Hello I'm Lisa and I'll be your guide in today's breathing and meditation journey.
This practice is one part breath focused and one part guided imagery meditation.
Use your imagination to help guide your mind towards rest.
Visualization or seeing with your mind's eye is a technique that draws on your ability to concentrate on images to help you focus and center your mind and body.
This practice is similar to daydreaming and it will become easier and more accessible to your mind the more you practice it.
This practice has been known to help with relaxation and focus,
Cultivate stability and well-being,
Enhance creativity,
And improve self-awareness.
For tonight's purposes we'll want to be lying down and very comfortable.
Wear clothing that allows you to feel relaxed in your body to eliminate as many distractions as possible.
Take your time to set yourself up in your bed or wherever you like to sleep.
Feel the softness of your sheets and the pillow under your head.
Notice the weight and the feel of the blankets on top of you.
Wiggle your toes,
Roll out your ankles a few times,
And maybe rub your feet together.
Do this for as long as you like and release your feet when you're ready and just let them be.
Let your hands rest and let your head be heavy.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and an audible sigh.
Let it go.
Let's do that again.
Big expansive breath in.
Audible sigh.
One more time.
Inhale and exhale.
Pause at the base of your exhale just for a moment and then we'll inhale through your nose for three,
Two,
One,
And hold at the top.
Exhale,
Empty out completely and pause at the bottom.
And again,
Inhale for three,
Two,
One,
And hold.
And exhale,
Empty out.
Pause at the bottom.
One more time.
Inhale for three,
Two,
One,
And hold.
And exhale,
Empty out completely.
Another deep breath in and let it go.
Relax your jaw and allow your breath to become neutral.
Not trying to control it any longer.
And let your body and your mind just be.
Picture yourself here as you are in your bed,
Safe and relaxed.
Use your awareness to scan through the sensations of your body and wherever possible,
Soften and release any obvious areas of tension.
Feel the sensations in your body in this moment.
And as you breathe naturally,
Allow your body to completely and fully relax.
Allow stress to flow out of you with each breath.
Your body is becoming calm and comfortable.
Let any tension in your brow go.
Let any tension around your eyes go.
Just relax in the comfortable space that surrounds you.
Once you feel relaxed and centered,
Start to bring yourself to one of your favorite peaceful,
Beautiful places.
This could be a place that you've been before,
Like a silent redwood grove with cool shade,
Towering ancient trees,
Or a white sand beach where the ocean waves gently lap the shore and the smell of the salty sea air makes you feel at home.
It could be a place built entirely in your imagination.
A lovely,
Slowly swaying bridge that you stand on,
Watching a babbling brook flow beneath it.
Or an ancient oak in the autumn with golden leaves falling around you as you sit under the shade and watch the golden orange sun pass over the horizon.
Or maybe it's a quiet room filled with books where you can snuggle into an overstuffed chair and read all night with a fireplace going and a purring cat on your lap.
Wherever this special,
Peaceful place is for you,
Take your time to imagine it as completely as you can,
All around you.
Once you have your special place in mind,
Bring yourself into the picture.
Imagine that you're in this beautiful place and really put yourself there.
Take a walk,
Look around at the lovely and peaceful surroundings.
Before,
You were just looking at this peaceful scene like a painting from a distance.
Now you're in the scene.
You're living it.
Be there right now.
What do you see around you?
There's no need to verbally answer this question.
Just look around and see what you see.
What in this scene is most relaxing to you?
Take a walk in this special place and see everything that you can see.
What do you smell in the air?
Can you smell trees and soil?
Or do you smell the salty air of the ocean?
Or maybe the smell of the fireplace crackling.
Bring scent into your visualization.
Smell the air wherever you are.
Reach out and touch something that's attractive to you.
How does it feel?
Is it soft to your touch?
You are living in the scene.
You can feel the ground or the floor beneath you and the air on your skin.
How does it feel?
How does it smell?
Now take a moment to listen.
What sounds do you hear in these beautiful surroundings?
Can you hear birds chirping in the trees?
Do you hear the ocean waves in their perpetual booming rhythm?
Perhaps there's music in the background.
Or maybe you can hear the voice of strangers chatting in the distance that soothes and calms you.
Whatever you hear,
Take a moment now to enjoy listening to it.
You can stay here in this scene for as long as you want,
Enjoying this moment completely,
Allowing yourself to relax into this moment that you've created for yourself.
Feel free to explore this space,
Walking around,
Listening and watching as long as you want.
This space is yours.
Feel your feet beneath you.
Notice what you're standing on.
Is it soft grass or moss of the forest floor?
Or is it sand sliding through your toes?
Or maybe you're wearing slippers with cozy socks.
Know that this special place is always here for you.
You can come back to it whenever you want.
You won't lose it.
It's always with you.
The relaxation that you feel right now in this moment in your body is yours to call on whenever you wish.
When you are ready,
Slowly let the scene soften and dissolve in towards the back of your mind.
Allow yourself to slowly come back to the comfortable darkness that was there before you imagined this special place.
Over the next breath or two,
Slowly allow yourself to drift within the space behind your eyes,
Not working too hard to let go of the scene,
Just allowing yourself to be.
Take a moment to notice how relaxed your body feels right now.
Slowly scan up and down to bring this relaxation throughout your whole being.
Your true nature is here.
You are exactly where you need to be.
Allow yourself to immerse within this space without force or strain.
Just let it be.
You are worthy of rest and relaxation.
So let it be.
Relax,
Let go,
And be kind to yourself.
Stay here as long as you like.
Maybe drifting off to sleep.
Relax,
Let go,
And be kind to yourself.
Good night.
