A safe place practice.
To do this practice,
Begin by sitting upright and relaxed on a cushion,
Kneeling bench or chair.
If it is not possible for you to do the practice sitting,
Then do so lying down.
To begin,
Mindfully acknowledging your experience just as it is right now.
Maybe there are thoughts,
Physical sensations or emotions.
Allowing whatever is foremost in your experience to just be here.
The pleasant and the unpleasant.
Welcoming all in a friendly,
Non-judgmental way.
This is always the first step when practicing kindness and self-compassion.
Noticing what is here now.
Allowing it to be as it is.
And turning towards that experience of the moment with kindness and self-compassion.
And now let your attention settle on the breath.
Observing the breath wherever you feel it most clearly.
Maybe for you that's in the belly or in the chest or perhaps the passing of air through the nose.
Without forcing it,
Gently slowing down the breath now.
Deepening the breath.
Inviting it to flow freely through the body.
Allowing a soothing breath rhythm to emerge.
When you experience the breath movements as soothing,
Let go and allow the breath to flow by itself.
At any stage in this exercise you can always pause and come back to mindfulness.
Acknowledging whatever you are experiencing in the moment.
For example,
Getting stuck.
Getting tired or overwhelmed by strong emotions.
Pause in the moment like an internal reset button.
Coming back to the experience and then to the soothing breath rhythm.
And so remembering that in any moment of stuckness you can come back here.
What's here now?
Noticing with kindness and then tuning into the breath and allowing the breath itself to soothe and calm.
And now I'm going to invite you to imagine a beautiful place of safety.
In this place you are going to be alone and unobserved so you can be entirely free and yourself.
This place for you may be inside or outside.
Might be a real place that warms your heart or a place of the imagination.
So I'm going to offer some suggestions inviting you to find your safe place.
So perhaps your safe place is a forest.
Tall trees.
Dappled sunlight through the branches.
The smell of the earth beneath you.
A gentle breeze.
The strength of the trees.
The glimpses of sky above.
The texture of the forest floor beneath.
Its smell.
Or maybe for you your safe place is a sandy beach on a sunny day.
Blue sky with fluffy white clouds.
Warm sun.
Penetrating the body.
Warming you.
The vastness of the sea in front of you.
The soft soothing sound of the rhythmic waves breaking and receding.
The feeling of the soft sand underfoot.
Warm as well.
Maybe some small stones stuck between your toes.
Perhaps sights and sounds of happy children playing on the beach.
Or perhaps your safe place is your own garden.
A favourite spot.
A beloved tree.
And as you sit there soaking in the familiar sights and sounds.
The birds coming to the feeder.
The wind rustling in the trees.
The beauty of the plants intentionally put there and growing under your care.
The green grass soft underfoot.
Or maybe your safe space is a favourite park and a beloved park bench.
Perhaps observing a duck pond or a playground.
Magnificent old trees.
Meticulously planted schemes.
Strong colours.
Cared for area.
Feeling the soft breeze or the warmth of the sun on your face.
Smelling the earth.
Or your safe place might be sitting in a cosy armchair by a roaring fire.
Watching the flames dance.
Feeling the heat and the warmth from the fire.
Excited or soothed by the sounds of the crackling logs.
Sinking into comfort in your beloved fireside chair.
So leaving some space now for you to allow your safe space to emerge.
A place of welcome and safety.
Where you might let go and relax.
Allow this image to emerge.
Spend some time exploring the sights,
The sounds,
The smells.
What can you touch?
What can you taste in your safe space?
Allowing it to come into full vision and allowing yourself to sink and settle here.
Belonging.
Beloved.
Welcome.
And soon it will be ready to leave your safe place for now.
But knowing that this is a place in the heart where you can reconnect at any time.
So letting the images,
The sights,
The sounds,
The smells,
The feel and the taste just soften now into the background.
Becoming aware again of the feet on the floor.
The body supported by whatever you're sitting in or lying in.
And noticing now the air around you in this moment and the sensations of air maybe around the face or the hands or the feet.
Noticing again the breath in the body.
And just tuning in for the last moment of this practice to the breath exactly as it is right now.
And forming an intention now to bring that safe place that is within you,
With you into your day.
Opening the eyes.
Allowing the body a little movement,
Maybe a stretch or a yawn.
And going gently now into the rest of your day.
