Hello,
My name is Hillary Lafon and I'm so grateful that you have joined me today to explore visualization,
Lifting the weight of the world off our shoulders.
So many of us feel daily pressures and stressors of work,
Family,
Society and the environment.
All of this together can feel quite overwhelming.
The saying of feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders is not new and has been felt by most,
If not all,
Of us at some point.
Let us use a visualization to help remove the crushing feeling of this idea.
Remember,
We are in control of what we tell ourselves.
We can create the life we want to live.
We are in charge of our reality.
Let's start by focusing on our breath,
Then relaxing our body so our mind will follow suit.
Closing your eyes,
Taking a few breaths,
Rolling your shoulders up,
Back and down,
Away from our ears.
Exhale all your breath out.
Inhale through your nose,
Inhaling deeply,
Feeling your chest expand and your stomach rise,
Using all the muscles in your belly and spine.
And as you exhale,
Sigh it out,
Let it go.
Allow your breath to be slightly longer on the exhale than the inhale.
Just a few more like this,
Inhale through your nose,
And exhale through your nose or your mouth.
One more inhale,
And exhale.
Allow your breath to come back to its natural rhythm.
Give yourself permission to soften,
Melt,
Relax,
Feeling the muscles in your face expand,
Soften.
Using your breath in and out to soften any muscles that are tense or tight.
Allow the back of the neck and the shoulders.
Feel your next breath like a wave of relaxation,
Rolling down your back body,
Feeling cuddled,
Supported,
Nurtured and safe.
If you notice any tension in your neck,
Chest,
Stomach,
Energetically allow them to soften.
Feel yourself rooted and seated upright,
Alert and awake,
But peaceful and at ease.
Let any tension in your hands or your feet melt away,
Absorb into the floor or the chair,
Feeling your legs soft,
And now feeling your body as a whole expanded and soft.
I encourage you to come into your mind and visualize yourself in the most beautiful garden you have ever seen.
Maybe you have visited this garden before or you create it in your mind now.
Allow yourself to roll out a mat or blanket on the lush green grass and sit right in the middle.
If it is comfortable for you to feel the grass on your toes and fingers,
Allow yourself to do this.
If you prefer to not be in the grass,
Feel your body connected to earth through your seat.
Notice what you see all around you,
Trees,
Bushes,
Flowers,
Maybe beloved pets or peaceful animals of the forest.
Feel the cool breeze and comfortable temperature kiss your skin.
The sun is half hidden in the trees,
Creating the most relaxing,
Soothing environment.
If your mind wanders and you drift off,
Use your breath to stay present,
Allowing this visualization to open your heart and your mind and let go of worries in this beautiful garden that you're in.
On your right is a stream.
Gently get up and walk on the side of the stream.
Listen to the soothing sounds of the trees rustle in the wind,
The birds cooing,
And the stream rushing away.
As you walk towards the stream,
Feel your worries slip away.
And as you stand there,
Allow your struggles in your family life to roll off your shoulders,
Down your arms,
Out your fingers,
And into the stream.
Watch as the stream carries it away,
Inhaling and exhaling and feeling peace.
Allow your challenges at work or school to surface on the back of your neck and shoulders and roll down your arms and fingers,
Landing into the stream,
Washing away to be absorbed by nature and used in a different,
More productive way.
Take a deep breath in and out as you start to feel lighter,
More carefree,
And less bound by anxiety and stress.
Allow the pressures of society to be expelled by your body at the nape of the neck,
The shoulders,
And allow them to drip off your fingertips into the stream,
Feeling lighter,
More energized,
Relaxed,
And free.
Now allow the sadness of our environmental worries to bubble up to the surface of your body,
Rolling down your arms and out your fingers into the stream.
Watching all your stressors and struggles wash away.
Allow yourself to feel world lighter,
More youthful,
Free to smile,
And free to feel joy again.
Walk back over to the blanket,
Sit back down,
Allowing this new sense of freedom and peace to motivate you and to tackle the challenges you face ahead.
One last exercise before we go.
While sitting in this lush garden,
Visualize the time in your life where you are at ease,
Peaceful,
Youthful.
Challenges seemed exciting,
Not overwhelming.
Allow one experience to wash over you and feel it in your body,
Knowing you have the strength and the ability to feel this again.
If your mind has wandered,
Come back to your breath.
Allow yourself to be present in the here and the now.
Let go of that beautiful visualization,
Knowing you can come back to it at any time.
Taking deeper breaths,
Exhaling completely,
Bring awareness to your fingers,
Toes,
Have some movement in your body,
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
