Let's get comfortable now.
Lie on your back.
Your feet are apart.
Arms are away from your body and palms facing upwards.
Now close your eyes.
Now imagine you are a happy hippo resting in a river in Africa.
You feel completely at home in your river.
You move easily and gracefully through the water.
You love to kick your legs to glide you through the water.
Sometimes you walk on the bottom of the river.
You love the water.
You happily spend many hours in the water.
Gliding,
Floating,
Moving through the water.
You are fully aware of everything that goes on around you.
Your ears and eyes are on the top of your head so you can be alert to your surroundings at all times.
Go ahead and notice what you can see around you.
Are there other creatures in the water?
What can you see on the riverbank?
You like to eat at night after resting in the cool water all day.
Can you see your favourite food?
Grass?
Fruit?
Notice what you can see around you.
Sometimes you like staying underwater.
By closing your ears and nostrils you can stay underwater for up to five minutes.
So peaceful and calm underwater.
And you're able to fully relax when you are in your underwater world.
You love wallowing in the water.
You love soaking up the sun's rays.
Feel the warm sunshine on your skin.
And you are so happy floating and relaxing in the sunshine.
And you stay lovely and cool when you are in the water.
So relaxing.
You love your friends and family.
You enjoy spending time with friends and family.
You are a warm,
Loving creature that cares for those around you.
You are helpful and honest.
You are perfectly still and very safe in your river.
As you relax you can repeat to yourself,
I am very relaxed.
I am very relaxed.
I am very relaxed.
You like to sleep in the water.
When you sleep in the water you bob up and down so that you can breathe.
You love being in the water.
You are such a happy,
Loving hippo.
You feel so free and calm.
Notice your breath as you breathe in and breathe out.
Your breath is gentle and quiet.
You are feeling wonderfully relaxed,
Floating in your river.
You are fully calm and relaxed.
Take a few moments now to enjoy your relaxation.
And continuing with your relaxation until you are ready to come back.
You feel very calm and rested.
You are now ready to come back from your relaxation.
Let's gently move the body,
Moving your fingers and toes,
Feet and the hands.
Slowly waking up your body.
Stretching the arms above the head.
Stretch,
Stretch,
Stretch from your fingers to your toes.
Bring the knees into your chest and give yourself a hug.
Maybe rock gently from side to side.
Moving your body and coming back to the body.
And then when you're ready,
You can come up to a seated position,
Pushing yourself back up to seated.
And thank you for sharing this relaxation with me today.
