Hello and welcome to this brain-refreshing meditation with me,
Keziah Gibbons.
This practice is designed to engage your brain,
Utilizing felt sense and the imagination.
As you imagine different sensations happening,
Your brain experiences them as real,
And the sequence of imagined sensations is designed both to elicit relaxation and to open your neural networks to the possibility of new,
Pleasurable experiences.
In doing so,
We offer your brain alternatives to the heavily trodden pathways,
And you may find that you are able to release stuck thoughts,
Emotions and sensations as you offer your nervous system alternative ways to be.
I invite you to be open and curious to each sensation,
Aware of both your current experience and the transient nature of it,
As you welcome in this relaxing treat for your brain.
The language used in this meditation is mostly around felt sense,
And I invite you to be aware of how that experience shows up for you,
To notice and allow any of the senses and to release all expectations.
Let's make exploring new sensation together fun.
So I invite you to make sure you're comfortable.
You can be in any position.
And I invite you first of all to check in with your head and neck.
Make sure they're really well supported so that you can allow yourself to relax as any tension releases.
And secondly,
To check in with your breathing.
If your body is resting and well supported,
You can allow your breathing to naturally slow and lengthen,
Finding a restful rhythm that's right for you,
And that also naturally relaxes your nervous system.
For deeper relaxation,
Allow your exhale to be longer than your inhale,
Signaling to your body and mind that you are resting for the duration of this meditation.
Now bring your awareness to your brain.
So if you're a visualizer,
You might picture your brain resting inside your head,
This mysterious marvel with its folds of grey matter,
Collections of neural networks,
This physical container of your thoughts and experiences.
But more than anything,
I invite you to find a felt experience of your brain.
So taking your awareness to the inside of your head,
Where you know your brain is resting,
And just notice what you notice.
What sensation is or isn't there?
What shape and size is it?
Is there a part of your brain that your attention naturally rests on?
And what does it feel like inside your brain at this moment?
And remember,
Whatever your experience is,
It's real and valid for you at this moment,
And just noticing without judgement,
Feeling into the space where you know your brain rests,
And finding what sensation,
Texture,
Weight or lightness is there.
And you may get visual glimpses or even sound that go with that,
And you may not,
Either way is fine,
Just sensing into the feeling of your brain now.
And we're going to invite your brain now to have the experience of sinking into a warm bath,
So just imagine now that warm water,
At the perfect temperature for you.
Imagining your brain sinking into a bath of warm water.
Experiencing the relaxation that comes with that.
Perhaps feeling the muscles around your brain and your head relaxing with this experience of warm water,
Allowing your brain to be fully immersed in the warm,
Gentle,
Relaxing water.
Just the right temperature for you,
And there may even be a lovely scent that goes with this water,
As if the warm water itself is steeped in your favourite relaxing aroma.
And allowing your brain to soak there for a minute or two.
Just imagining the sensation of warm water holding and surrounding the brain,
And your whole brain relaxing into it.
And sometimes,
As muscles soak in warm water,
They begin to relax and expand,
And if your brain wants to do that now,
That's right,
You can.
And sometimes when things soak in warm water,
Any surface grime may start to soften or work loose,
And you may notice that happening on the surface and in the folds of your brain.
Anything extra that does not need to be there just beginning to soften and loosen.
Maybe even detach and be dissolved in this warm,
Pleasant smelling bath.
And just allowing yourself to imagine and experience that with your felt sense.
Experiencing the feeling of your brain bathing in the warm,
Restorative water.
And then allowing that warm water to drain away now,
Taking with it anything that was ready to go.
And just spend a moment sensing in to how your brain feels after the warm breath.
Is there any sensation that lingers?
Or any new,
Contrasting sensation?
Just feeling in to where you know your brain is,
And noticing what it's like.
And then we're going to invite in a cold rinse,
So imagine a good,
Healthy torrent of cold,
Refreshing water flowing in through the top of your head,
Reaching and rinsing all the parts of your brain,
And then flowing away again.
Just really feeling what that might be like.
And allowing the flow and the sensation to continue.
Rinsing away anything that has served its purpose.
And maybe clearing some of those neural pathways that were really ready for a refresh.
Allowing yourself to imagine the sensation of cool,
Refreshing water flowing through,
And rinsing away anything that does not belong there.
And experiencing the sensation of the cold,
Moving water on,
In,
And through your brain.
What does it feel like?
And if you don't have complete sensation there,
Allowing yourself to imagine what it might feel like if you did.
And then turning that flow off and allowing the last of the cool water to drain away.
And returning to that felt sense of your brain.
Resting your awareness where your brain is and just noticing any sensation.
And if there's anything else that is not sensation,
A thought,
Image,
Sound,
Or emotion,
That's okay too.
Just acknowledging that,
And then bringing your main focus back to sensation,
To whatever you feel there in your brain.
And now we're going to immerse the brain in something fizzy.
So imagining your skull filling up with a fizzy liquid,
Bubbles hissing and popping,
And notice how that feels in the brain.
And notice how it feels to have fizziness in contact with your brain,
With every surface,
In every fold.
Notice how your brain responds to that fizziness,
Whether anything changes in the experience of being inside your brain.
And you may even notice that the fizziness has a taste or a smell.
And allowing your brain to experience that fully,
To feel the space in which it exists,
Being a fizzy space.
Just holding your awareness in your brain and experiencing the fizzy.
And then allowing all that fizziness to drain away.
Taking with it anything that no longer serves you.
And just spending a moment sensing into your awareness of your brain,
The felt sense of your brain,
And how it feels now.
You might already begin to notice that your brain feels a lot clearer,
A lot cleaner,
And more refreshed as it moves through this experience.
And sending that rinsing flow through again now,
The cool refreshing water,
Imagining it flowing in through the top of your head,
Rinsing and refreshing your entire brain,
And then flowing away again.
Just imagining,
Cultivating that felt experience of your brain being rinsed with cold,
Refreshing water.
And then allowing the flow to subside,
Allowing that cold water to drain away,
And feeling into your brain and the felt sense of your brain.
And now imagining that your brain is caressed by warm air.
And so you might feel a flow of warm air coming in from any direction,
Or just a sensation of your brain being surrounded by warm air.
Noticing that warmth,
The comfort,
The way your brain exists in the warm air.
And whether it feels right to expand and relax in the warmth,
Or if it's just right as it is.
Noticing if that heat is more noticeable in any particular area of your brain.
Just noticing,
No judgment.
Which parts of the brain like the warm air best?
And then allowing that air to cool.
So again,
It might be a breeze,
Or you might just be aware of the feeling of your brain surrounded by the air,
As the air gets cooler and cooler.
Until it is definitely cool and refreshing.
Bracing,
You might say.
And allowing that fresh air to surround,
Move through,
And invigorate your brain.
Just feeling your brain in the cool air.
How does it feel on the surface and deeper down?
And finally,
Letting go of any intention to direct or imagine what your brain is experiencing.
And coming back to awareness of your brain in the here and now.
How your brain feels,
Resting where it is inside your head.
Just coming into a straight line.
Mindful awareness of any sensation in the area of your brain.
And just thanking your brain now for being willing to play.
To participate in this experience.
To explore new sensation and ways of being.
Expanding your awareness now to your whole body.
And just spending a minute or two here,
Experiencing your body and your brain.
Aware of how they relate.
And of what it feels like,
As a human,
To inhabit the body and the brain.
And finally,
Releasing the practice.
Beginning to turn your awareness outwards once more.
Noticing the sounds,
Sights and sensations of your external experience.
Becoming fully present in the place where you are.
You may want to close the practice with some movement or whatever feels good to you.
Perhaps stretching or brushing yourself down to smooth and freshen your energy.
And just letting go.
Please be gentle with yourself today.
Appreciating that you have been clearing and forming neural pathways.
And that the more kindness you treat yourself with,
The easier it becomes for the positive changes to stay.
Make sure to come back to the practice tomorrow and every day.
To continue to cultivate awareness and openness to all experience.
Thank you so much for being here.
I wish you a wonderful rest of your day.
