Let's begin in a comfortable seated position.
Let your body be supported by whatever you're sitting on.
There is nothing you need to do right now.
Nowhere you need to go.
Let yourself just arrive exactly as you are.
And I would like you to imagine that you're a little turtle.
This turtle is on a beach.
She's facing the sea.
And she can't really see what made her afraid.
But she knows that something did.
Something felt like too much.
So she went inward.
She pulled herself into her shell to protect herself.
And right now that's okay.
She's safe inside her carapace.
Slightly covered in warm sand.
The sand feels soft,
Nurturing,
Almost like a blanket.
Take a moment to feel that in your own body.
What does it feel like to be protected?
To be held?
To be allowed to be inward just for a moment?
There is nothing wrong with being here.
I invite you to gently notice the sensations.
The weight of your body.
The contact with the ground.
The feeling of being contained and safe.
The turtle is slowly starting to come back to herself.
Realizing that the danger might be in the past.
She's not quite sure yet.
So she's not rushing.
She's just feeling.
Feeling the sand on her shell.
Feeling the warmth of the sun.
Feeling how good it is to be safe inside her own protection.
And when she's ready,
Slowly,
Really slowly,
She starts to stick one foot out.
Just one.
And she notices how it feels to have the sand on her foot.
It's cool,
Grainy and grounding.
And you might notice something in your own body too.
Maybe a tiny shift.
A little bit more presence,
Maybe.
And when the turtle is ready,
Maybe she sticks another foot out.
Still slow,
Still gentle.
She also peeks out just a little,
Looking through the opening of her shell.
And keeping your eyes closed,
You might want to softly move your eyes too.
Slowly look to the left and then slowly to the right.
Let your neck and shoulders relax.
Let your breath soften.
The turtle is checking.
Is it safe now?
Is there anything dangerous still here?
And then she remembers something.
There is a small cave not far away.
A place she knows.
A place that feels safe.
It's off to the left.
She wants to go there.
But only slowly.
Only in a way that feels kind to her nervous system.
She can walk.
Or she can slide.
Or she can even roll there.
Yes,
She can roll.
She chooses whatever feels easiest today.
And you might begin to feel that too.
A tiny sense of movement in your body.
Not even visible from the outside.
Just an inner sense of going,
Moving in your own time.
Gently,
Really gently,
Making your way.
And when the turtle arrives at the cave,
Something shifts.
It feels really nurturing here.
Really safe.
Like she can finally rest.
She sticks her head and feet out.
Fully now.
And she's amazed at what she finds in this cave.
You don't have to see anything clearly.
Just notice how it feels.
What emotions arise.
What sense of safety,
Comfort or wonder appears.
The turtle feels proud.
Grateful.
Relieved.
It was stressful to feel unsafe.
To feel like she had to disappear.
And yet,
She found her way back.
She handled it.
Let yourself feel that too.
That quiet pride.
That sense of safety.
I made it through.
And now,
She wants to make herself bigger.
She wants to come out of her shell.
Fully.
She wants to stretch.
And you can stretch too.
Let your body move in any way it wants.
Lift your arms.
Twist.
Fold forward.
Reach up.
Make yourself big.
As if you were trying to grow a few centimetres taller.
Feel what it's like to take up space again,
After feeling so small.
Let your breath be fuller.
Let your chest open.
And let your body remember this.
How good does that feel?
Stay with that sensation for a few more breaths.
And now,
Gently bring one hand to your heart.
Feel that warmth.
That goodness.
That pride.
That gratitude.
Let your nervous system know,
I can come back.
I can feel safe again.
I can find my way.
And anytime you feel like that little turtle on the beach again,
Know that you can return here.
You can come back to that cave.
Slowly.
Gently.
Because your body knows this path now.
It knows how to come back to that cave.
Take one more slow breath.
And when you're ready,
Softly open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing with me.
