Welcome.
Go ahead and settle yourself into a nice,
Comfortable position,
Allowing your body to find a posture that feels just right for you,
And once you've settled in,
Gently close your eyes.
Now let's take a couple of deep,
Soothing breaths,
Taking a nice,
Deep breath in,
And as you breathe out,
Relaxing into a sense of calmness,
And slowly letting that calmness embrace your body and your mind,
Breathing in deeply,
Breathing out slowly,
Letting go of any tension.
As you continue to breathe,
You may notice thoughts from your day begin to arise in your mind,
Plans for what you need to get done tomorrow,
And all this is perfectly fine.
It's natural for our mind to wander,
But when you notice you're distracted,
Simply acknowledge that your mind has strayed and gently bring your attention back to that breath.
Allow all your thoughts to pass without judgment.
All you need to focus on right now is your breath.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now allow your breath to settle,
And as it does,
Imagine you're walking by a beautiful stream outdoors in nature.
It's a lazy summer afternoon.
There are willow trees growing by the stream,
And they provide a perfect amount of shade for this beautiful and sunny day.
The sun rays are peeking through the hanging tree branches,
Illuminating the grass in the soft lime green color that it carries.
As you walk along the stream,
You notice that the water is so clear,
And you look down and you can see shining pebbles resting at the bottom.
The water looks so inviting.
So you take off your shoes,
You feel the soft grass beneath your feet,
And you submerge your feet into the water,
Enjoying the pleasant cool water on your skin.
You feel the sandy bed allowing the pebbles to massage your feet gently.
It's so refreshing and rejuvenating,
Putting your feet in this water.
As you stand here enjoying this gentle massaging of pebbles underneath your feet and the flow of the stream splashing against your calves,
You take a deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
You can feel all your worries and concerns release and flow into the water,
Allowing them to be carried away by the stream.
So take a moment to just allow this stream to carry all stress away from you now.
Every droplet that gently splashes against your skin picks up all your worries and concerns,
And you can feel as it carries it away from you,
Leaving you feeling so peaceful and so relaxed.
Imagine any troubling thoughts are being released from the soles of your feet and released into the water,
And allow them to float away as you enjoy this beautiful nature around you.
Letting anything else that needs to go be gently carried away now.
Now you gently step out of the stream and take a seat against a trunk of a willow tree.
You're facing the stream and allowing your feet to dry in the warm air.
You lean your head back and close your eyes.
In the distance,
You can hear birds chirping to one another.
There's a gentle breeze blowing,
And you appreciate the sound of this trickling stream.
You can hear its bubbling sounds as the water moves over rocks and branches.
Just listening to the sound of this stream is making you feel so tranquil.
Allow the sound of this water to soothe your mind.
If your mind begins to wander,
Simply focus it back on the soothing sound of the stream,
Allowing your nervous system and your mind to take a break.
And now as you continue to rest here under this beautiful willow tree,
Gently shift your focus to your body.
Check in with it.
Notice how it feels.
Observe any areas of tension or discomfort or stress.
All you have to do is just become aware of how you feel at this moment.
Maintain a slow and steady rhythm of your breath as you observe any physical sensations you feel in your body.
Just spending some special time giving loving attention to your body without any judgments.
And while you continue to check in with your physical body,
You may notice that some areas feel very relaxed and very calm.
Others may not.
So just observe any bodily sensations or gentle tingling or feelings of heavy calmness.
Scan the entire body with great depth.
Relax any areas that are stubbornly holding on to tension,
Starting from the top of the head and moving down through your body slowly.
So notice your head and what it feels like.
Notice as you release any tension or pain.
Move down to your face and your forehead.
Are you holding any tension between your eyes?
If so,
Take a deep breath and allow this area to relax.
Moving down to your eyes and your cheeks,
Your lips and your jaw.
Take another deep breath as you relax all the muscles in your face.
Moving down your neck and your shoulders.
And if you find yourself holding tension here,
Take a deep breath.
Allow your arms to gently hang weightlessly from your shoulders and breathe.
Continue to work through your body slowly,
Scanning for any areas that you feel tension or pain and slowly moving your attention down through your body and arriving at your chest.
What does this area feel like?
Notice if you're holding any tension and release it with your breath.
Moving your attention down to your belly,
Observing how this area is feeling.
And as you breathe,
Allow this area to become soft and loose as you breathe out all the stress and tightness from this area.
Scanning down to your hips,
Observing what you feel here,
Noticing if any tension lives in this spot.
If you notice them,
Don't try to change them.
Just notice the sensation and send your breath there.
Soften.
As you reach your knees,
You notice how you're holding them and any sensations that might happen here.
Noticing if there's any tightness in your knees.
Move your attention down your legs until you reach your feet and the very tips of your toes.
Taking this moment to scan through your body as a whole.
How does it feel today?
Where do you find holds the most tension in your body?
Wherever it may be,
Just shift your focus to this area intently.
Attend to this area with compassion and kindness.
And with every breath,
Feel this area softening and relaxing.
As you continue to inhale and exhale,
Feel the gentle stillness of relaxation.
Simply be here with your body for the next few moments as it guides you to complete peace,
A space free from all your worries.
As this practice comes to an end,
You may notice a couple of goosebumps arise on your skin.
The sun is slowly beginning to set.
It's time to head back to the comfort of your home.
You feel so rejuvenated and relaxed after spending time by this stream today.
This is exactly what you needed.
And you know that you can come back to this place whenever you wish.
Begin to return to your body and your surroundings,
Noticing how you feel,
Noticing the clothing on your skin,
The surface that you're sitting on.
Tune into any sounds around you,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes,
And taking your time before you take a big,
Full body stretch.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
