Hey,
Welcome.
My name is Laura Garrison-Brooke.
Thank you so much for joining me for this meditation.
I'm glad you're here.
This meditation is going to be an adventure that will help you be more healthy and feel more calm and grounded.
So,
Right now there's a lot going on,
Isn't there?
You're probably out of school and life may be feeling pretty different right now.
Depending on where you live,
Maybe your libraries are closed and maybe your sports events are cancelled.
Maybe you aren't seeing your friends or other family members like you normally do.
Life might feel a little bit upside down right now,
And this might make you feel unsettled.
That's really normal,
And we're going to talk about ways to help you deal with this.
We're going to focus on two things during our time together.
We're going to strengthen our bodies and we're going to calm our minds.
Did you know that doctors and scientists have proven meditation,
What we're doing right now,
Can help us keep from getting sick?
What we think in our minds affects our bodies.
That's amazing,
Right?
Okay,
So that sounds so good.
Let's just dive right in to our meditation.
I invite you to get comfortable.
Maybe this means sitting comfortably in a chair or lying down on the floor or a bed.
Feel your belly rise and fall.
Feel yourself relax.
Your body is soft and heavy,
But your mind remains awake and aware.
Big belly breath in.
Big belly breath out.
In your mind's eye,
I invite you now to imagine you're walking in the woods.
You feel relaxed and safe.
Maybe you're alone or maybe you're walking with a friend or a family member.
Feel your feet on the earth as you walk forward.
You feel grounded and steady.
Up ahead,
You see that the forest path is starting to clear.
Come out of the woods and feel the sun on your skin.
And a bit off in the distance,
You see something incredible.
It's a beautiful castle,
The most beautiful castle you have ever seen.
As you see it,
You know deep inside that this is your castle.
Your really special place.
It's incredible.
Can you see it in your mind's eye?
It's your castle,
So it can be any color you want it to be.
Pink,
Purple,
Blue,
Orange.
Any color that you love and can imagine and think would look good on your castle.
Does your castle have a turret?
That's the cool round part at the top of the building that reaches up into the sky.
And is there maybe a flag flying from the top of your castle?
See that flag.
Look at that!
Your name is written on that flag.
This really is your castle.
Walk across the field towards your castle now.
All around the castle,
You know what there is?
A really strong wall.
Do you see it?
Look up and see that wall.
How it stretches up so high and strong.
It wraps all the way around your castle.
Keeping your castle safe and protected.
As you get closer to the castle,
You notice that there's something white with feathers waddling along.
What is that?
Yes,
It's a duck.
As you start to walk closer,
It walks in front of you as if it's leading you up to your castle.
It's a welcome committee made up of a duck.
This castle is the best.
Walk forward and knock on the door.
When they see it's you,
The doors immediately opened.
They know that this is your castle and they're so happy to see you.
As you walk inside your castle,
You see there's a lot going on.
There's a kitchen focused on making food.
And there's a lot of people who are carrying wood to keep fires going.
But what you notice most is there are a lot of people cleaning stuff up.
They're relaxed and happy to be doing this work.
I mean,
Isn't that always the way you feel when you're cleaning?
They smile as they're sweeping and mopping the floors and washing the windows and dusting.
Can you see them?
They glow with positive energy and focus as they do their work.
You think to yourself,
This is the cleanest,
Most beautiful castle I have ever seen.
It feels good in here.
People work as a team.
Everyone has something to do and they focus on doing their work well.
Now,
Can I tell you a secret?
This castle really,
Really is yours.
Do you know why?
Because this castle is your body.
What?
What do I mean by that?
The incredible,
Amazing body you're living in right now is just like a castle.
That wall that we talked about,
That's your skin.
You might not know it,
But your skin does a fantastic job defending your body,
Keeping you safe and healthy.
And that cleaning crew,
That's something called your immune system.
Your immune system is focused on keeping you healthy.
Just like the people we talked about,
It's always moving through your body,
Cleaning up.
It's fun to picture your immune system with brooms and mops and feather dusters.
Now,
You're still in your castle,
Okay?
Stop for a second and listen.
Do you hear that?
The cleaning crew is playing your favorite song and they're singing and dancing as they clean.
They are having a great time.
As you watch,
You see more people joining the crew.
They greet each other with smiles and laughter.
You shake your head and you laugh too when you realize that this is a party.
It's a cleaning party and all of your cleaning crew is having so much fun.
You feel so good as you realize that these laughing,
Joyful people are your castle's defenders.
They're keeping your body healthy and strong.
And these magical,
Amazing defenders never sleep and never take a break.
24 hours a day,
7 days a week,
Their only job and focus is on keeping you well.
And take it from me.
I've learned from lots of doctors and scientists about this.
They are super good at what they do.
So this means that your castle is kind of more like a fortress.
As you stand there,
You notice that there's one person who seems to be in charge of what's going on.
And when they see you,
They come over to say hello.
They are so glad to be able to meet you.
You tell them you're so grateful for the work they're doing on your castle.
They laugh and say that they are happy to do it.
You ask them,
What can I do to help?
And this person says,
There's a lot you can do and they are so glad you asked.
The very first thing they tell you,
Wash your hands.
They explain that when you do this,
It makes their job a lot easier by keeping stuff that doesn't belong in the castle outside.
Eat food that's good for your body,
Since this is what the cleaning crew uses for energy.
And getting lots of rest is really important.
The cleaning crew does its very best work while you sleep.
Because that's when everyone else in your castle is kind of out of the way and they can get really busy.
You thank them again for all the work they do for you.
Feeling so happy that you have this wonderful team working for you day and night.
You say goodbye and walk up the stairs going up and up.
You open a door and look into this fabulous room.
It's round.
You realize that you're in the turret of your castle.
And next to a big window is a chair,
So comfortable and perfect for just you.
You sit down and feel your connection with this castle that is your body.
Breathe into a sense of peace and calm,
Knowing that you're safe,
Healthy,
And well.
Repeat after me and say to yourself,
I am in my castle of calm.
I am safe,
Healthy,
And well.
Again,
Say to yourself,
I'm in my castle of calm.
I'm safe,
Healthy,
And well.
Breathe into this feeling of peace and strength and know that it's always here inside of you.
To end our time together,
We're going to do three rounds of something called a loving-kindness meditation.
Repeat after me and say to yourself,
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Next,
Bring people to mind whom you love,
People you want to send special energy to.
Maybe you look out your window and see their beautiful castles nearby.
Thinking of them,
Say to them,
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Now,
Let's extend our healing energy out to the world.
May we all be happy.
May we all be healthy.
May we all be safe.
May we all be peaceful and at ease.
If you're listening to this before bedtime,
I invite you to just slip into sleep.
Ignore the next words I'm going to share with you.
For the rest of you,
As you're ready,
Bring movement back to the body.
Wiggle fingers and toes.
Softly open your eyes if you had them closed.
As you reconnect with your day and as you reconnect with the world,
Remember our special phrase,
I am in my castle of calm.
I am safe,
Healthy,
And well.
So if you have any moments when you're feeling a little churned up,
You can say this phrase silently in your mind or out loud.
I am in my castle of calm.
I am safe,
Healthy,
And well.
Another fun thing you could do is think of your favorite song and think of your cleaning crew of defenders dancing around inside your castle,
Working to keep you safe and healthy.
Either one of these or both,
Use these as they work for you.
One last secret to share before we say goodbye.
If you say something to me in the comments,
I'll answer you,
And that would be really cool,
Right?
You can tell me about your castle.
That would make me very happy.
You did such a good job with this meditation.
You are awesome.
I'm sending you lots of loving calm and good health.
