms as well and your shoulders. Hold your breath at the top of the inhale for three seconds.
[00:10:13] And exhale, relax.
[00:10:23] Good, next inhale, bring all that tension back into your whole body. Feet, legs, but belly, arms, hands, shoulders. This time, clench your jaw as you tense.
[00:10:40] Breathing in hold at the top of the inhale for three seconds.
[00:10:50] And exhale, relax your whole body. Inhale tense through your feet, legs, but belly, hands, arms, shoulders, draw now scrunch up your whole face, squeeze your eyes shut. And as you breathe in, hold your breath at the top of the inhale for three seconds, keeping all this tension in your body.
[00:11:26] And then exhale or relax it all.
[00:11:38] And from here.
[00:11:42] Just allow your body to be soft. Notice if there's any tension remaining in your body. And just let it melt away with every exhale. Every exhale, just relaxing more and more. If you feel that there is a part that part of your body that's still carrying some tension, that you're having a hard time. Letting relax. Do that practice one more time where you breathe in and you bring all the tension into your whole body. Pausing at the top of the inhale for three seconds. And then as you exhale, let go relax and be soft. It may seem. Counterintuitive to tents your body when you want to relax. But sometimes it's even hard to know what. Our bodies in a relaxed state feel like.
[00:13:28] We are so acquainted with carrying stress and tension in our body that it feels normal. And the feeling of true relaxation can seem foreign.
[00:13:49] So by deliberately tensing your body. And then relaxing your body. You create this contrast.
[00:14:04] We become aware of what it feels like to relax. Well, so by deliberately bringing tension into your body you can help to release any energy. That might be keeping you from relaxing. So if you'd like to do a few more rounds of that, tensing your whole body as you inhale holding at the top of the inhale for three seconds.
[00:14:55] And exhaling to relax. Please do so. Otherwise. Just allow yourself a moment to be still now.
[00:15:12] And really dwelling in that feeling of release. That feeling of letting go. Keeping your presence with your breath and. The ease with which your breath moves through your body. A soft inhale and a soft exhale.
[00:16:25] From here, you can continue to rest with this connection to your breath. There's a tension on your body. Consciously, with every exhale, relaxing your body more and more. Invite yourself to stay here as long as you please.
[00:17:10] Otherwise, when you're ready. You can slowly begin to open your eyes.
[00:17:22] Until next time.
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