Turn Your Inbox into a Dharma Door
Subscribe to our Coyote Tracks newsletter on Substack to receive event announcements, writing, art, music, and meditations from Deer Park monastics.
Support Deer Park
Donations are our main source of support, so every offering is greatly appreciated. Your contribution helps us to keep the monastery open to receive guests throughout the year.
DonateWe have accumulated a lot of tension over time in our bodies through the way we live—through eating, drinking, and daily activities. As a result, our health gradually deteriorates. Relaxation meditation offers an opportunity for both body and mind to rest, heal, and recover. We allow our whole body to relax and gently direct our attention and love to each cell, each part of the body.
When we cannot sleep, we can practice relaxation to restore our energy. Lying on the bed, we relax our whole body and focus on our breath. Practicing this can help us fall asleep easily. Even if we are not able to sleep, practicing mindful breathing and relaxation still helps us rest and feel refreshed.
We can use the following two exercises to bring our awareness to different parts of the body, such as the hair, scalp, brain, ears, neck, lungs, internal organs, digestive system, or any part that needs healing or attention. We follow the breath, embrace each part with love and gratitude.
If we have a few minutes to relax while sitting or lying down, we can use the following phrases:
Breathing in, I am aware of my eyes. Breathing out, I smile to my eyes.
This is mindfulness of the eyes. By creating the energy of mindfulness, being aware of the eyes, and smiling to them, we are touching one of the conditions of happiness we already have. The fact that we can still see is a miracle. Simply opening our eyes, we witness a whole world of colors and images.
Breathing in, I am aware of my heart. Breathing out, I smile to my heart.
By using the energy of mindfulness to embrace our heart and smile to it, we realize that our heart is still functioning normally, which is a miracle, a condition for happiness. Many people wish their hearts could work normally, but their hearts are unable to. When we use mindfulness to embrace our heart, it will feel comforted and soothed. We often neglect our hearts, chasing after things that we think will bring happiness in the future. We even cause harm to our hearts through unhealthy habits such as stress, excessive work, and overeating. Each time we light a cigarette, we cause pain to our heart. When we drink alcohol, we do not treat our heart kindly. Our heart has worked tirelessly day and night for years to sustain us, yet due to forgetfulness, we have not treated it well. We have not cared for the conditions of happiness and peace within us.
We can continue practicing sending mindfulness energy to other parts of the body such as the liver, lungs, stomach, intestines, kidneys, and so on, with gentleness and love. We create mindfulness energy through conscious breathing to embrace our body. As we direct mindfulness energy to each part of the body and send love and tenderness with our breath, we are giving the body exactly what it needs.
If there is a part of the body that is in pain, we should spend more time caring for it. We send mindfulness energy and smile to it. If we do not have time to go through the entire body, we can choose one or two parts to practice relaxation once or twice a day. If we have more time, we can practice the second exercise.
We practice full-body relaxation for at least twenty minutes each day, anywhere we are, as long as we have a comfortable place to lie down. We can practice with others in the family, using the following instructions or modifying them to suit the body's condition. We can also record the instructions and listen to them when practicing alone.
Lie down in a comfortable position, with your arms relaxed by your sides. Allow your body to rest and relax. Be clearly aware of lying on the floor, your whole body making contact with the floor. (Pause). Imagine your body softening and gently sinking into the earth. (Pause).
Be aware of your breath as it enters and exits. Breathing in, know that you are breathing in; Breathing out, know that you are breathing out. Breathing in, feel your belly rise; breathing out, feel your belly fall. (Pause) Rise …, fall … , rise …, fall. (Pause).
Breathing in, focus on your eyes; Breathing out allow your eyes to relax. Let your eyes sink deeply into your head … , relax all the muscles around your eyes …, your eyes are a precious gift, allowing you to see the beautiful world around you …, let your eyes rest …… , send all your love and gratitude to your eyes. (Pause).
Breathing out, focus on your mouth; Breathing out, allow your mouth to relax. Relax all the muscles around your mouth … , your lips are like beautiful flowers … , gently smile … , smile to release any tension in your face , gradually, your cheeks relax … , your jaw relaxes … ,... your throat relaxes … , (Pause).
Breathing in, focus on your shoulders; Breathing out, allow your shoulders to relax. Let your shoulders sink into the floor … ,release all the accumulated tension from the past … . You’ve carried so much weight on your shoulders … now let them rest on the ground, light and free … . Send all your love and gratitude to your shoulders.
Breathing in, focus on your arms; breathing out, allow your arms to relax. Let your arms sink into the floor … ,... your upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, and fingers … , all relax completely. You can move your fingers slightly to help release any tension.
Breathing in, focus on your heart; breathing out, allow your heart to relax. (Pause) For so long, we have forgotten to care for our heart, busy with work, stress, and anger, tiring our heart. (Pause) Meanwhile, our heart works continuously day and night to sustain us... Now, gently embrace your heart with mindfulness … . Apologize to your heart and vow to care for it with all your love and gratitude.
Breathing in, focus on your legs; breathing out, allow your legs to relax. Let go of all the tension, let your legs rest completely … from your thighs, knees, ankles, feet, and toes ……, all relax completely. You can gently wiggle your toes to help release the tension. Send all your love and gratitude to each toe. (Pause).
Breathing in, breathing out … , feel your whole body gently relax … , like leaves floating serenely on the water … . There is nowhere to go, nothing to do … ; you feel free, like clouds drifting in the sky … . (Pause).
Return your awareness to your breath … ; be aware of your belly rising and falling … . (Pause).
Focus on your breath. Feel your arms and legs … ; gently move your arms and legs, then stretch them out. (Pause).
Gently sit up. Then gently stand up.
Through the practice above, we can bring our awareness to each part of the body, caring for each part with our breath, especially those parts that are in pain, to help them receive healing energy. We send our love and gratitude to each part of the body, for the body is the closest companion we have.
From time to time we offer multi-week courses related to mindfulness, the teachings and life of Thich Nhat Hanh, and a variety of similar subjects. Please see our schedule of upcoming courses.
Take the Deer Park Monastery and Plum Village community with you wherever you go. The Plum Village app is designed to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and joy through guided meditations, deep relaxations, practice poems, bells of mindfulness, and other practices — all through a mobile device.
