Welcome.
You have come here because some part of you is tired.
Tired of saying yes when you mean no.
Tired of making yourself smaller so that everyone around you feels comfortable.
Tired of abandoning yourself quietly over and over again in the hope that if If you just give a little more,
Everything will be finally ok.
This is your space and in this space the only person you need to take care of is you.
So find a comfortable position now,
Lying down if you can.
Let your body be fully supported by the surface beneath you,
By the ground beneath that.
You don't need to hold anything right now.
Let your eyes close softly.
Not forced.
Chest and the house.
Take a breath in through your nose slowly.
And full and let it go through your mouth with a long quiet sigh.
Again,
Breathing in,
Gathering yourself home,
And breathing out,
Releasing the weight of everyone else's needs.
One more.
In through your nose,
Feeling completely and out through your mouth,
Letting it all go.
You here.
And that's enough.
Bring your awareness to the top of your head.
Notice if you're holding any tension.
In your scalp,
Your forehead.
The space behind your ears.
And on your next exhale give those muscles permission to soften.
Let your face go completely slack.
Your jaw unclenches,
Your tongue drops from the roof of your mouth.
Your eyes grow heavy and still.
This softness moves down into your neck and your shoulders.
This is where so many of us carry it.
The invisible way.
Of other people's well-being.
Constant watching.
Always reading the room.
Always adjusting.
Let your shoulders drop now.
A little further.
Then feels normal.
Let them be heavy.
Down through your arms,
Your elbows,
Your forearms.
Your wrists all the way to the tips of your fingers,
Your hands open slightly,
Palms facing upward.
A gentle act of release.
Into your chest now,
Your heart space.
If there is any tightness here.
Any old ache from the times you choose everyone else over yourself.
Just notice it.
We are not pushing it away.
We are simply acknowledging what you've been carrying.
The warmth continues now,
Flowing down through your belly,
Your lower back,
Your hips down through your legs.
Your knees,
Your ankles,
The soles of your feet.
Every part of your body softening.
Sinking.
Completely still.
And with every exhale just drift just a little deeper into this beautiful safe stillness.
A little deeper.
And deeper still.
In your mind's eye.
Allow a place to form around you,
Somewhere that feels completely safe.
And completely yours.
It might be a place you know,
A room you loved,
A corner of nature that always felt like home.
Or it might be summer.
That exists only here.
In the quiet landscape of your inner world.
There is no right answer.
Just notice what arrives.
See the quality of light in this place,
Feel the temperature against your skin,
Warm and just right.
Perhaps there's a gentle sound here.
The distant murmur of water,
The whisper of leaves.
Or a profound and peaceful silence.
Whatever it is,
This place is yours.
You are safe here.
Completely protected.
Find somewhere to rest within this space.
And as you settle Feel yourself becoming even more deeply relaxed.
As if the ground itself is holding you.
As if this place was built for this exact moment.
I want you to become gently aware.
Of a presence at the edge of your sanctuary.
A small one.
A younger version of you.
Perhaps 7 or 8 years old,
Perhaps younger.
She is standing there.
A little uncertain.
Watching you.
Look at her really look Notice what is she wearing?
Expression on her face.
And as you look at her Something becomes clearer.
You can see with great tenderness.
The moment it began.
The moment she first land.
That the way to be safe.
Was to make sure everyone around her was happy.
To be good.
To be easy.
To be no trouble at all.
She learned it so well.
And she has been doing it ever since.
Walk towards her now.
When you reach her.
Place your hand gently on her shoulder.
Or take her small hand in yours,
However feels right.
And tell her,
Gently but clearly.
You don't have to earn your place here.
You are allowed to take up space.
You are allowed to have needs.
And you are allowed to disappoint people and still be worthy of love.
And watch what happens in her body as she hears those words.
Perhaps something in her softens.
Perhaps she has been waiting a long time to hear them.
Let her know that you,
The wiser grown version of you,
Are here now.
That she no longer has to manage everything alone.
That it is safe.
Now to let down the guard she has been holding up for so many years.
She knows.
She understands.
And slowly,
Gently you feel her settle.
Not disappearing.
But resting.
Coming home into you.
Take a breath now.
Deep and full and as you breathe in notice a sense of expansion in your chest,
A spaciousness that wasn't there before.
You are a woman who is allowed to say no.
You are a woman who chooses herself without apology.
You are a woman who's worth.
Does not depend on anyone's approval.
Let yourself feel.
What is like to be her?
Not one day.
Not air.
Not when everything is sorted.
Right now.
In this body.
In this breath.
Bring your thumb and forefinger together,
On one hand,
Gently touching.
And as you press them together now Let this feeling flow into that point of contact.
This is your anchor.
Whenever you feel the old pull,
The urge to shrink,
To apologize before you've even spoken,
You press these fingers together.
And this feeling returns,
Grounded,
Centered,
Free.
Begin to bring your awareness gently back to your body now.
Notice the surface beneath you,
The temperature of the room,
The sound of your own breath.
When you're ready.
Take 3 slow breaths.
Each one bringing you a little more back into the room.
Fully present,
Fully yours.
Begin to gently move your fingers and toes,
A small stretch if you'd like,
And whenever you're ready,
No rush,
Let your eyes open softly.
You are allowed to disappoint people and you are allowed to choose yourself and that is not selfish.
And that is how healing begins.
