Welcome and find a comfortable place to settle in.
Somewhere you can let your body be supported by the surface beneath you.
And your mind can begin to rest.
Whenever you are ready,
Allow your eyes to gently close.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in.
And let it go And again,
Breathing in.
And letting the exhale be just a little longer than the inhale.
One more.
Inhale.
And on the exhale,
Releasing,
Relaxing,
Letting go There's nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
But be here now.
For these few moments,
You can set everything down.
Just let your shoulders relax just a little more than they already have.
Let your jaw relax.
Face.
You're next.
Whole body beginning to settle into the surface beneath you.
With every breath out you sink in a little deeper into this quiet comfortable relaxation Now in your mind's eye,
I would like you to imagine that you're standing beside a river.
Calm sparkling river moving gently through a beautiful landscape.
The sun is warm on your skin.
The air is cool.
And the only sound is the quiet,
Steady flow of the water beside you.
Take a moment to simply watch the river.
Notice how it moves.
In its own clear direction.
It does not rush,
It does not force,
It simply flows,
Certain of where it is going.
And as you watch this river.
.
.
You might notice something about it.
The river is connected to everything around it.
It nourishes the trees along its banks.
It gives water to everything that needs it.
It is generous.
And open.
And giving.
And yet… It never loses itself.
It never stops being a river.
It gives.
And it keeps flowing in its own direction.
Both at the same time.
Let yourself walk slowly beside this river now.
And as you walk.
.
.
Imagine that you can feel its quiet strength becoming your own The river does not feel guilty for flowing where it flows.
It does not apologize for its direction.
It simply moves.
Clear.
Steady.
.
.
True to itself.
And you It can be like this too You can be caring and still say no.
You can be kind.
And still choose your own direction.
You can love the people in your life.
And still belong to yourself These are not opposites.
The river shows you that.
Generous and true.
Open and clear.
Caring and still your own.
Imagine now that with every step beside this river,
A quiet,
Steady sense of trust grows inside you.
Trust in your own eyes.
A trust in your own no.
Your no is not unkind.
Your no is simply you.
Flowing in your own clear direction.
Like the river.
And so for just a moment.
Let yourself feel what it is like.
To honor your own direction.
To know that you are allowed to say no.
That you are allowed to choose yourself.
That you can care for others and care for yourself at the very same time.
Let that feeling settle into you now,
Like warm sunlight settling over the water.
It's okay to say no.
It is okay to put yourself first sometimes.
It is okay to flow in your own direction.
Stay here for just a moment longer.
Beside your river.
Feeling calm clear and quietly certain.
This steady sense of trust is always available to you You can return to this river anytime you need it.
Anytime you need to remember your own direction.
And now.
Gently.
.
.
Begin to bring your awareness back to the room around you.
Taking all the time you need.
There is no rush at all.
Stay here as long as you like Resting beside your river.
Feeling calm and clear and quietly certain.
Whenever you feel ready.
You can let your eyes gently open,
Carrying this steady sense of trust with you.
It's okay to say no.
Take care of yourself.
