There is an island of peace deep within the center of you,
And no matter what turmoil may be going on around you,
You can relax and retreat to this island of peace.
So take a moment and give yourself permission to become present and to relax deeply.
Let your body be in a comfortable place,
Perhaps sitting or lying down.
And if you're holding anything in your hands,
Allow yourself to set it down.
Pause for a moment.
Allow yourself to have just a few moments of time dedicated to you.
And become consciously aware that your life is not in immediate danger and that right now there's no need for fight or flight.
Now instruct system one,
Your limbic system,
That primitive and reactive part of your brain,
That it can turn off the stress response completely by simply opening your mind to become consciously aware of where you are at this moment in time.
Notice the colors and shapes that you see around you here.
And allow yourself to be aware of any sounds around you.
And feel the surface beneath your body.
Just being aware of what you're feeling in your body at this moment.
What parts are comfortable?
Which parts are less comfortable?
Be aware of the position of your body in space.
Be aware of anything that you may be feeling at the emotional level.
And notice what thoughts are going through your mind.
Good.
Now become aware of the fact that right now there's no other place that you need to go.
Nothing that you have to do.
And there's no problem that you have to solve at this moment.
And therefore you can give yourself permission to focus your awareness on this moment right now.
And in this moment take a deep breath in.
And as you let it out,
Let it be a feeling of letting go.
And sink down into that pause after you breathe out and before the next breath comes in.
Let the air breathe in for you.
And let each breath be a feeling of letting go.
Letting go of stress.
Letting go of tension.
And sinking down into that little pause.
The quietest time of all,
For all your mind and body.
Imagine you're standing beneath a warm,
Soothing shower of relaxation.
Relaxation washing over the surface of your body.
Relaxing every muscle underneath.
Letting that relaxation flow through your body and feel it wash away all heaviness.
Letting all heaviness be absorbed by the surface beneath you.
As if you can feel yourself growing lighter.
As if your body is weighing less and less.
And slowly finding yourself,
Gently beginning to float up.
As if floating upward on a magic carpet.
Floating away to a place of great beauty and peace.
And if you can,
Picture the colors and the shapes and the movements around you as you relax into this most peaceful place.
And if it's not easy for you to actually visualize what's happening there in this beautiful place,
Just pretend that you're seeing it.
Just pretending,
Imagining that you can really see these things around you.
Hear the sounds in the air.
And allow yourself to absorb this feeling of peace and calm.
Good.
And touch together the thumb and forefinger of your hand and squeeze them together slightly to anchor this wonderful feeling in your body and your mind.
And be aware that any time that you wish to relax,
Any time,
Day or night,
You simply need to close your eyes for a moment,
Squeeze those fingers together,
And remember this special place,
This island of peace within.
And you will feel more relaxed and more comfortable.
And now let yourself decide whether you wish to experience this wonderful feeling a little longer for now.
Or if you would prefer right now to return to being wide awake,
To the place where your body is resting comfortably,
And as you come back to bring all of this relaxation with you.
So make your choice.
You can bring yourself back now or whenever you wish,
Knowing that wherever you are and whatever you are doing,
You can return to your feeling of relaxation,
Your own special island of peace,
By simply remembering to take a moment.
Allow yourself to be completely wide awake when you are ready.
And then take a few moments and notice how comfortable you feel.
