Welcome to this healing hands guided visualization.
In this practice you will be guided into a state of deep rest upon which a set of healing hands will offer you a somatic massage and bodywork experience.
If therapeutic touch is not something you tolerate well,
This may not be the practice for you.
Otherwise we will begin by settling into either a seated or laying down supported position,
Closing your eyes if that feels right for you,
And perhaps visualizing a relaxing and warm safe space where you can really fully allow yourself to be supported by the surface that you're on.
Breathing in,
Expanding your ribcage 360 degrees,
And out.
Scanning your body perhaps for any tension or guarding you might feel anywhere in the body.
Relaxing at your feet,
Your lower legs,
Your thighs,
Your hips,
Your abdomen,
Your lower back,
Allowing your chest to relax,
Your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your jaw,
And letting your face and head totally relax.
Deep breath in,
And long exhale out,
Again allowing the surface you're on to fully support you.
Imagining now a set of healing hands that perhaps represent a general healing energy and bring rest,
Relaxation,
And healing.
These hands place a gentle pressure downward on the tops of your shoulders.
Breathing in,
The hands apply a bit more pressure as you exhale and allow your shoulders to relax and move away from your ears.
Breath in and exhaling,
Allowing that gentle downward pressure to stretch your shoulders downward.
These hands now move to place a thumb pressure between your shoulder blades,
Holding this pressure as you breathe in and out.
The thumbs apply a massaging stroke starting centrally at your spine near your neck and moving outwards towards your shoulder blades.
They repeat this stroke three or four times now as you breathe in and out slowly,
Peacefully,
Allowing these thumbs to work out any tension you have between your shoulder blades and your spine.
The hands move now to allow the fingertips to apply a pressure between your shoulder blades and neck,
And they apply gentle massaging strokes upward towards the base of your skull,
Slowly moving along each vertebrae from the bottom of your neck to the top,
Pausing right at the spot where your skull meets your neck and applying a gentle pressure here.
Breathing in and slowly out.
The hands repeat this movement another two or three times as you slowly breathe in and out,
The fingertips moving from the bottom of the neck and slowly moving vertebrae by vertebrae all the way to the bottom of the head,
Releasing any tension you might have built up in your neck.
One of the hands now gently scoops under your head and the other applies a gentle pressure to your left shoulder,
Applying a stretch all the way from the left shoulder along the side of your neck,
Breathing in and slowly out as you allow that left shoulder to fully relax and receive this stretch.
The hands now swap spots,
The left hand under the base of your head and the right one to the top of your right shoulder,
Applying that same gentle stretch all the way from the cap of the right shoulder to the top of the neck on the right,
Breathing in and slowly exhaling,
Allowing that right shoulder to fully receive the stretch.
Breath in and out.
The fingertips now return to the base of your skull right where it meets the top of your neck and the hands cup the back of your head.
The hands now apply a very gentle pull right from the base of the skull that stretches the neck,
Elongating it,
Giving it a traction sensation.
Breathing in and with the exhale allowing your neck to relax and receive this stretch,
Taking any pressure and tension off the neck and elongating it gently and soothingly.
Breathing in and out.
The hands gently release this stretching sensation,
Slowly allowing your neck to return to its neutral position.
The fingertips now move slowly to your temples and they start to apply a gentle circular pressure to the muscles right deep in the temples.
Breathe in and out as the pressure increases to exactly the amount that feels right for you.
That circular pressure relieving any tension you may be holding in this area.
And exhaling as you fully relax and receive this sensation.
The fingertips move just a little lower towards the corners of your jaw,
Applying that same circular pressure to the muscles in this area.
Breathing in and exhaling to relieve any tension you might be holding here,
Allowing the muscles to soften and for the fingertips to fully relieve any tension here with the pressure they're applying.
Breath in.
Now you feel the hands move upward and the fingertips apply a gentle circular pressure on your scalp.
The hands move up and down the length of your head,
Massaging and soothing any tension you're holding in your head,
Your scalp.
Breathing in and out as the hands apply just the right amount of pressure on the scalp,
Releasing tension,
Bringing blood flow with their circular massage pressure.
Really allowing yourself to receive pressure,
The massage,
And the healing energy of this massage right at the very top of your head.
The hands gently release themselves from the scalp and move to gently hold the lobes of your ears.
They apply a very gentle pull on the lobes towards the outer tips of your shoulders.
Breathing in and slowly out as you receive this stretch.
Slowly now,
The hands release the stretch on the ears and apply one last pressure downward on your shoulders as you take one deep breath in and a long soothing exhale out.
Fully receiving the pressure and healing energy the hands are applying to your shoulders in this moment.
The hands slowly begin to release this pressure and as they remove themselves from your shoulders,
They slowly melt away and evaporate back into the invisible energy from which they came.
You stay here for a moment and bask in this healing symbiotic energy,
Taking a deep inhale and a nice long exhale.
Taking a moment here to just enjoy the peace and the energy that you just received.
A nice slow inhale and a nice long slow exhale.
Your invitation to perhaps wiggle your fingers or your toes if you're ready to gently roll your shoulders and bring your head side to side if that feels right,
Or inviting in any other gentle movement that feels right for you in this moment.
When you're ready,
You are welcome to slowly reorient yourself in your space and open your eyes if and when you are ready.
Thank you very much for practicing with me today.
