And welcome to this Glimmers Meditation,
Let's take a moment or two to really make sure you're feeling nice and comfortable,
Taking the time to prop up some cushions behind you or underneath you,
If it's chilly where you are perhaps grabbing a blanket and just allowing yourself to settle,
Ready to accept this next 15 minutes or so of connecting with those things that really allow you to feel safe,
To feel secure,
To feel connected.
So just beginning by drawing your attention to your breath,
Just noticing the rhythm and flow of your breathing,
The movement of your breath through your body.
Our breath can tell us an awful lot about how we're feeling,
When we feel relaxed we tend to be breathing more regularly,
Evenly,
And when we're really relaxed our out-breath tends to be longer.
And as you breathe,
I just want you to become aware of the whole of your body,
In whatever way you can,
Just being aware of the whole of your body,
The outline of your body is a field of sensation,
A cloud of sensation,
Create some kind of mental outline,
Perhaps you can see that,
Perhaps you can picture it,
Or perhaps you just have a sense or imagine that outline of your body,
Either is perfectly fine.
And we're going to be scanning through the body and as we do,
I just want you to create a map,
A map in your mind's eye of your body,
And just mark out any areas that feel uncomfortable or tense,
Or even a little bit stuck today.
Starting with the top of your head,
You can pick a colour that represents stress or tension or tightness to you,
And as we move down through your face,
The back of your head,
The sides of your head,
Your cheeks and jaw,
Just marking out any areas that could do with a little more relaxation,
A little more ease.
Down into your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your arms and hands,
Your chest and upper back.
Your belly and your lower back,
Your hips,
Pelvis,
Thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Shins,
Ankles and feet.
And then again,
Just broadening your awareness to include the whole of your body.
Becoming aware of those areas that are shaded in that colour that represents stress or tension or tightness for you.
And then just imagine that the air around your body is filled with the colour of relaxation,
Whatever you sense that to be,
A soft mist of the colour of relaxation.
And as you breathe,
You are breathing this colour into your body.
Breathing it deeper and deeper inside your body.
The more you breathe,
The more you fill your body with this colour of relaxation.
And that colour eases,
Nudges,
Shifts into those areas of tension.
And perhaps those colours change,
Fade,
Become less vibrant.
Perhaps those areas shrink or even disappear altogether.
You can use your breath in much the same way as you might use it to blow up a balloon.
Just noticing the way that when you blow into a balloon,
You ease out the wrinkles.
And in much the same way as you breathe into your body,
You can breathe out those tensions,
Those stresses.
Breathing deeply,
Breathing evenly.
Breathing ease into your body in as much as you are able to accept that today.
And as you lie here or sit here,
I want you just to begin to picture a really special place to you.
Possibly somewhere in nature,
Somewhere that feels good for you,
Somewhere that feels safe and calm.
Somewhere where you can feel at peace and at ease.
Just connect with this place in whatever way feels right for you.
You might picture it.
Or you might connect in other senses.
You might get a feel for some of the textures you would find there.
The ground beneath your feet,
The air on your skin.
You might connect with particular smells.
Or sounds.
Or even tastes.
Or your own soup of all of those things.
Just feeling into this place.
Sensing into this place.
In whatever way you can.
And as you do,
Just allow yourself to connect with the feeling of safety.
The feelings of peace and security and connection that are associated with this place for you.
And then I just want you to imagine in front of you,
There's a circle.
And you can create this circle using whatever you've got to hand in this special place.
Maybe leaves or twigs or stones or shells.
Maybe glitter or fairy dust or energy or magic.
Anything.
Anything you like.
Just creating a circle in front of you.
And as you step inside,
I want you to begin to become even more aware of those feelings of safety and peace and security and connection.
And just noticing how those feelings manifest in your body.
What does it feel like to feel calm?
To feel safe?
How does that feel in your body?
Where do you feel it in your body?
And you can begin to bring to mind some of the situations that you associate with these feelings.
Perhaps there are people who you feel really yourself with,
Really comfortable with,
Really loved by.
Perhaps there are other places or activities.
Notice some of the micro-movements that feel good.
Like stretching out in bed.
Or stepping into a warm shower.
Perhaps the feel of bare feet on the grass.
And where do you experience a sense of awe or magic or peace?
People often find affinity with natural landscapes,
The ocean,
The forest,
The lake,
Mountain,
Garden.
There might also be places in your home where you feel a sense of peace and connection or the home of a loved one.
Are there any little sounds or smells that you associate?
Perhaps the smell of your favourite food,
Cooking or a loved one's perfume.
Let's bring inside any memories of people or sounds or feelings that soothe you.
The sight of sunshine glimmering on water.
The feel of clean sheets.
The smell of new rain on a summer's day.
Maybe there are songs that make you feel calm,
Comfortable,
At ease.
Maybe the sound of a hearty laugh or a giggle from a loved one.
Just pull them all in here and know that you can come back to this meditation and act more time and time again.
Curate this collection and connect to those wonderful feelings and imagine turning up those feelings as you recognise them in your body.
You recognise how they soothe your mind.
And lift your spirit.
And just take a nice calm breath with that long out breath and say to yourself,
My circle.
And know that this phrase,
My circle,
And the image of your circle will be an anchor to these resourceful feelings.
A way to allow your nervous system to drop in,
To calm,
To safety,
To peace,
Anytime you need it.
My circle.
Surrounded by glimmers.
Surrounded by all of these micro-moments of joy,
Of peace,
Of happiness.
These resourceful feelings or qualities coming from sensory experiences that boost the ventral vagus energy.
Beautiful sunsets,
The sound of birdsong,
Dust motes in the sunlight.
Or milling around you in whatever way you choose to organise them.
My circle.
And I want you to imagine in the not too distant future a situation that might have you feeling a bit stressed.
A situation where these feelings of safety and security and peace would be really useful to you.
Imagining yourself there,
Seeing with your own eyes,
Hearing what you might hear.
And I just want you to breathe those calm breaths and say to yourself,
My circle.
And as you connect with your circle,
You feel yourself surrounded by those glimmers,
By those resourceful feelings.
And as you move through that situation now,
You can just notice how it's different for you.
And so,
With all of those wonderful feelings and this shortcut that you now have,
The calm breath,
The word,
My glimmers,
Ready to whisk you back here any time you need to.
And you can just prepare yourself now for a more conscious state,
Just starting to breathe a bit more energy into your body.
Wriggling fingers and toes perhaps,
Stretching in any way that feels good.
And then when you feel ready,
Just gently,
Gently opening your eyes when you feel ready to do so.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
