Today we'll be working with a visualization technique.
Get comfortable,
Sit in a supportive chair or alternatively lay down on your back.
You may choose to put a little cushion under your head if you're laid down.
Once you're in your position,
Relax your body by releasing any areas of tension.
Allow your arms to relax,
Then your legs.
Feel your arms and legs becoming loose and relaxed.
Now relax your neck and back by consciously relaxing your spine.
Release the hold of your muscles all the way from your head down your neck along each vertebra to the tip of your spine.
Breathe deeply into your diaphragm,
Drawing air fully into your lungs.
Release the air with a whooshing sound.
Breathe in,
Pause and breathe out.
Draw a deep breath in and out.
In,
Out.
Becoming more and more relaxed with each breath.
Feel your body releasing all of the tension,
Becoming relaxed and calm and peaceful.
Feel a wave of relaxation flow from the soles of your feet,
Your ankles,
Your lower legs,
Abdomen,
Chest,
Back,
Hands,
Lower arms,
Upper arms,
Shoulders,
Neck,
Back of your head,
Face,
Top of your head.
Relax.
Allow your entire body to rest heavily on the surface where you sit or you lie.
Now that your body is fully relaxed,
Allow the visualization relaxation to begin.
Imagine you're walking towards the ocean,
Walking through lush grasses as you approach the water.
You can hear the waves up ahead.
You can smell the ocean spray.
The air is moist and warm.
Feel a pleasant cool breeze blowing through the trees.
Feel the grass tickle you on the legs.
As you walk along a path through the grass,
You're coming closer to the sea,
Coming to the edge of the green.
You can see a brilliant aqua colour of the ocean ahead.
The sun shining,
Glistening on the ocean.
You walk out of the grass onto a long stretch of white sand.
The sand is very soft,
Like powder.
Imagine taking off your shoes and walking through the warm white sand toward the water.
The beach is wide and long.
Hear the waves lapping the shore.
Smell the clean salt water in the beach.
You gaze again towards the water.
It's bright blue-green.
See the waves washing onto the sand and receding back towards the ocean,
Washing up,
Flowing back.
Enjoy the ever-repeating rhythm of the waves.
You can feel the mist from the ocean on your skin.
Walking closer to the waves,
You feel the sand becoming wet and firm.
A wave washes over the sand towards you and touches your toes with a little fizz of the bubbles from the ocean.
It recedes back.
You can feel the cool ocean water between your toes,
Providing relief from the warmth of the day.
You feel calm and refreshed.
Stroll along the beach at the water's edge,
Calm,
Happy,
Relaxed.
You feel peaceful and rested.
Allow all your thoughts to melt away.
When you're ready to return from your vacation,
From your short holiday on the beach,
Do so slowly.
Bringing yourself back to your usual level of alertness and awareness.
Keep with the feeling of calm and relaxation,
Feeling ready to return to your day.
Open your eyes or have a big stretch out and become fully alert,
Refreshed and filled with energy.
You can practice this visualization technique as often as you wish to provide a mental holiday whenever you need it.
Visualization is a skill that can be learned.
The more that you practice,
The more skilled you'll become and the more effective you'll be able to relax using this technique.
