Welcome.
Today I'll be guiding you through a visualization that will help you relax and let go of your worries and troubles.
By doing that you'll be set free to more joyfully engage with the flow of your life.
So come with me as we get ourselves comfortable.
You can lie down,
Sit in a chair or sit cross-legged.
Let every point of contact with the earth,
Whether it's your seat,
Your back or your feet,
Drink in the stability it gives you.
Now close down your eyes.
Let them relax back into your head and make contact with your breath.
Feel it enter you,
Filling you.
Feel it leaving you,
Letting you fall down into relaxation.
Don't try to control your breath,
Just notice it and witness its waves as it flows in and out of you.
Now you're standing on some stairs leading down to a door.
Take in a breath and breathing out,
Take a step down towards the door.
Stand on the step a moment to adjust,
Then on an out breath take another step.
The light is dimmer as you descend and you start to smell earthy scents around you,
Warm and welcoming.
When you're ready,
Take another step down,
Breathing.
And then one more step so you're at the door.
Reach out your hand and grasp the brass doorknob.
It's warm in your hand,
Reassuring.
Turn it and open the door.
Sunlight streams through the doorway,
Kissing your face and warming your whole body.
Opening the door wide,
Step through.
Your feet touch soft yielding lush grass.
You look around and find you're in a verdant meadow,
The sun washing down onto grass and wildflowers in full bloom.
The breeze rustles through this lush carpet in a slow steady whisper.
Breathe and enjoy just being here.
Stepping forward into the meadow,
The grass feels cool and soft beneath the soles of your feet.
Feel the coldness,
The freshness,
How it contrasts with the warmth on the skin of your arms and your face.
You brush up against wildflowers as you walk,
Daisies,
Clover,
Poppies,
Cornflowers,
And a heady scent rises up from them.
They're bobbing their heads as you move through them,
Offering up the gift of their fragrance.
At your own slow dancing pace,
Travel further through the meadow.
Up ahead,
You see a clear stream fringed by small trees and reeds,
Sunlight dappling its surface.
Step lightly towards it,
Letting a smile spread across your face at its beauty.
Lightly stepping,
Feel the cool on your feet and the warmth on your body.
When you reach the stream,
Settle down calmly.
When you reach the stream,
Settle down comfortably in the grass on its bank.
The grass welcomes you and forms a cushion to make you perfectly comfortable.
Sit for a moment,
Enjoying the succor it gives you.
Enjoying the succor it gives you.
Now allow yourself to notice the calm flow of the crystal clear water beside you.
Reach out and trail your fingertips through the water.
Feel it trickle over your skin,
Ever-flowing,
Full of the joy of life.
Look within now.
Is there anything that's holding you back from this flow,
From the flow of your life?
Any worry or source of tension?
Notice it,
Name it.
Allow the grass to cradle you as you acknowledge it.
Then set it down on the water like a paper boat.
See how the cool water flows peacefully past you.
Look past it,
Untroubled.
The water is ever-flowing,
Vibrantly natural,
And this artificial object is powerless before it.
Can you feel the water tugging,
Wanting to take it away from you?
Open your hand.
Let the water take your worry,
Your resistance,
Calmly carrying it downstream and away.
Feel the water washing over your empty fingers as they lie open.
Lift your hand out of the water.
Lift your hand out of the water and feel again the warmth of the sun drying your fingers.
Let yourself fall back into the grass,
Gratefully taking the sun's warmth into your heart,
Onto your face,
And everywhere,
Warm,
Calm,
And protected.
Feel how free you are now you've let the water wash away your tensions.
Lie back and just breathe.
How does it feel to be free?
Does your face feel more open?
Your shoulders looser?
Your heart closer to the surface?
Just breathe and feel where you are right now.
Now it's time to come back to the room.
Gently move your fingers,
Wiggle your toes,
Maybe roll your shoulders,
Maybe raise your arms and have a good,
Open,
Peace-filled stretch.
Open your eyes and look with light and acceptance at the world around you.
Let it be just as it is.
And take this feeling,
This freedom,
With you.
As you step forward into the rest of your day.
