Relaxing visualization.
This is a meditation from Holly D'Cruz and it appears in Fern Cotton's book,
Happy.
So,
Closing your eyes.
Before you begin to relax,
Take a moment to really make yourself comfortable.
And feel free to change position at any time if you need to.
Begin to tune into your own breath.
And on the next exhale,
Just let your shoulders soften and give yourself permission to relax.
Breathe fully.
And deeply.
Inhaling peace.
Exhaling tension.
Let the breath flow all the way down through your chest and your tummy.
Let it drift all the way down your legs until you feel the soft tingling of relaxation reach the soles of your feet.
Return your attention now to your eyes.
Feel how comfortable they have become.
And feel now that relaxation spread all across your forehead.
And your temples.
Feel all the little worry lines just fade and disappear.
And if you're holding on to a frown.
Just release it.
Notice how good that feels.
And now feel that wonderful,
Deep relaxation spread down over your nose and your cheeks,
All the way down to your mouth and your jaw.
Take a moment to place your tongue behind your upper teeth.
And allow your lower jaw to recede.
As you drift deeper.
And still deeper.
Into this wonderful state.
Of calm relaxation.
With every breath,
You allow yourself to relax even more deeply.
And on your next exhale,
Just let your shoulders gently sink into the frame of your body.
And feel how relaxed and limp they have become.
Your body feels entirely relaxed and at ease and you feel all tension and worry just drifting away.
And now in your mind's eye and your imagination.
I want you to visualise a beautiful blue sky.
And take yourself to your favourite spot in nature.
This could be a place from your childhood,
A place that you like now.
Or even a place that exists only in your imagination.
See yourself there.
This is a place where you feel totally safe and secure.
A place where there is no tension or worry.
A place where you can enjoy the wonderful feeling of just being yourself.
Look all around you.
Take in all of the things.
Notice what you are standing on.
Perhaps it's dry grass or maybe warm sand.
Notice what that feels like on your bare feet.
And be aware of the sounds around you too.
Maybe you can hear birds singing or trees blowing gently in the breeze.
Maybe water trickling.
See,
Gently lapping on the shore.
These sounds make you feel calm and connected and at peace.
Notice now what the warmth of the sun.
Feels like on your skin.
Maybe you can feel its warm golden glow,
Just softly soothing every part of you.
And now,
As you visualize the numbers from 10 to 1,
I want you to feel that warmth just gradually drifting down your body.
Allowing you to go deeper.
And deeper into this wonderful state of calmness and relaxation.
So,
Beginning now,
Ten.
You can feel that warmth wash down over your head and face.
Nine.
Feeling the light spread into your neck and your shoulders as they gently relax.
Eight and all the way down your arms,
Allowing your elbows to feel relaxed and limp.
Seven,
Feeling this calming energy flow into your hands.
And all the way into your fingertips as they gently rest in your lap or by your sides.
Six,
Letting that golden light down through your chest and your stomach.
Five,
Breathing light and love down to your very core.
Four,
Feeling the warmth softly relax your pelvis and all around your hips.
Releasing tension.
Three,
Light traveling down the tops of your legs and all around your knees.
Feeling that soft tingling sensation of relaxation reaching the soles of your feet and the tips of your toes.
One,
Feeling completely and wonderfully relaxed,
Free of all cares and worries,
Happy and peaceful.
Remember that all you need to do to achieve this sense of peace is to make yourself comfortable.
And tune into your own breath.
Inhaling peace.
Exhaling tension.
And as you do,
You begin to let go and to continue to drift into this place of relaxation.
Each time you practice,
It becomes easier.
So,
Now continuing to rest.
And just breathe.
Allowing your mind and body to take the break they deserve.
I mean that right now,
There is absolutely nothing to do.
But to relax.
And let go.
Now,
I want you to count from one.
.
.
Up to five.
And when you reach five,
Open your eyes and bring your awareness back to the room.
Feeling mentally alert.
Physically energized and emotionally calm and confident.
1 two three,
For Five.
So learning to relax like this will bring that sense of peace into your ordinary life.
And hopefully give you some tools with which to cope with the stresses of everyday life.
Because learning to relax,
You can access this skill whenever you need to.
Thank you.
