Finding a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Adopting a comfortable position.
Sitting or lying down.
And if it feels right for you,
Closing your eyes.
Beginning by taking several slow deep breaths.
Breathing all the way down to the belly.
And breathing out from the belly.
Whether you're sitting or lying down,
Recognizing that the chair,
The bed or the floor is holding the body.
So allowing yourself just to sink into the chair,
The bed or the floor.
Giving the weight of the body over.
Resting into this position.
As we begin relaxing,
You may be aware of a variety of physical sensations or thoughts,
Maybe emotions.
As best you can recognizing these.
And if possible,
Letting them go.
Right now there's nothing else to do nor else to be.
We don't need to solve,
Fix or cast judgment on any of these experiences.
As best you can just continuing to breathe.
Taking long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
And scanning through your body for any muscle tension,
For any holding or bracing.
Quite often when we feel stressed,
We hold tension in our jaw,
Our shoulders,
The muscles of the arms.
And wherever you find some tension,
Bracing or holding.
Inviting you now to tense the muscles for a couple of seconds.
So squeezing the muscles and then releasing on the out breath.
And doing this a couple of times.
Tensing the muscles where you find the tension and releasing on the out breath.
And feeling the after effects of this.
And in a moment I'm going to invite you to visualize a scenario.
During this brief practice,
You can come back to the breath at any time to rest your awareness here.
But for now allowing the breath to fade into the background.
And bringing to mind the image of a lush forest.
Maybe the trees,
The flora,
The fauna.
The time of day,
The time of year.
Maybe there's a place in mind for memory,
A sweets place.
Maybe it's a forest that you've seen on television or in a magazine or book.
Or perhaps one that you're conjuring up right now in your imagination.
Imagine that you're just stepping into the forest,
Down a path.
And as you walk along the path,
You're taking in the sights,
The sounds,
The smell and the feel of the place.
All around you are trees,
Grasses and fragrant flowers of all different types of shapes and color.
You can hear the soothing sounds of birds chirping and a gentle wind blowing through the treetops.
Perhaps there's a fragrance,
A smell.
A rich dampness of the forest floor.
The smell of vegetation and new growth.
The sweet smell of spring and flowers blooming.
You soon come to a clearing.
There are several flat rocks in the clearing,
Surrounded by soft moss and lavender.
A small stream runs among the rocks.
You lie back on one of the rocks or on the cushiony moss and put your feet into the cool water.
Feeling the warm sun,
The gentle breeze through your hair and across your skin.
The sparkling clear water rushes around the multicolored rocks,
Making little whirlpools and eddies.
You softly put your hand into the water and lift a handful to your lips.
The water is cool,
Refreshing.
You close your eyes and listen to the water trickling through the rock.
Sitting here,
Bathing in the warm sun and feeling as though you were floating,
Relaxing deeper and deeper.
Sinking further and further into relaxation.
While continuing to be aware of the sights,
Smells,
Sounds and the feel of the forest around you.
You allow yourself to let go of any concerns or worries and to feel completely refreshed,
Rejuvenated in this place.
Right now there's nothing else to do,
Nowhere else to be.
Becoming deeper and deeper,
Relaxed.
When you are ready,
Imagine that you slowly get up and leave the clearing.
Walk back down the path through the forest,
Fully taking in this place and realizing that you may return whenever you wish.
And each time you enter this place,
You feel relaxed and at peace.
