This technique guides you through creating a special outdoor place in your mind where you can go whenever you want to relax.
Lie down,
Get comfortable,
And close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And as you breathe out,
Let all your muscles relax completely.
Take another deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And as you breathe out,
Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Allow your mind to become like a blank screen,
Peaceful and calm.
Now take another deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And as you breathe out,
Let your emotions quiet down.
Just allow them to relax.
Allow yourself to be quiet,
Calm,
And peaceful.
Take a deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And as you exhale,
Send your breath to the top of your head and relax the muscles in the top of your head.
Take another breath in,
And as you exhale,
Send the breath to your forehead.
Smooth out all the muscles in your forehead.
Take a breath in,
And send the breath to your eyes,
And just let the muscles around your eyes become peaceful and calm.
Now inhale,
And send this breath to your cheeks.
Let your cheeks hang loose and limp.
On the next breath out,
Move that feeling of looseness to your jaw.
Let your mouth fall slightly open,
Loose and relaxed,
And let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth.
Just relax your entire jaw,
Mouth,
And tongue.
Take another breath in,
And as you breathe out,
Send the breath to your neck and your throat.
Let all the muscles in your neck and throat relax.
On the next breath out,
Send it to your chest and upper back.
Totally relax all the muscles in your chest and upper back.
Now take a breath in,
And as you exhale,
Send the breath to your solar plexus,
Stomach,
And lower back.
Feel the relaxation spreading down your body.
Take another deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And send this breath to your buttocks,
Relaxing all the muscles in your buttocks.
Inhale,
Send the breath to your thighs,
And totally relax your thighs.
Now take another breath in,
And as you exhale,
Send the breath to your lower legs,
And relax your lower legs.
Your whole leg now feels calm and relaxed.
Now take another breath in,
And as you exhale,
Send the breath down to your toes,
And relax them.
Your whole body now is fully relaxed from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Scan your body,
And if you find any tension anywhere,
Inhale and send the breath to that part of your body,
And totally relax it.
You are now in a totally relaxed state,
An open and receptive state of consciousness.
Now ask to be covered in white light from the purest,
Highest source.
Breathe in that white light protection.
This will keep you safe on all levels as you continue on your inner experience.
You are now going to gradually create a special place for yourself in nature.
The instructions will be necessarily vague,
Since you have to fill in details that have special meaning to you.
Imagine a path.
It could be in the woods,
At the seashore,
In the desert,
Or in the mountains.
It can be any place you know,
Or would like to know.
Locate that path now.
Imagine that you are standing on the path,
Looking in front of you.
Notice the surface of the path.
Notice if it's dirt,
Or sand,
Or rocks.
Notice the color and the texture.
Now begin walking on the path.
You may be barefoot,
Or wearing comfortable shoes,
Boots,
Or sandals.
Whatever you'd like your foot coverings to be,
Make it so.
Become aware of how your feet feel on the surface you've created.
As you stroll down the path,
Look up and notice the countryside.
See the colors and shapes all around you.
Are there trees,
Rocks,
Perhaps mountains?
Be aware of what you are creating.
Listen and hear any sounds.
Are there birds?
Is there the sound of water,
Of wind,
Of your own steps?
Notice all the sounds.
Notice also how quiet and peaceful it is here.
Take a deep breath in and smell the fresh air.
Take in the smells of earth,
Water,
And green growing things.
Feel the sun shining and the gentle breeze blowing against your face.
Continue down the path until you come to a secluded area.
This will be your special place.
If it doesn't seem inviting,
Change the parts you don't like,
Or go a little further down the path until you come to a spot you like more.
Take a look around this special spot.
Is it a meadow?
A clearing?
A cove?
A hollow?
A mountaintop?
Make it whatever feels right to you.
Notice its shape and general layout.
Take in the sights,
Sounds,
And smells.
Notice what the ground is like.
Rocky?
Grassy?
Bushy?
And so on.
Are there any little animals like birds or squirrels?
Is there water nearby that you can see or hear?
This is your special place for you alone.
You can come here anytime you want.
No one else can come unless you invite them.
It's safe and secure,
A quiet place of relaxation and peace.
Walk around your special place and notice the quality of light.
Make it comfortable,
Not too bright or too dark.
You can make the temperature warmer or cooler.
Make the wind stronger or cause it to die away entirely.
You are in control of how you want this place to feel.
Notice what you are wearing,
The colors,
The style,
How it feels against your skin.
Change to something else if you want.
You can dress any way you choose here.
Now,
Find a comfortable place to lie down.
It could be a bed of dry moss,
A patch of sun-warmed sand,
Or even a real bed with pillow sheets and a blanket.
You can have it just the way you want.
Lie down and try it out.
Make sure it's a good place to rest and notice what you see when you look up.
Now,
Get up and go to the center of your special place.
Turn in a circle and notice what you see.
First,
Right in front of you.
Then,
Raise your eyes and fill in the middle distance.
Then,
Look out as far as you can see.
Now,
Look around and find a place where someone else could be nearby,
Yet hidden from you.
This is where you will have your inner guide and other visitors appear.
It can be a rock,
A big tree,
A bend in the path,
Or even a cave or a hole in the ground.
Now,
Make a place where you can store things.
A hollow tree,
A cupboard,
A hole under a rock,
A treasure chest,
A hollow in a face of a cliff.
Into this space,
Place some paper and a pen or pencil.
Make it the kind of art paper you loved as a child and your favorite kind of pencil or pen.
Include some paints and some modeling clay.
If you play or would like to play a musical instrument,
Put that in too.
If your instrument is too large to fit into your space,
Like a grand piano or another large instrument,
Enlarge your space to accommodate it.
Remember,
You can do anything in your special place,
Including playing an instrument on which you have had no training.
Now,
Look around and find a reflecting surface where you can see your face.
Create a mirror or a pond that you can see your reflection in.
Also,
Make some provision for a place to watch imaginary scenes,
A spot in the middle distance that seems like a stage or a TV monitor or even a crystal ball on a pedestal.
Now,
Go around your special place,
Experiencing and refining all the things you have created.
Look at them,
Smell them,
Touch them,
Fill in the details.
Change colors and textures.
Make your special place just as perfect as you want it to be.
Remember,
This is your place.
You can come to it anytime you want.
It is peaceful and serene,
A safe refuge from the cares of the world.
Take a couple of minutes now to fill in all the details you want.
Now,
Take a last look around.
Then walk out of your special place,
Down the path the same way you came.
Entering and leaving your special place by the same path is a way to heighten its reality for you.
Now,
Stop walking on the path and begin to remember your actual surroundings at this moment.
During the day,
Think back on your special place.
It's your place and you can go there anytime you want.
You are now ready to return to the room.
You will come back feeling rested and relaxed,
Calm and peaceful.
I'm going to count from 1 to 10.
As I do,
Visualize each number and feel yourself coming back to the surface,
Back to the room,
Being alert and refreshed.
At 10,
You will slowly open your eyes.
1.
.
.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
Feel yourself becoming more aware.
5.
.
.
Feeling peaceful and calm.
6.
.
.
Slowly coming to the surface.
7.
.
.
Starting to hear the sounds around you.
8.
.
.
Feeling the surface beneath you.
9.
.
.
Calm,
Peaceful,
Alert and refreshed.
10.
.
.
Slowly open your eyes,
Wiggle your hands and feet,
Stretch or yawn and come back to full awareness of the room.
