Hello my friend,
It's time to slow down,
To rest your body and go on a colourful journey together.
Find yourself a cosy place to rest,
You can sit or lie down,
Whatever feels best.
Let your hands relax,
Your shoulders soften,
Take a slow breath in,
And a gentle breath out.
And again,
Breathing in calm,
And breathing out anything noisy or busy.
Now,
Imagine you are standing at the edge of a warm sparkling ocean,
The sun is soft,
Not too bright,
The water shimmers with blues and greens and colours you don't even have names for.
When you are ready,
Imagine stepping into the water,
It feels just right,
Not cold,
Not too warm,
Just right.
The ocean seems to welcome you,
You notice tiny bubbles rising around your body,
Sunlight dances across the waves.
With every breath you feel lighter,
Calmer and curious.
You lay down in the water and slowly begin to drift beneath the surface,
But don't worry,
You can breathe easily here.
The water is clear and peaceful.
As you drift downwards you begin to see coral reefs below,
Twisting shapes,
Soft fangs and glowing colours.
Fish guide past you like floating jewels,
And then something sparkles,
A flash of turquoise,
A shimmer of purple,
A glow of emerald green.
You follow the colours gently,
Like following an underwater rainbow.
Tucked safely inside a coral home is a small,
Incredible creature,
This is the mantis shrimp.
It peeks out from its cosy tunnel,
Its eyes moving in ways that look almost magical.
Each eye can move on its own,
Exploring the world with curiosity.
The mantis shrimp sees the ocean in a very special way.
While humans see just a few colours,
The mantis shrimp sees many,
Many more,
Colours we as humans will never see,
Colours beyond imagination,
Colours like dreams and feelings and music.
As you watch,
The reef seems to glow brighter,
As if you are seeing the ocean through the mantis shrimp eyes.
Take a moment to notice the colours around you now,
They feel richer,
Deeper and more alive.
The mantis shrimp feels calm and safe in its home.
It has built this tunnel carefully,
At just the right size,
This is its peaceful place.
The shrimp slowly swims out to greet you,
It isn't scary,
It's curious,
Just like you.
Its body shines like a living rainbow,
Changing gently as it moves.
It feels proud,
Strong and confident.
You learn something special as you watch.
Even though the mantis shrimp is small,
It is very powerful.
It has tiny arms that can move faster than a blink of the eye,
The fastest punch in the whole ocean.
But right now,
It isn't punching or hunting for food.
It's resting,
Drifting,
Enjoying the quiet water.
And you realise something important,
Being strong doesn't always mean moving fast,
Sometimes being strong means knowing when to be gentle.
The mantis shrimp floats beside you as you drift together through the reef.
With every slow breath you take,
The ocean feels calmer.
The mantis shrimp shows you how it listens to the water,
How it notices tiny changes,
How it stays aware,
Yet peaceful.
You pass soft coral waving like underwater trees.
A turtle glides by,
Slow and steady.
Bubbles rise and disappear above you.
The mantis shrimp pauses near a smooth rock.
It taps it lightly,
Not to break it,
Just to feel it.
You learn that the mantis shrimp is very,
Very smart.
It remembers places.
It knows its neighbours.
It learns from the world around it,
Just like you.
As you float together,
The shrimp invites you to imagine seeing the world the way it does.
Imagine noticing small details,
Shadows,
Patterns,
Hidden beauty.
Imagine how much they're used to discover,
Even in the quiet moments.
Now,
The mantis shrimp begins to return to its home.
Before it goes,
It circles you,
Once,
Slowly,
Like a friendly goodbye.
Its colours shimmer warmly,
And you feel a sense of calm confidence settle inside of you.
A reminder that you can be curious,
You can be gentle,
And you can be strong,
All at once.
The shrimp disappears safely into its coral tunnel.
You begin to float upward.
The water grows lighter.
The sunlight becomes brighter.
The ocean hums softly around you.
Take another slow breath in,
And out.
As you rise above the water now,
You bring something special back with you.
The mantis shrimp's sense of wonder,
Its calm focus,
Its quiet strength.
Now,
Imagine resting once more back in your cosy place,
Here and now.
Feel the ground,
Seat,
Or bed beneath you.
Notice your hands.
Notice your feet.
Begin to wriggle your fingers gently,
And then wriggle your toes.
When you are ready,
You can open your eyes,
Or continue to rest.
But remember,
There is a whole hidden world full of colour,
Strength,
And curiosity,
Waiting to be discovered,
Just like the mantis shrimp.
Thank you for taking this journey with me today.
Bye for now,
My friend.
