In this meditation we're going to be doing a guided visualization.
So to start we want to find a comfortable position and relax our body.
So please start by taking a moment to relax your body where you're sitting and soften any unnecessary tension in your belly,
Shoulder,
Neck,
Arms,
Legs.
Find a posture that feels both relaxed and also alert.
Now close your eyes or with your eyes slightly open look downwards and rest your hands in an easy effortless way.
Take a few moments to scan your awareness throughout the sensations of your body and where you notice any tension.
Soften and release all those areas where there's obvious physical tension.
Simply scanning the body for any areas of tension and then releasing and softening those areas.
Feel the sensations in your body in this moment and as you breathe in and out gently allow your body to completely and fully relax.
Allow all the stress to flow out of you with every breath.
Your body is becoming calm and comfortable.
Simply letting all the tension flow out.
Simply relaxing into the comfortable space around us.
Once you feel relaxed and centered start to bring yourself to one of your favorite peaceful and beautiful places.
We're imagining perhaps a place you've been before like a silent redwood grove with cool shade and towering ancient trees.
Or perhaps it's a white sand beach where the ocean waves gently lap the shore and the smell of the sea makes you feel at home.
It could also be a place built entirely in your imagination.
A slowly lovely swaying bridge that you stand upon watching a babbling brook flow away beneath it.
Or an ancient oak tree in the autumn with golden leaves falling all around you as you sit under the shade and watch the golden orange sun pass over the horizon into the twilight.
Once you locate your special peaceful place take time now to imagine it as completely as you can.
It's all around you.
Put yourself into the scene.
Imagine that you are in this beautiful peaceful place.
Put yourself there.
You can take a walk around and look at the lovely peaceful relaxing surroundings.
You're now in the scene rather than looking at it as if it was a painting from a distance.
You're living it.
You can be there right now.
What do you see around you?
You can simply imagine this.
There's no need to verbalize if you don't want to.
Simply look around see what you see.
What in this scene do you find the most relaxing?
Take a walk around and see everything that there is to see.
What about how the air smells?
What do you smell in the air?
Do you smell the trees,
The soil,
Or the forest floor?
Or do you smell the salty sea air?
We bring scent now into the visualization.
Smell the air where you are.
What do you smell?
Simply imagining these things.
Find an object in this scene,
In this peaceful place,
Something that relaxes you or has meaning for you and reach out to it and touch it.
What does it feel like?
How does it feel?
Is it hard or soft to your touch?
How does it make you feel?
You're living in the scene.
You can feel the ground beneath you and the air on your skin.
How does it feel?
Now take a moment to listen to the sounds occurring.
What do you hear in this beautiful new surrounding?
Do you hear birds chirping in the woods or the sound of the ocean waves in their perpetual rhythm?
Perhaps there's music from an ancient flute in the background.
Or maybe you hear the voice of an old friend that's soothing and calming.
Whatever it is that you hear in this special place,
Simply take a moment now to enjoy listening to it.
You're in this scene that you've imagined.
And you can stay here as long as you want,
Enjoying this moment of relaxation that you've taken for yourself.
You're free to walk around in this special place as long as you want.
This is yours.
This special place will always be here for you.
You can come back to it anytime you wish.
And it's not possible to lose it because it's always with you.
And the relaxation that you feel right now in this moment in your body and in your mind is yours to call on anytime you wish.
This is always available to you.
So in this present moment when you're ready,
We slowly let this scene dissolve back into your mind.
Allow yourself to slowly come back to the comfortable space that was there before you imagined your special place.
When you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes and come back to this moment.
Back to this time.
Back to this present moment.
Before you get up,
Before you finish your meditation and go about your day,
Take a moment to notice how you feel right now.
How relaxed your body is,
How relaxed your mind is,
How calm your world is in this moment.
And with a kind of slow attentiveness as you move into the rest of your day,
Bring this calm and relaxation with you.
Bring it to the rest of your day.
Thank you for taking part in this meditation.
Have a beautiful day.
