Find yourself a comfortable chair to sit in,
Somewhere safe,
Warm and quiet.
We'll stretch a wriggle a little before we settle down.
Our eyes can be closed if you're comfortable with that,
Or relaxed and softened,
Gently unfocused to a spot in front of you.
Then sitting,
Make sure your sitting bones are connected with the chair.
Our spines are straight but not stiff,
Like pebbles stacked on top of one another.
Feel your feet,
Connected firmly,
Flat on the floor or ground beneath you.
Relax your head on top of your spine,
Imagining a thread is keeping it upright and centred.
And now we'll relax our jaws,
Resting the tip of our tongues behind our top front teeth.
At our own pace now,
We're going to take three deep,
Long,
Full breaths.
In and out.
In,
Right down into our bellies.
In and out at our own speed.
And with every out breath,
We relax a little bit more,
Letting go of the thoughts and concerns of the day,
Or any worries for the future.
In and out.
And when you're ready,
Allow the breath to return to its normal pace.
I'd like us to imagine or pretend we're walking towards a large lake.
There's a small rucksack on our backs.
It's a beautiful day.
The temperature's just right.
There's a gentle breeze.
The sky is clear and the air smells fresh.
As you come closer to the lake,
You can hear a lapping of the waves on the shore.
A few birds sing in the trees.
It's very peaceful.
Spend a little time here,
Watching the ripples on the surface of the water,
The reflection of the trees and the sky above.
Feel the earth beneath your feet.
Listen to the soothing sound of the waves against the lake's edge.
Can you imagine your breath is in time with the gentle lapping of the waves?
Standing here,
We can take off our rucksacks.
Opening the bag,
You find it's just full of stones,
Different sizes of pebbles and rocks.
You don't really need to be carrying this weight you've been carrying around the warriors of the world.
Take a good look at all these rocks and pebbles.
Some of them may even be quite beautiful.
Examine them,
Appreciate them.
Then any that you don't really want anymore,
Any that you don't need,
You can throw into the lake.
With each one,
Watch the ripples ebb away from each one as the time goes by.
You can get rid of as many rocks or pebbles as you'd like to now.
Watch the lake as the last ripples fade away.
You're just left,
Looking at the waves gently lapping at the shore again.
We're going to take three deep,
Long,
Full breaths right down into our bellies.
In and out at our own pace.
And when you're ready,
Allow the breath to return to its normal rhythm.
Connect again with the sitting bones on the chair beneath you.
Start to stretch or wriggle your fingers and toes.
Gently cup your hands and bring them tenderly over your eyes,
Opening your eyes into them.
Bringing yourself back into the moment,
The present moment,
Our here and now.
Thank you.
