Welcome to this meditation.
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Make sure your neck is supported and that you will not be disturbed.
This time is yours and the time is now.
Close your eyes and allow the sound of my voice to take you deeper and deeper within yourself as you become more relaxed and more comfortable.
Imagine you're in a sunlit meadow.
Look down at your feet and see the little path beneath them.
Notice the colour of the pathway and feel its texture as you start to walk slowly along it.
See the grass on either side swaying gently in the breeze and feel the warmth of the sun upon your cheeks.
You may notice bright flowers in the meadow as you walk and see the butterflies and hear the drone of the bees as they gather pollen in the little yellow sacks in their knees.
After a while,
You come to some trees.
Reach out and stroke the trunk of a tree.
Feel the roughness or the smoothness of the bark beneath your fingers.
See how the sunlight comes dappling through the leaves,
Making patterns on the ground Take a leaf in your hand and examine it.
The veins and the little pores through which it breathes and the difference in colour of the two sides.
See all the different shapes and colours.
Imbibe the strength from the roots of the tree Take in the flexibility of the branches swaying high above.
Listen to the wind gently rustling the uppermost branches and then hear the tinkling of running water.
Follow that sound until you come to a stream and hear,
Pause a while.
Is the water flowing deep and quiet?
Or is your stream rushing through with little whirlpools and eddies?
Are the banks rocky?
Or smooth?
Are there rushes or reeds,
Flowers or trees along the banks?
And the place where you're standing,
Is it tickly sand or smooth pebbles,
Soft mud or hard rock?
Slip your shoes off and let the cool satiny water flow over your toes.
What colour is the water?
Gaze deeply into its depths and see whether there are little fish darting around.
Look at the colours of the smooth,
Smooth pebbles on the bottom.
Now,
Look along the banks of the stream and you will see a pretty little bridge.
The sort you've always wanted to cross.
A bridge that leads to your own magical place.
Go to a point halfway across and hear,
Pause a while.
Look down into the water.
Seeds splashing and bubbling along.
Enjoy watching this river.
Now,
It's time to finish crossing the bridge and you find yourself in a wood with trees bordering the pass.
Follow the path and you come to a wall.
Run your fingers lightly along the wall,
Brick or stone.
Soon you come to a gateway in the wall.
What colour is it?
Maybe your favourite colour?
You gently push and it opens for you.
Your gateway to your own magical place.
So,
Take your time and look around.
Find yourself in a place where you feel completely safe,
Secure and at peace.
Make sure the colours are right for you.
Make the shapes as clear or as misty as you feel is right for you.
Add a special scent,
One that is calming or refreshing.
Adjust the temperature,
Make it just right.
And give your place a name.
Take some time to get to know your own magical place.
For this is a place where you can commune with your own subconscious mind,
Which speaks not in words but in dreams and pictures,
Colours and feelings.
And here you're open to listening to that part of you which is there to look after you,
To protect you and to love you.
All of you.
So,
Rest here a while and feel what you feel.
You may choose to ask it a question and listen out for the answer.
Look around you and find all the resources that you need to live a happier life.
Take your time and rest here a while.
Now,
It's time to leave your magical place for the time being,
But you know you can return whenever you wish to do so.
And each time you come,
The experience will be more powerful and the pathway easier to follow.
So,
For now,
Look around and find some gift from this place,
A symbol of an object such as a pebble,
Or a feeling or quality you would like to bring out into the world with you when I count you up in a moment.
Now,
I'm going to count from 1 to 7 and on the count of 7,
You'll come back to the world feeling refreshed and relaxed,
Fully alert and looking forward to the times ahead.
Great.
So,
Ready?
1 2 3 7 Open your eyes.
Take a stretch and a big inhale and a long exhale and enjoy being back in the present.
