Welcome to this moment.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and gently let it go through your mouth.
Allow yourself to arrive just as you are.
No need to do anything,
Just be here now.
And take another deep breath in and as you breathe out feel your shoulders begin to soften.
Feel your body begin to settle gently supported by the ground beneath you.
Now imagine yourself standing at the edge of a quiet forest.
The trees are tall and protective.
There's a pathway in front of you.
Soft,
Winding and welcoming.
You begin to walk slowly and gently along the pathway.
Feeling the earth beneath your feet with every step.
The rhythm of your breath in time with each step.
With each step you let go just a little of the noise,
The pressure and the harsh words you may have been carrying.
As you walk you come to a small clearing and in the center of this clearing is a wooden bench.
You sit down and notice how peaceful it is here.
The air is fresh,
The light filters through the trees like gold.
Everything feels calm,
Still.
Now in this safe space imagine that the voice of your inner critic,
The part that is so often loud,
Critical or harsh,
Is no longer inside you but sitting beside you on the bench.
It has a shape,
A posture,
A presence.
You don't need to fight it.
Just observe it.
It's no longer fused with you.
It's just a part,
Not the whole.
You might say to it quietly,
I see you.
I know you're trying to protect me in some way but I don't need you to speak so harshly anymore.
There are other ways.
Now imagine this part of you beginning to soften.
Perhaps it grows quieter.
Perhaps it simply fades a little into the background.
As it does,
Another presence arrives.
This is a wiser,
More compassionate version of you.
A version who sees your whole self clearly.
Your efforts,
Your courage,
Your strength,
Even when things are hard.
This version of you takes a seat on your other side and they place a hand gently on your shoulder and speaks to you with warmth,
Kindness and strength.
They say,
You are doing your best and that is enough.
You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to be human.
You are not your thoughts and you are so much more than that voice of fear and that feeling of dread.
Let those words wash through you.
Feel them filling you like light.
Now imagine this light is growing from your chest to your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your legs,
Through your whole body.
You are steady.
You are safe.
You are learning to be kind to yourself and that is powerful.
Spend a few more moments in this space.
Between the trees,
With the light,
The glimmers and your wiser self.
Let yourself feel what it's like to live from this place.
Take a deep breath in and gently let it go through your mouth.
And when you are ready,
Slowly begin to walk back along the path.
Feeling the calm and compassion you've found here still within you.
You carry it now.
It's always there.
It just needed space to be heard.
Now start to bring your awareness back to your breath.
Take a deep breath in and gently let it go.
Feel the room around you back into the here and now.
And wiggle your fingers and toes and have a stretch and when you're ready gently open your eyes.
