With your eyes closed,
I want you to take a few long,
Deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth,
Pulling the air all the way down to your lower belly,
Letting the belly expand,
Pausing just for a moment,
And exhaling through the mouth.
And just find the natural rhythm of your breath.
And I want you to visualize that you're standing outside of a sauna.
The sauna can be any size you like,
But today you have it all to yourself.
You see the large glass door in front of you,
And reaching for the handle,
You pull it towards you and feel a rush of warm,
Moist air wash over your body.
And as you step onto the planks,
You can smell cedar,
The warmth of the wood on the soles of your feet,
The soft,
Thick towel wrapped around you,
And you breathe in this air deeply.
And pulling the door closed behind you,
You leave just a small crack to allow a stream of cool air to enter any time you get too warm.
You find a comfortable place to sit where your back is supported,
And you make yourself comfortable.
Placing your hands in your lap,
You begin to breathe in and out deeply,
Feeling your body soften and release with every exhale.
You may hear chatter,
A radio,
Traffic outside of the sauna,
But from in here,
It's comforting because you know just for the next few moments,
You have this space all to yourself.
And as you breathe in deeply,
You feel a yawn start to build up,
Releasing even more tension from the body.
And you feel the heat warming your skin,
Soaking deeper into your muscles,
Into your bones,
Your organs.
And as this supportive heat fills your body and your temperature comfortably rises,
You can feel the pulse of your heart begin to strengthen,
And you watch it ripple across your chest,
To your shoulders,
Across your back,
Down your arms.
You can feel this gentle pulse in the palms of your hands,
The tingling sensation on your skin,
Your fingertips,
Down your thumbs.
Your hands feel thick and full with this warm pulse from your heart.
And with each exhale,
Your body lets go a little more.
Allowing more heat to enter and soften the tissues.
And you feel this gentle rhythmic pulse moving down the body to the soles of your feet,
Along the arches,
The toes,
The heels.
And as this vibration grows slowly,
You watch it begin to expand beyond your body,
Beyond the surface of your skin,
And you feel it ripple outward with every heartbeat,
Out to the walls surrounding you,
Filling the warm air and returning back to you.
And as these ripples gently wash over you,
You feel your body synchronize,
Letting go,
Trusting its natural rhythms,
Feeling safe and supported in this warm,
Rich,
Enveloping air.
And you may feel sweat begin to bead on the back of your neck,
Your scalp,
Your back.
Tuning in to the contrasting sensations,
You feel the heat of the wood under your legs,
Under your feet,
Supporting you.
That cool stream of air that's coming through that small crack you left in the door,
And any part of the body that you would like just a little coolness,
Tune in and feel that stream rushing to that area.
And now your eyes focus on the steamed glass in front of you,
The beads of water slowly sliding down,
Revealing the world outside.
And now with each breath,
You feel yourself centering into your body,
And you place your hands on your towel,
Ready to stand,
Pressing your feet firmly against the wood,
And you push the door in front of you,
Feeling that cool rush of air washing over your body,
Your feet pressing against the cold floor outside,
Feeling clear,
Light,
And grounded.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
