A River Of Calm - Stress Relief Meditation

Be transported to the calm and tranquil setting of nature as you are gently guided to relax deeply and release the build-up of stress and tension from your mind and body that so many of us accumulate in our day-to-day life. Gift yourself this time to come back into balance, and back into harmony with yourself as you experience the River of Calm.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this stress relief meditation,

A River of Calm.

My name is Jane Corner and I'm a teacher here at Insight Timer.

Before you begin this meditation,

Just make sure you are sitting comfortably or lying somewhere where you won't be disturbed.

And when you are ready,

Just allow your eyes to close.

And as the eyes close,

Just notice how good it feels to turn your attention and your awareness inwards.

To move away from the busyness and the hustle and bustle of day to day life.

To go inwards,

Deeper,

To that special part of you.

That place inside that only you can go to.

A place deep within to relax,

To recharge,

To be still and to allow yourself to let go of all the stress and tension you may be holding onto right now.

All that pressure.

All those things which have been weighing you down.

And so as you bring your attention inwards,

Start to notice how the body responds and how the body has started to relax.

The muscles already softening,

Unwinding,

Loosening.

And then notice how the surface you were sitting or lying on supports you.

How you don't have to make any effort to support yourself here.

And how you can just continue to let go and relax.

To allow the breath to slow.

Allow your body to settle into its own natural rhythm.

And as you do just know that there is nothing you need to do right now.

Know where that you need to be.

You are giving yourself this time to simply rest.

To be.

I want you to gently bring your awareness to your breath and follow the journey and the path of your breath as it enters into your body and is drawn down into the lungs as the chest rises.

And then notice the pause between breaths before the air softly leaves on the out breath as the chest gently falls and your breath continues to flow at a rate and rhythm which is right for you at its own pace as you relax here.

And as you relax and start to slow the mind and the body.

I want you to imagine perhaps as though you are in a dream that you are relaxing in the countryside.

Sitting on a colorful picnic blanket on a grassy bank just next to the water's edge of a calm and peaceful flowing river.

A river that gently meanders through this green and fertile land.

A gentle flowing current of life.

It is a pleasant day,

The sun is shining.

Rays of sunlight land on your body as you continue to relax.

The gentle warmth soothing and calming you.

And as the warmth of that sun touches your skin all those day to day worries and concerns start to fade more and more into the distance.

Fading away.

So that your focus is on the river.

And you now start to take in more of the scenery around you.

The lush green grass that is all around you.

Perhaps you can even run your hand over the grass and feel how soft it is.

Notice also how colorful flowers grow together in different places along the banks of the river.

And how the leaves of the trees off into the distance gently dance in the soft breeze.

Perhaps you can even hear the sounds of birds singing up in those trees.

Everything in this place is in balance,

In harmony.

And as you sit here next to the river and take in the peaceful scene around you.

You can finally take a deep deep sigh of relief.

Knowing that you are completely safe and at ease in this place.

And you can really let go now.

Letting go of any tension that has been held in your body.

Letting go of any mental tension held in your mind.

Tension created from deadlines,

Pressures,

Decisions in your life.

And as you give yourself this time to rest,

A deeper part of you knows that everything is okay.

And you can really listen to this deeper part of you now.

That's right.

As you continue to relax down by the river,

I want you now to move a little closer to the water's edge.

And as you do,

You will find that you can easily touch the water with your feet.

You may even want to dangle your legs lazily over the side of the riverbank.

As you sit comfortably and safely.

The water feeling so refreshing against your skin and is at the perfect temperature for you to enjoy.

Notice how the gentle,

Slow and smooth current of the river moves between your toes,

Around your ankles.

And you can really enjoy the calming and soothing sensation of the water.

And as you enjoy this deep sense of contentment,

Of relaxation,

I want you to become aware that any tension or stress or uncomfortable feelings,

Thoughts and emotions are being released now.

All being drawn out by the cleansing properties of the river.

Notice how anything that was feeling heavy or uncomfortable is being drawn down from the very top of the head,

All the way down through the body and all the way down to the very tips of those toes and then out through the bottom of the feet.

So that a new lightness starts to grow inside of you,

Feeling whole and at one with all that is around you.

You no longer feel any reason to hold onto any tension now.

As you relax more and more deeply.

Feeling as though so much weight has been lifted from you.

As you continue to watch the slow and easy flowing river.

Hearing the ripples of the water as it moves up against the riverbank.

As you lazily swing your feet through the water.

And up above the sun continues to shine down above you with its healing and comforting warmth.

And you watch as rays of sunlight dance upon the surface of the river.

The water making patterns in the light and this makes you smile.

To be relaxed.

To be at peace.

To be in this beautiful place.

All the trees and greenery around you.

The rippling water and all the sounds of nature.

And you can breathe in this feeling now.

This energy.

This life.

Feel this peace and calmness infusing into your body.

Giving you energy.

And allowing you to feel restored.

Revitalised.

Perhaps even feeling a warming sensation moving through your body.

As you continue to breathe this in.

Inhaling and exhaling.

Your body feeling so deeply relaxed.

Lighter and feeling so safe.

There is nothing to concern you.

And this feeling of contentment will remain with you throughout your day.

And when you go to sleep at night you will sleep soundly.

Allowing your body to be restored.

To come fully back into balance and harmony.

Just like the balance and harmony of this peaceful place and the river of calm.

So just take a moment and absorb and embrace the feelings this beautiful place has instilled deep within you.

Holding on to what makes you feel good and releasing that which does not serve you.

It is now time to leave the river of calm.

But know that you can return here at any time.

And so in a moment I am going to count up from one to five.

At the count of five your eyes will open and you will come back all the way to complete awareness.

Feeling rested.

Feeling so calm.

One.

Slowly,

Gently you are returning to your full awareness once more.

Two every muscle in your body is loose and relaxed you are feeling good.

Three your head clearing.

You are feeling perfect in every way physically and mentally perfect emotionally calm.

Four your eyes starting to open on the next number I count eyelids open completely aware feeling calm rested full of energy revitalized.

And five eyes open now fully awake taking a stretch if you need to.

Reviews

Loved this. Really helped me calm down after an anxious situation! Thank you so much!!! 💚💚

I was able to go deep and it was very relaxing. Thank you.

This was beyond magnificent! It was a true oasis and respite from all my stresses and anxieties. I genuinely feel calmer and lighter, more relaxed, connected, and clearer of mind. Thank you so much, Jayne! 😊

Thank you for sharing this gentle meditation 🧘‍♀️ here on IT
Love and Blessings 💜

Waking up feeling all the feels of life and what’s going on in the world, I listened to this meditation and instantly felt grounded, calm and at peace. I can’t recommend this meditation and this teacher highly enough. A must to listen to ❤️