Let's begin by connecting with all the parts of our bodies that are resting either on the floor,
The bed,
Or whatever it is that you might be sitting or lying down on.
Bring your attention to those points of connection.
Feel the weight of your body sinking down,
And feel the earth or the bed or the chair rising up to support you.
Allow yourself to feel held,
To feel cared for,
To feel supported,
And give your body permission to relax just 5 or 10% more,
Softening through the face,
The shoulders,
Your lower back,
And your belly.
Just give your body permission to spread out a little bit,
Releasing and relaxing,
And opening to the opportunity to connect with yourself.
You can begin to use your breath to deepen that relaxation,
Noticing the breath you brought with you today,
And if it feels a little shallow or a little stuck,
Take a moment to elongate that breath.
You don't have to force anything or do anything fancy.
Just allow your inhales and your exhales to become a little bit deeper and longer,
Maybe even let your exhale be slightly longer than your inhale.
And as you elongate the breath,
You may feel the body slowing down,
And as your body slows down,
You may start to notice some activity in your mind.
And if that's happening,
That's perfectly okay.
Simply observe that those thoughts are there,
Or if any anxiety has crept in,
Again,
Just notice that that's happened.
And bring your attention back to your inhales and your exhales,
Back to giving your body permission to relax a little bit more every time you breathe out.
And if you find your mind tugging you back,
Don't feel as if that's a failure.
That's what your mind is trained to do.
You can reassure those thoughts that there'll be plenty of time for them later.
And then bring your attention back to your breath again and again,
As many times as you need to.
And now that you've found a nice,
Relaxed state of body and mind,
Let's shift into a visualization.
I want you to imagine that you are sitting in the middle of a bright white room,
On a comfortable chair,
Perfectly at ease.
And the vibration in this room is surrounding you,
Relaxing you,
And filling you with a deep sense of well-being and satisfaction.
There's sunlight coming in through the windows.
You start to notice some of your favorite music playing.
And as you look around,
You notice that the room is magically beginning to fill with all kinds of beautiful pieces of artwork and furniture that reflect your personality,
Your aesthetic,
And that just please you to be around.
It is as if a magical decorator were able to access all of the things that you find enjoyable and pleasant and inspiring and filled the room with those things just for you.
And now you can imagine standing up from the chair and starting to walk,
Noticing the different items,
Maybe picking them up in your hands,
Turning them over,
Examining them closely.
You find a beautiful woven shawl in your favorite color,
Wrap it around you,
And suddenly feel so cozy and safe and warm.
You notice pictures on the walls of all your favorite people,
And they look so happy.
And as you look at them,
You're just beaming love and energy toward them,
And you can feel it coming back from them toward you.
And you continue to walk around the room,
And you come to a table.
It's beautifully set with flowers and candles and dishes,
And you notice all of your favorite foods have been served.
And you can taste as many of them as you like,
And every bite just makes you feel so happy and satisfied.
And then you notice a pitcher filled with clear,
Fresh,
Sparkling water.
You pour yourself a glass,
And you drink it down.
And it's the most delicious glass of water you've ever had.
You can feel it entering your body,
Bringing a sense of nourishment and hydration,
And feeling the water pulsing through you,
Bringing life to your cells,
Making you feel so good.
And then you move on from there,
And you notice that one corner of the room has been set up like a little studio for you,
With all your favorite paints and drawing utensils.
And you sit down for a moment and give yourself permission just to let your inspiration flow,
Flowing from your paintbrush onto the canvas.
Not thinking about it too much,
Not judging what comes out.
Just allowing your essence to pour out.
And then as you continue to walk around the room,
You look out the window,
And what you see out the window is your favorite place in nature.
Maybe it's a meadow,
Or a forest,
Or a mountain,
Or a beach.
Whatever it is,
Open the door and walk toward this beautiful,
Natural space.
Feel its energy envelop you.
Feel that deep connection with the ground beneath you,
The air all around you,
The sounds and the smells.
And you can stop and rest for a moment,
And give yourself permission to feel and see and hear nothing but this beautiful,
Sacred environment.
Breathing it in,
Feeling it surround you,
Drawing the energy in through the soles of your feet,
And once again tapping into that deep sense of satisfaction and well-being and gratitude that you have the opportunity to be here in this moment.
To witness this beauty,
To feel protected and held,
Seen and cared for,
And understanding at a deep level that you really deserve to feel that way,
That it's okay to be grateful,
It's okay to receive gifts like this beautiful moment,
It's okay to nourish yourself and enjoy the things that you love,
And the things that make you happy.
Now just take a few final breaths here in this outdoor space,
Expanding and contracting your lungs,
Drawing the energy in and releasing it back out with gratitude,
Feeling the energy of that space become a part of you,
Just as the water became a part of you,
And the food that you ate,
And the art you created,
And the love you exchanged with the people in your life,
And just allow all of those things to move through your body,
Nourishing your blood and your bones and your nerves,
And filling you up from the inside.
Now you can start to slowly turn around and take a few steps back toward the room,
Passing through the door,
Take one,
Two,
Three steps to bring you back to your chair,
Lower yourself back down,
Give yourself permission to look around one last time,
And appreciate all of these beautiful things that you have brought into your life,
That nourish you,
Delight you,
And make you feel like you,
And then once again closing your eyes,
Focusing only on your breath,
You can visualize the room start to slowly fade away,
Start to see yourself once again in the room where you're meditating,
See yourself sitting or lying down,
Breathing,
And then you can rejoin your physical self,
Start to bring a little bit of movement and energy back into your body,
Flexing your hands and feet,
And before you open your eyes,
Just taking one last moment to anchor within yourself,
Remind yourself that you are deserving,
And to feel grateful for all the gifts that you gave yourself by choosing to meditate today,
And when you feel ready,
You can slowly and gently open your eyes,
And bring yourself back into the room.
