Just close your eyes now.
That's right.
You don't have to stay absolutely still,
But it may be that's all you actually want to do.
Just to let yourself settle more and more deeply into the chair,
Or the sofa,
Or the bed.
Now,
Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
And allow yourself to become relaxed as you do so.
As though you were breathing away all tensions from your mind and body.
Just let yourself be as easy and comfortable as you want to be.
Nobody wanting anything.
Nobody expecting anything.
And nothing whatsoever to do except to just relax.
As you breathe in,
Think of calmness and relaxation going in.
And as you breathe out each time,
Think of tensions just drifting away from you.
For a moment or two,
I'd like you to just think about how it seems when you look up into the night sky on a warm summer's night and focus on just one tiny star amongst the millions that are there.
Just focusing on that one single pinpoint of light in the velvety darkness of the night sky.
And wondering,
Perhaps,
How long that single pinpoint of light has been twinkling there.
Twinkling steadily in that velvety darkness.
Noticing that you're already becoming more relaxed.
And now,
I want you to direct your thoughts lazily to the top of your head.
Because many people don't realize that tension often starts in the little muscles of the scalp.
So I want you to think about those little muscles now.
And the skin of your scalp.
And just let them go and relax.
It may be that it will seem that you can be aware of each little hair follicle relaxing.
Or maybe just a sensation that the muscles and the skin of your scalp become somehow more at ease.
And now,
All the muscles of your face,
Just let them go.
Slack.
Expressionless.
As expressionless as you can possibly imagine.
The skin of your forehead.
The muscles all around your eyes and eyelids.
Just let them go.
The cheeks,
Mouth and jaw muscles all becoming expressionless.
It's a wonderful feeling when you can let your face totally relax.
Because you can actually feel the skin settling,
Smoothing out.
All of this might mean that your mouth opens slightly.
But whatever's best to you,
Just let it happen.
Unclenching your teeth and relaxing your tongue now.
Because the more you physically relax,
The more you can mentally relax.
Thinking about your neck and shoulder muscles too.
Just directing your thoughts there and letting those muscles let go.
And the tops of your arms,
Letting all tensions drain away as you think on down through your elbows.
Into your forearms.
Actually feeling your thoughts moving down through your wrists and into your hands.
Right the way down into the very tips of your fingers and tips of your thumbs.
Just letting all those muscles let go and relax.
And now thinking about your breathing.
Noticing that you're breathing even more steadily,
Even more slowly.
As your relaxation deepens.
So you can let any tension in the chest area simply drain away.
As you think on down to your stomach muscles,
Letting those muscles relax too.
Letting those stomach muscles become beautifully easy and relaxed.
And think down into your back now.
Those long muscles on either side of the spine.
Just let those muscles relax.
And your waist,
Hips and main thigh muscles.
As you think on down through your knees,
Down through the shins and calves.
Just allowing all those areas to relax and let go.
As you think on down to your ankles,
Actually feeling your thoughts flowing all around your heels and ankles.
Along the arch of each foot,
Along the sole of each foot.
All the way down into the very tips of each toe.
All the muscles of your body beautifully relaxed and easy.
Very lazy.
Enjoying this wonderful feeling of easiness.
And this is the point at which you can now choose your own special place of relaxation.
Perhaps it's your own garden.
Or a stroll by a slow moving river.
You can choose the sights,
Sounds and the feelings.
Whilst the music continues to play as a background to your special place of peace.
Feel free now to spend a few minutes of deep relaxation in your special place.
And now it's time for me to bring the session to an end.
So as I count from one to five now,
Just allowing yourself to drift up from wherever you are.
But do leave your eyes closed until I get to the count of five.
When you can open them wide awake and feeling great.
One.
Just becoming more aware of yourself now.
Two.
Maybe feeling as if you are arousing from a very pleasant dose.
Three.
Halfway up now.
Beginning to feel really good.
Four.
Almost all the way up to the top.
And five.
Open your eyes now.
Feeling wonderfully relaxed.
