Welcome to my Happy Place guided meditation.
Today I encourage active imagination in the form of visualization.
The only limit is what your mind can conjure up.
Come to a comfortable seated or lying position and let's start with the eyes gently open,
Holding a soft gaze.
Begin to become aware of the space around you,
The room you are in right now.
Take a good look around,
What do you see?
What sounds can you hear?
Perhaps you hear the sound of a car driving past,
Birds singing or maybe your neighbors talking next door.
Now what can you smell?
Do you have an incense or a scented candle lit?
Bring your attention to your sense of touch,
Can you feel the air caress your skin?
How about the weight of your clothes on your body?
Take a deep inhale through the nose,
Exhale through the mouth.
Notice how your lungs fill up with air on the inhale and how your body starts to soften and tension releases on the exhale.
Close your eyes,
Turn your gaze inwards.
Pay attention to the gentle rhythm of your breath and as you focus on your exhale,
Your breath starts to naturally lengthen on its own.
You can breathe slowly and steadily,
Allowing one breath cycle to flow into the next.
Notice if you feel any discomfort or areas of tension in the body.
If you do,
Send the breath to these areas and watch how the resistance quickly drops,
Your muscles loosen up and your body relaxes fully.
Your body feeling heavy,
You go a little deeper with every breath.
Go deeper and deeper.
Go back to a time and place where you felt truly happy and joyful.
This could be a memory from your childhood,
Your teens or your adult life.
It might be a place you visited on holiday,
An event such as a birthday or a wedding.
Maybe you're just curled up by the fireplace reading a good book on a cold wintery evening.
And if nothing comes to mind,
That's fine,
Just create a new place.
You could be sitting on a beach,
Watching the sun go down or hiking up the Swiss Alps.
This can be wherever you like.
Good.
Now that you've chosen your happy place,
Keeping your eyes closed,
Start to vividly picture this place in your mind.
Think about what you can see.
What does this place look like?
Can you see trees or buildings?
Can you see animals or people?
Are you alone?
Look all around.
What else do you see?
Look this picture into your head now.
Next,
Think about what you can hear.
If you can see animals,
Can you hear them?
Is there water nearby?
Can you hear the sound of a river flowing or music playing in the background?
If you're at home,
Can you hear the TV or other people in the house?
Is it totally quiet?
Listen closely.
What else can you hear?
Look these sounds into your head now.
Now I want you to think about what you can smell.
If you're at home,
Is your partner cooking dinner?
Or perhaps you can smell any pets that might be with you.
If you're with friends,
Are they wearing any perfume?
And if you're outside in nature,
Can you smell the flowers,
The fresh air,
The plants?
Take a minute to think about what else you might be able to smell.
Look these smells into your head now.
What does it feel like in your happy place?
Do you feel warm or cold?
Is the air dry or humid?
What can you feel under your feet?
Can you feel sand or pebbles beneath your toes?
Are you floating in air or are you laying down in the grass?
What do you feel in your body?
Do you feel a soft breeze or the sun warming your skin?
How do you feel emotionally?
Look these feelings into your head now.
Lastly,
We visit taste.
Think about what you might be able to taste in your mouth.
You might be the last thing you ate.
Maybe you're sipping on a gin and tonic.
Or if you're at the beach,
You might be able to taste the salt in the air.
You might not taste anything at all and that is totally fine.
Stay here a little longer.
Take one last look around.
Gently embody what it feels like to be here in your happy place.
You can use this exercise as a mental hack when you're feeling a little low,
Going back to your happy place whenever you please.
All you need to do is remember what it looks and feels like,
What it smells like,
What you can hear and what you can taste.
Enjoying the sensation of feeling alive and joyful.
Come back to your breath.
Sense the cold air touching your nostrils as you breathe in and the warm air leaving your nostrils as you release a breath.
Keep breathing deeply,
Allowing your thoughts to come and go without judgement.
The brain cannot tell the difference between something that is being seen in real life and something that is being seen in your imagination.
So visualisations are particularly effective for manifesting your desires.
Take a moment to think about a specific outcome you want to call into your life.
Perhaps you have a big presentation to give at work.
Maybe you're looking for a new job.
You have an important football match coming up.
Or maybe you have health issues you would love to heal.
Go ahead and visualise your desired outcome now.
The more detailed you are with the visuals,
The more powerful the end result.
For example,
You could imagine yourself on stage in front of a large crowd,
Everyone applauding and cheering as your speech comes to an end.
Or you picture yourself in an interview scenario,
Being offered that dream job you've always wanted.
Alternatively,
You visualise yourself scoring the winning goal,
Or receiving news from your doctor that you are healed from whatever illness it is that you are currently suffering from.
Go through your five senses.
What can you see,
Smell,
Hear,
Taste and feel?
Remember,
The more specific you get,
The better.
Really focus on how you feel once you have achieved the outcome you are looking for.
Embody these feelings now.
How does your body feel?
What expressions do you have in your face?
What does your environment look like?
And what emotions are coming up for you?
Internalise the sensations as though this event is happening right now,
In this very moment.
Imprint this event into your brain now.
Slowly release this image and begin to come back to the here and now.
Start to feel into your body and once again use your senses to become aware of your surroundings.
The room you are in right now.
Place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your heart where you always find the happiness that lies within.
Bring your focus to your breath.
Take a nice deep inhale through the nose.
Hold your breath at the top for just a moment.
Then exhale release.
And whenever you are ready slowly open up your eyes and return to your day.
