Hello my friend,
It's time to slow down,
To rest your body and create space for your imagination to sparkle and play.
Get yourself comfortable and snuggle into a cosy position.
When you feel ready,
Let your eyes gently close.
You don't need to do anything at all.
Just listen and breathe.
In and out.
Breathing in and out.
Now,
Imagine that you are floating at the edge of a magical ocean.
The sky above you glows with a soft golden light.
And the water shines like liquid turquoise.
As you step closer,
Tiny sparkles dance across the waves inviting you in.
The water feels warm,
Calming and it feels silky.
With each slow breath you begin to sink gently,
Peacefully into the ocean.
Just deep enough to feel like you're entering a secret magical world.
But don't worry,
You can breathe with ease here.
In and out.
As you drift through the water,
All the sounds of the outside world become soft and far away.
Your body feels lighter,
Your mind feels calm and you notice now something is drifting towards you.
Slowly,
Gracefully,
An octopus emerges from behind a cloud of swaying seaweed.
His eyes are kind and clever and his skin changes colour as he moves.
Sometimes matching the sand,
Sometimes matching the coral.
Did you know that octopuses can change the colour and texture of their skin?
They can make themselves look bumpy like coral,
Smooth like a pebble or even invisible when they need to hide.
They are the magicians of the ocean.
The octopus gives you a gentle wave with one of its eight long,
Soft legs as if to say,
Come with me.
You swim gently beside him,
Moving through the slow,
Quiet water.
Everywhere around you,
Seaweed sways like ribbons and bubbles rise to the surface like silver pearls.
The octopus leads you to a coral reef,
A beautiful underwater city filled with colour and life.
There are bright blue starfish,
Tiny seahorses and fish that shimmer like rainbows.
The coral towers stretch high and low like underwater castles and the light filters through in soft,
Wavy patterns.
The octopus glides gracefully,
Every movement calm and smooth.
You notice how each of his eight arms move in a different way,
Softly swirling,
Curling and reaching.
Did you know each of an octopus's arms can taste,
Touch and even think a little bit on its own?
Their arms are full of special senses called suckers that help them explore the world around them.
An octopus can feel,
Taste and hold things all at once.
He gently touches a seashell with one arm and you watch as he changes colour again.
A soft,
Sandy beige that matches the shell perfectly.
It's almost as though he has disappeared.
Now his colour shifts again as he leads you deeper into the ocean where it's quiet and peaceful.
The water feels cool and soft and tiny sparkles of light drift all around you like little specks of sea dust floating like stars.
You pass a forest of swaying seaweed and come to a rocky ledge where the octopus's cosy cave awaits.
But wait,
The entrance looks so tiny,
Far too tiny for a creature as big as this octopus.
But something magical happens.
The octopus swishes gently,
Wriggles and whoosh,
It slips right through the tiny opening.
Because octopuses have no bones at all,
They can fit through small spaces as small as their beak.
The entrance of the cave is surrounded by smooth pebbles and shells neatly arranged in a little pile.
Did you know octopuses are very smart?
They love to collect pretty shells and rocks and sometimes even make a little door out of them to hide his cave and keep him safe.
He's like a clever builder in the ocean.
Inside his cave it's peaceful and warm.
The octopus curls up comfortably,
His arms wrapped softly around himself.
You begin to notice a faint rhythmic thumping sound.
You discover it is coming from your octopus's friend's three hearts.
Wow,
Yes,
Octopuses have three hearts.
Isn't that amazing?
One heart is to pump blue blood all around its body.
The blood is blue because it carries oxygen differently than our bodies.
Its other two hearts help it glide through the water with ease.
Wow,
That is so interesting,
Isn't it?
The sound of the hearts is calming like a soft ocean drum beat.
Thump,
Thump,
Thump,
Thump.
Now,
As the ocean becomes still and sleepy,
You curl up near the octopus's cave,
Resting on soft seaweed that feels like silk.
You watch tiny bubbles drift upward and the sunlight shimmer gently above.
Everything feels calm and slow.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Feel how calm and light your body is,
Floating in this peaceful ocean world.
Now,
Let's take a deep breath together.
In and out.
And out.
You are calm.
You are safe.
You are loved.
Slowly bring your attention back to wherever you are.
And as you do,
Remember that calm and quiet feeling inside of you.
You can carry this gentle,
Peaceful feeling with you wherever you go.
And you can come back to this peaceful feeling whenever you need,
Anywhere,
Anytime.
And remember,
Just like the octopus,
You are part of nature's magic.
Clever,
Calm and full of wonder.
When you are ready,
You can choose to continue to rest.
Slowly begin to move about your day again.
Bye for now,
My friend.
