Creating a safe place imagery practice.
Choosing a posture that feels supportive for you today,
Whether that's seated or lying down.
And becoming aware of the posture that you've chosen.
Noticing the weight of the body going down,
Supported by the surface that you're resting upon.
And at the same time noticing a gentle sense of uplift through the body.
Following through the spine all the way to the top of your head.
And when you're ready becoming aware of the breath breathing itself.
Noticing the physical sensations of breathing.
A gentle sense of uplift on each in breath.
Sense of letting go on the out breath.
And if it feels helpful inviting you to take some deeper breaths.
And slowing down the rhythm of your breathing in a way that feels soothing and calming for you today.
Engaging with this soothing rhythm of breathing for a few more moments as you settle into this practice.
And when you're ready letting go of this slower rhythm of breathing and returning the breath to its natural rhythm.
As you do this also becoming aware of the body.
Noticing places of contact with the surface that you're resting on.
Perhaps if you're seated where your feet make contact with the floor,
The ground beneath you.
Or if you're lying then the surface that you're resting upon.
Opening to sensations in the body as best you can today.
Perhaps gently scanning through the body from the feet.
Through the legs and the trunk all the way to the top of your head.
Or if it's helpful doing this in no particular way.
Simply becoming aware of places of contact,
Temperature,
Clusters of sensation in the body.
Bringing a friendly interest to your experience.
And opening again to a sense of the body as a whole seated or lying here.
And inviting you now to rest with a sense of open awareness and letting go of trying to meditate or do anything at all.
Simply resting here and letting go of the space that you're resting on.
And then you're going to rest for a few more minutes.
Allowing them to simply arrive in your awareness.
Allowing whatever comes to be acknowledged.
With a sense of kind of a sense of open awareness and letting go of trying to whatever comes to be acknowledged with a sense of kindliness towards your experience in this moment.
When you're ready,
Making contact again with the breath and the body.
If this feels okay for you today.
Allowing the breath to be a support in practice.
And if this isn't okay then choosing a different anchor,
Perhaps a sense of feet on the floor,
Sounds around you.
Whatever might be a helpful anchor in this safe place practice.
And inviting you now to bring to mind an image of a place that gives you a feeling of safe-ness or calmness.
Remembering that it's okay if it's hard for the mind to settle on a certain place or maybe we notice moving from place to place.
Seeing if we can have an intention not to force our experience to be a certain way.
And if it's possible for you to settle on a place or a sense of a place then beginning to imagine that you might look around,
Noticing what you can see.
Perhaps there are colours.
Can you notice the quality of colours?
The quality of the light?
What time of day it is,
Whether it's light and daytime or dusk or dark and night time.
And then gently shifting your attention to notice sounds around you in this place.
Perhaps it's very quiet,
Maybe there's faint sounds.
Are there any creatures like birds for example?
Noticing animal sounds,
Perhaps sounds of trees or water.
I'm inviting you to also notice physical sensations and what you might feel in this place.
Perhaps temperature around you,
The feeling of the air on your skin.
Perhaps if you're standing or sitting,
Noticing where your body makes contact and the sensations here.
Noticing if you can smell anything in this safe or calm place.
So while we can notice the sensory qualities in this place,
Now we're going to also notice feeling qualities in relation to this safe or calm place.
So imagining that this place welcomes you as you are feeling the same,
As you are feeling the same,
As you are feeling the same,
As you are in relation to this safe or calm place.
So imagining that this place welcomes you and enjoys your being here.
Seeing how you might create a sense of being welcomed and wanted in this place.
I'm inviting you to invite a soft friendly smile.
As you really lean into these feelings of being welcomed as best you can.
You're welcome to stay with this practice for as long as feels helpful.
And whenever you're ready to come to the end of the practice,
Allowing the image to begin to fade.
Opening your attention again to the place that you're sitting or lying in.
Noticing places of contact and opening again to the space around the body,
The place that you are in.
Perhaps opening to sounds.
And gently opening eyes if they're closed,
Perhaps moving the body in a way that feels helpful.
And whenever you're ready,
Moving into the next moments of your day.
And at any time if you find yourself feeling distressed or upset in any way,
Inviting you to take a few deep soothing breaths.
And coming back and resting in this safe and calm place whenever you need to.
Always available for you to return to.
Going well into the next moments of your day.
