Welcome to this soothing safe place meditation.
I'm Amy and this practice is designed to bring your body and nervous system to a place of felt safety.
So before we begin,
Think of a place that helps you to feel safe and relaxed.
It can be a real place that you've visited in the past,
Maybe a beach,
A woodland,
A special building,
Or it can be somewhere imaginary.
We'll be exploring this place in our mind's eye using all of our senses.
If you like,
You can add to your memory using your imagination to make it even more vibrant and real.
Don't worry if you struggle to visualize,
Just give it a go with openness and curiosity.
You can't do this wrong.
So let's begin.
Making yourself really comfortable,
Either sitting or lying down.
Notice the weight of your body,
Fully supported and held by the ground beneath.
Consciously bringing yourself into this safe and nourishing space.
Now we're going to begin to explore your special place with all of your senses,
Really bringing the experience into your embodied awareness.
First,
Exploring what your special place looks like.
Is it daytime or nighttime?
What's the weather like?
Really noticing the details,
The colors and textures of your surroundings.
Choose something soothing to look at in your mind's eye,
Really enjoying the experience.
Notice how this feels in the body.
Next,
What do you hear?
Maybe the soothing sound of the ocean,
The breeze in the trees,
Running water,
Or maybe laughter.
Really turning up the volume and bringing your special place to life.
How do you feel now?
Now,
Do you notice any smells?
Maybe clean,
Fresh air?
What grass?
The salty ocean?
Or the sweet smell of your favorite flowers?
Take a few seconds to explore and enjoy the pleasant scent.
How are you feeling?
Next,
Exploring touch.
What are you sitting or standing on?
Maybe you can sense the warm sand or the soft forest floor,
The breeze on your skin.
Maybe you'd like to imagine gently touching and exploring your surroundings.
Notice any feelings,
Sensations or emotions that may arise in the body?
Now,
Is there any sense of taste?
You may want to choose something delicious to taste and really savor the memory of eating that food or sipping your favorite drink.
Notice if there's any response in the body and enjoy.
Now,
Take a little while in silence to explore your favorite place using all of your imaginary senses.
Notice how relaxed you feel here and really savor these feelings of safety and well-being.
Notice that the memory may be bittersweet,
So go gently and with kindness to yourself.
Now,
Taking a last look around your special place.
Then,
Letting the visualization go and returning your attention to your body here and now.
Noticing your weight dropping down.
Sensing your connection with the ground beneath always supported and held.
Your breath flowing freely always with you.
Notice how you're feeling now.
Savour and soak up any feelings of safety,
Relaxation and well-being.
Knowing that you can always come back to this practice whenever you need.
The more you practice,
The more vivid the experience will become and the easier it will be to return here when you need to.
So it's now time to bring the practice to a close.
Thank you for taking this time to look after yourself today.
