Meditation done by Liz Burkholder.
So just allow yourself to get comfortable wherever you are,
Allowing yourself for the next few moments to just relax and to just be.
Let's begin by taking in a really deep breath all the way in.
And exhale.
Fully releasing stress or tension.
And let's take another deep breath all the way in,
Fully expanding the lungs.
And exhale,
Fully deflating the lungs.
Letting your mind and your body to just begin to relax.
And let's take in one last really deep conscious breath all the way in.
Maybe even holding that for a couple of seconds.
And then releasing.
Letting any worry,
Any fear,
Or any tension.
And just allow yourself to go to a favorite relaxing place in your mind's eye.
Because if you're right there in this moment,
This could be a place in nature such as the beach or the mountains or a lake or even a forest.
It could even be a place in your own home or your own backyard.
So for the next few moments,
Just allow yourself to be there in this beautiful relaxing place.
Continuing to allow your mind and your body to relax as you allow yourself to be there in this relaxing place.
Allow yourself to be there with all of your senses.
Seeing all of the beautiful scenery right there before you.
Feeling any textures.
Maybe feeling the ground beneath your feet.
Hearing any sounds that you would hear in this relaxing place.
Feeling any aromas that you might smell such as the fresh clean air perhaps.
And we really want to anchor this in,
This feeling of being in this relaxing place.
So just bring your thumb and your forefinger together as if you're making a circle on one of your hands.
And it doesn't have to be the forefinger,
It could be any finger that feels comfortable to make a circle with your thumb.
Creating an anchor.
So this is your anchor that is the connector between your mind and your body.
And so any time that you bring your thumb and this finger together making this circle,
Your mind and your body will remember to come right back to this favorite,
Most relaxing place.
And whenever you bring your fingers together making this circle,
This anchor,
It will send a signal of safety to your mind and to your nervous system that you can relax and that your body can relax.
And that there is no danger in this present moment.
And as you become more and more familiar at this relaxed,
Peaceful state,
The more your body can heal itself and restore itself.
And the more clear your mind will become.
Because from this place of peaceful relaxation in the mind and the body,
Your body can heal itself and your mind can see clearly all of the choices that are available to you.
So any time you catch yourself being stressed or fearful or worried,
You can always take a deep breath and bring your fingers together making your anchor.
Maybe even closing your eyes if you can in the moment.
But you don't have to.
You can just take a deep breath anywhere you are.
And this anchor will send that signal to your mind and your nervous system and to your body that you are safe and that you can relax.
And this will again send your body into this peaceful,
Relaxing place and state as if you're right there in that relaxing place in this moment.
And your body and your subconscious mind don't know if you're actually there or if you're just imagining this and visualizing this in your mind.
But your body reacts in the same exact way.
And as you come into this relaxing place and state of being,
The body begins to heal and restore itself.
And the stress hormones begin to decrease in your body.
The stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol begin to decrease as they are doing in this very moment as you allow your mind and your body to relax.
And through decreasing these stress hormones,
We also are decreasing inflammation in the body as we speak.
And as we decrease inflammation in the body,
We increase the relaxation response,
Which increases all of the good hormones and neurotransmitters such as serotonin,
Dopamine,
And oxytocin.
And the more you get into this relaxation response,
It also activates the inner healing response that we all have within us and within our bodies.
And as we activate this inner healing response,
It sends a cascade of effects all throughout the body.
And everything begins to work in perfection and in synchronicity to heal and restore the body.
And so just take a few moments to just take some deep breaths,
Breathing in the relaxation response,
The healing that is happening in your body as we speak,
Breathing in the synchronicity of all of your hormones and cells and neurotransmitters and muscles and tissues,
Healing and restoring themselves as we speak.
Take just a few moments to just sit in this healing relaxation response and allow your body to heal itself.
And whenever you're ready,
You can begin to slowly bring yourself back to the room,
Back to the present moment,
Knowing that your body is continuing to heal itself as you move forward.
