Start by finding a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Feel whatever you are resting on supporting you completely.
You can rest and relax now.
Begin by taking some deep,
Grounding breaths.
Breathe in a sense of fullness,
Life,
And safety.
Breathe out tension,
Exhaustion,
Fear.
When you are ready,
Gently close your eyes and continue to breathe deep,
Relaxing,
Full body breaths.
With each breath,
Feel yourself sinking into whatever you are resting on,
Deeper and deeper.
As you breathe out,
Feel yourself release anything that you need to let go of,
Both in your body and in your mind.
Breathing in,
Feel the air as it enters your body,
Filling each and every crevice,
Your chest,
Your lungs,
Your belly,
And then dispersing its life-giving energy throughout your entire being.
As you breathe out,
Picture that oxygen washing away anything that you need to release.
Picture that breath like a comfortably cool water,
Gently washing over you,
Relaxing you completely.
Continue this cycle of breathing in and out,
Filling up and letting go.
With each inward breath,
You are filled with everything that you need in this moment,
Be it a sense of peace,
Restfulness,
Or confidence.
With each outward breath,
Your body and mind let go of the day,
Releasing stressors and frustrations,
Letting it wash out of you effortlessly.
Feel the gentle waves of your breath washing away all that needs to be released.
Now shift your focus from your outward sensations into your inner experiencing.
Using your powerful imagination,
Imagine yourself on a beautiful beach near a majestic lake.
This is a place where you feel totally at peace,
A place where you can relax,
A place where you are peaceful,
A place where you are safe.
Focus now on the water,
Admiring the swirls of calming colors,
Blues and greens of many shades.
Notice the glistening light from the sun against the surface of the water.
Notice how its power transforms the colors into golds and pinks and oranges,
Reflecting its might.
The light gives you a sense of confidence and strength,
A sense of rightness with where you are and what you have in you.
Feel confidence growing in you to do whatever it is before you as you gaze out into the glimmering sparkling water.
As that confidence grows more and more with each glimmering light,
Feel yourself grow stronger.
As you hear the waves gently crashing on the shore,
Imagine the waves as the ebb and flow of life.
The ease of the waves ebbing away,
Gently releasing and returning to the lake,
And the powerful surge of strength as it flows back to the shore.
Observe how both are working in perfect harmony,
The ebb and the flow,
The surge and release.
You feel a sense of ease within you as you watch the waves crash in all of their power and might.
These waves are like those areas that challenge when you consider what's before you,
Yet strengthen you and show you what you are made of.
You can use that strength as you consider birthing your baby.
Watch the waves ebb and flow,
Releasing the power and giving power,
And as you watch these waves,
Sense within you the ability to embody power and relax,
To give and to receive.
Feel that sense of balance within you.
The confidence that you have what you need already in you grows even more.
As you watch this beautiful natural scene unfold,
Feel within a new unfolding in your heart.
The natural processes both within your mind and your body are perfectly ordered and balanced like the waves.
Feel yourself connected through these waves to that great power within you to relax,
To release,
And to display extraordinary life-giving power.
Watch the waves as they tickle your toes,
Feel the cool gentle water wash over them.
Feel the sand between your toes,
Gently massaging them,
And with it,
Massaging away all your cares and worries.
Whenever something feels too physically intense,
You can return to this feeling,
This gentle feeling in your toes that feels peaceful and relaxed.
Whenever you look down at your toes,
You'll remember this moment of pure relaxation,
Of peaceful assuredness,
And of confidence in your body,
Your abilities,
And your inner strength.
Picture now your favorite color,
A color that makes you feel joy and delight.
Picture now that color illuminating your toenails.
Now you feel equally peaceful and joyful.
Joyful for who you are and what your body was made to do.
And peaceful that you are in control,
Confident in your abilities,
And free from all worry.
Rest now on the shore,
Sitting on a sandy bank near some tall grass,
Blowing gently in the breeze.
The sound of the tall grass makes its sweet and gentle music as it sways back and forth.
Listen to the sound of the grass and the waves combining in perfect harmony.
Feel the energy from the sand below you,
And feel the sun gently kiss your cheeks.
You feel a sense of rightness and connection with all of life.
This natural landscape reassures you that you are part of this beautiful symphony.
Your life,
Your motherhood,
Is a part of this beautiful circle,
This harmony of life.
It reminds you that you belong in this role of bringing forth new life,
And that you have everything in you to do this.
You have all the strength and power to face the challenge ahead.
Now imagine next to you a wooden lever among the tall grass.
You gaze upon this lever with curiosity.
Reach your hand towards the lever to feel its weather-worn texture.
It's surprisingly smooth,
Perfected by the elements over time.
Hold onto this lever now,
And pull it slowly towards you.
As you pull it,
You notice the waves shifting from strong to quiet and back again.
Experiment with this lever,
Adjusting the power of the waves.
It feels amazing and empowering that it's in your ability to control these elements.
As the waves grow stronger and more intense,
Notice what shifts in you,
And how you feel.
And when you would like to change that feeling,
Shift the lever down,
Lessening the power of the waves.
Notice what shifts in you as you see this change.
You can use this lever at any time to shift your feelings and experience.
And now,
Set the lever to whatever level feels right to you.
Rest in that place.
Take one last moment to enjoy the beauty of that space.
Enjoy the way the sun shines beautifully across the landscape.
Enjoy what lasting sounds and sensations remain.
Take one final moment to say goodbye to your peaceful place here on the beach,
Knowing that you can return at any time whenever you need to relax and feel confident.
Close your eyes to the space,
And when you open them,
Return to the here and now.
