Hello and welcome to this audio called Letting Go.
This is a really helpful audio to listen to when you first wake in the morning to prepare you for the day ahead,
But also just before you settle down at night to help you to unwind and to relax.
From the moment we open our eyes in the morning,
Often worries and things that we've had on our mind can return to us very quickly.
This can seem overwhelming sometimes.
This simple practice is to help you to unburden your mind,
To offload those worries,
Just to set them aside to give you some space to breathe,
So you can feel a little lighter and find some peace of mind.
To begin.
Please find somewhere comfortable that you can lay down.
If you prefer to be seated for this exercise,
That's also fine too.
Get yourself comfortable.
And begin by just placing your hands gently on your chest,
On your heart.
I'd like you just to become aware of your breathing for this moment.
Just breathing in gently in and out.
Now begin to deepen that breath for me.
Begin by breathing in deeply through the nose.
Deeply as you can.
And then if possible,
Holding that inhale for about four seconds.
And then on the exhale,
I'd like you to almost sigh the breath out.
So let's practice that together for a moment.
Breathing in through the nose.
Hold.
And then exhaling.
Try that again for me.
Breathing in through the nose.
Hold.
And exhale.
That extended exhale just helps to quieten down the nervous system to help you to settle into this deep relaxing practice.
So now to begin,
I'd like you to picture for me if you can in your mind.
A beautiful lake.
This can be a lake that perhaps you've been to yourself,
Just an imaginary place.
Somewhere really peaceful,
A beautiful lake that stretches out in front of you.
And on the edge of this lake is a small beach.
And you can walk along the edge of the lake.
Clearly see through the water.
This is a really special place just for you.
A place that we're going to create in your mind.
A place that you can escape to whenever you need to.
I'd like you to start walking along the edge of the lake.
Your bare foot so you can feel the sandy ground beneath you.
And you just feel very safe,
Comfortable here.
You notice the sound of the birds,
The sound of the water lapping at the edge of the lake.
The gentle rustle of the breeze in the trees nearby.
The nice warmth of the sun on your face.
Feel extremely quiet and safe here.
A place where there's no hurry,
No rush.
Just you,
This place and all of its beauty.
As she began walking along the edge of the lake.
You notice that just up ahead of you is a small boat tethered to the shoreline.
It is a small wooden boat,
Painted blue,
With a small white sail.
You become curious as to why this boat could be here.
And begin to observe it.
Inside the boat you notice that there are some baskets,
All of them empty.
This makes you even more curious as to what this could mean.
On the edge of the boat you notice there is a letter pinned.
And on this letter is your name.
Beneath the letter it says,
Hello friend,
I am here to carry away your problems.
I am here to help you to unburden.
I am here just for you.
This boat is here as a means for you to unwind and unload your troubles.
A place for you to let go.
Each of the baskets is here for you to place any worrying thoughts,
Any anxiety that you might be feeling,
Any pain.
Any negativity that you feel you might be affected by.
Any worries at all that you really want just to let go of and be free from.
I'd like you to picture now that you can pull all of those things from your mind.
Imagine that you can place them as pictures,
As words,
As thoughts.
Perhaps you could see them as photographs or pictures that you have up on a wall that you take down one by one and place into the boat.
This is such a powerful exercise just to help the mind to release and let go for a moment to give yourself permission to just put this down.
So one by one in your own time.
Just imagine that boat beginning to fill with anything at all that you would just like to be free from,
To have some peace from.
Over the next moment or two I will remain silent so that you can just continue to place one by one whatever it is you need to into the boat.
You notice the boat begins to sway gently in the water as each of the baskets has been filled.
And now you feel ready,
Really ready just to let this all go.
So I'd like you to reach down now and untether the rope that secures the small boat to the shore.
And you can do this with ease and as the rope flops into the water.
You gently push the little boat out into the lake.
And it begins to effortlessly move away from you,
Bobbing gently up and down on the ripples of the lake.
And as it does,
It moves further and further away from you.
Moving now into the centre of the leg.
And the sail now catches the breeze,
Carrying this little boat far,
Far,
Far away.
Right out beyond the centre of the lake.
Further and further and further away.
And your focus becomes difficult,
You can't see the boat very easily anymore.
It begins to fade from your eye line.
You can't see the sail anymore.
And you become aware of the peace and tranquility of the lake again.
Your attention is drawn to the water that's lapping now at your feet.
And you see through the water and notice how cool the water feels against your feet.
You feel calm,
You feel safe and centred.
The breeze is now warm on your face.
Notice how quiet and still you feel.
Become aware of the sensation of your feet in the sand.
Grounding and connecting you to the earth.
Your gaze is drawn now to the scenery around you and this special,
Special place that belongs only to you.
And this is a place for you to come back to whenever you need.
It belongs to you.
The boat belongs to you and is there for you whenever you should need.
So now begin to become aware of your surroundings once more.
Wriggle your toes,
Stretch your arms and breathe in deeply once more and exhale.
Bringing yourself back gently to the now.
Ready to start your day or to settle for sleep.
Feeling quiet,
Grounded and safe.
Having given yourself permission and a space to let go.
