Go ahead and close your eyes.
Settle into your body.
And become conscious of your breath.
We're going to inhale through our nose and exhale out through the mouth.
Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Continue here for a few breaths.
And each time you exhale out through the mouth,
Go ahead to imagine as though there is a waterfall,
A gentle waterfall dripping onto the top of your head.
And with each exhale,
You are softening,
Relaxing deeper.
Feel the muscles of your forehead softening,
The muscles behind your eyes softening.
Your jaw dropping.
Again,
Inhaling deeply through the nose and exhaling.
You're going to begin to imagine a place,
An internal landscape,
A place where you feel comfortable,
Where you feel free,
Where you feel relaxed,
Where you feel at ease.
This landscape can be anything,
Anything that you dream of.
It may be familiar to you or it may feel like a place you have never seen before.
A beach,
A desert,
A forest,
A cloud in some far off galaxy.
Allow yourself to bask in the sensation of peace here.
What do you see around you?
What colors are there?
What do you hear?
Are there any smells in the air?
In this space,
You feel a deep sense of ease with who you are,
With who you have been and how you have lived.
You are aware that you have done the best that you can and you will continue to do so.
Here you are at ease with who you are,
With who you have been and who you will be.
In the distance,
You begin to see a small figure,
The outline of a child.
You feel drawn to him or her and you begin to walk in that direction.
As you come closer,
You see that this child is familiar to you,
That you recognize them.
They are another version of you.
What is this child doing?
How do they seem?
Observe them for a moment.
As you draw near,
The child notices you and he or she is so happy,
So happy to see you,
Like you are old,
Old friends.
Ask this child if you may stay and play for a while.
Take a moment now to ask to him or her,
What is it like to be you?
Listen to what they have to say.
Listen to their hopes and their dreams.
What they love to do in this world,
What they love about this world.
And then when they have finished,
Listen also to their fears,
To their hurts and to their concerns.
Continue to listen here with an open heart for a time.
And then when they have finished,
Listen also to their fears,
To their concerns.
Ask your child if he or she will show you who you were before anyone told you.
Anyone told you how you should be.
And then when they have finished,
Listen also to their fears,
To their concerns.
Whatever it is that this child is showing you,
Drink it in as though you are living it again right now and right here.
Letting these qualities drop into your body,
Into your heart,
Into your mind,
Into your spirit.
And now ask this child if there is anything that he or she needs from you.
Anything that they may want or any advice that they may have.
Allow them to communicate to you in whatever way feels most comfortable and alive.
Perhaps they want to draw a picture to tell you.
Perhaps they want to sing.
They may speak openly from their heart.
Or maybe even they stay silent and communicate with their eyes.
Letting these qualities drop into your body,
Into your heart,
Into your spirit.
And now ask this child if there is anything that he or she needs from you.
And now take a moment that whatever this child spoke to you to give it to them,
Whether it is to play,
Whether it is to cry and to feel whatever it is you really feel in any moment,
To dream beyond what is possible,
Whatever it may be that you have learned,
What the child has asked from you to live it now in your mind's eye.
Letting these qualities drop into your body,
Into your spirit.
We all start out beautiful.
We all start out being free.
We all start out knowing all.
And often then we are taught differently.
What would it be like if you allowed yourself to sing without thinking there is such a thing as a good song or a bad one?
What if you allowed yourself to dance because that is the way your body wanted to move?
What would your life be like if you allowed yourself to cry or to be angry and then to smile again as though nothing had ever happened?
What would it be like if you allowed yourself to dream beyond what you thought or knew anything about the world possible?
Take a moment to thank your child now.
Perhaps you want to ask if you may hug him or her or come up with a secret handshake and say to them,
Thank you for being a part of me.
I'm sorry if you have ever been neglected,
Rejected or belittled.
I love you.
I am listening.
I love you.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
I am listening.
