Close your eyes and take a gentle breath in.
And as you breathe out just arrive.
There's no one you need to be or nothing you need to do.
All you have to do is simply be.
Now instead of focusing on your breath or the music we're going to try something a little unusual.
I want you to imagine that your thoughts are not inside your head.
Imagine they're floating in front of you about an arm's length away.
No need to picture them clearly.
Just get a sense of them being out there rather than in here.
And as each thought appears don't follow it,
Don't push it away.
Instead just give it a simple shape.
It could be a small cloud,
Maybe a pebble or a leaf.
Anything that feels natural.
Every thought that shows up,
Just place it in front of you and let it take a form.
Here's the practice.
Gently one by one I'd like you to begin to organize them.
Don't solve them and no need to analyze them,
Just arrange them.
You might move one slowly to the left or another slightly further away or maybe another one closer.
Just like you're tidying a quiet space without urgency.
And as you begin to organize these thoughts you might notice that you begin to feel a little lighter.
Notice how different this feels.
As you have your thoughts there,
Outside of your mind,
Just in front of you.
You're not stuck inside the thoughts anymore.
You're simply relating to them.
And if a stronger feeling comes up,
Maybe anxiety or restlessness or maybe pressure,
Then let that become something too.
Shape it.
It could be a heavier object like a stone or maybe you want to just put it there like one of the thoughts.
Place it outside of your mind.
Instead of carrying it,
Place it down just in front of you.
There's no need to get rid of it,
Just set it down and take a moment to notice.
Notice that when it's not inside of you,
The feeling changes.
There's space now.
You can breathe around it.
So keep going gently.
As soon as a thought comes up or a feeling,
Just place it.
There's no rush.
And now I'd like you to begin to widen your awareness slightly.
If all these shapes are in front of you,
Notice the space behind you.
The space around your body,
Your back,
Your shoulders.
Totally untouched,
Open and quiet.
And let yourself lean back into that space just a little.
Almost like you're being supported from behind.
And as you rest there,
The thoughts in front of you can stay exactly as they are.
Nothing needs to disappear,
But you're no longer inside them.
You're here,
Supported,
Aware and steady.
And with that new feeling of support,
Take a slow breath in.
And as you breathe out,
Allow your jaw to soften and your brow to unclench.
Releasing and letting go is not about forcing calm.
It's just about allowing a little more space.
It's not about removing or fighting.
It's just about staying here for a few moments.
Resting back with everything placed gently in front of you and not on top of you.
Allow yourself to feel a little more weightless.
And when you're ready,
Slowly begin to bring your awareness back to your body.
Carrying that sense of space with you for the rest of the day.
I'd like you to try and remember this practice going forward.
Because it's a good reminder that you are not your thoughts.
You are the person observing them.
You are not your feelings.
You are the person experiencing them.
And with that separation,
We don't feel so trapped.
And we can allow a release to happen.
So enjoy the rest of your day.
And just remember that you are you.
