Welcome to your guided meditation,
And please take all the time that you need to set up your surroundings and to find a safe and comfortable position,
Gently closing down your eyes and bringing your awareness inwards,
Grounding yourself into this space by gently deepening your breath,
Inhale through your nose,
Feel your belly rise,
Exhale slowly,
Deeply and completely,
Take another slow breath in and a longer breath out,
And just notice the gentle rise and fall of your belly,
Notice the sensation of your breath going in and out through your nostrils,
Allow the rate of your breathing to gradually soften by extending the breath out,
Using no effort at all,
As your body starts to relax,
And gently notice any tension that you might be holding onto in your body,
Especially your jaw,
Your neck,
Your shoulders and your hips,
Give yourself permission to rest,
Let your body start to relax,
And allow any tension to softly fall away and to dissolve into the earth below you,
Now I invite you to imagine a body of water,
This could be a trickling stream,
A vast lake,
A winding river,
Or the expansive ocean,
It could be a place that you know well,
A place that you have just visited,
Or it could be an image that you have seen and can visualize in your mind's eye,
See if you can clearly bring that watery image into focus,
Take a moment to watch and observe the water carefully,
Over time you'll notice that it is constantly changing and always affected by the weather conditions,
On calm days the surface of the water may be crystal clear like glass,
It will reflect almost everything with great clarity,
Such as the clouds,
The birds and any trees that surround the water's edge,
The surface of the water also changes as the sun makes its way across the sky,
Even the moon and the stars shine their own light which is reflected in different ways,
On rough and stormy days the surface of the water may be choppy and turbulent,
But through the days and the nights through the seasons and through the years,
This body of water is constantly changing,
But at the same time essentially it always remains itself within nature,
And now see if you can invite the body of water to exist within your own body,
Welcome a curious awareness towards how your own mind is like the surface of the water,
Sometimes it can be calm and reflective,
And other times it can be rough and choppy,
See if you can submerge yourself and experience the full body of water within you,
But not just at surface level,
Much deeper down below the surface where it is still and quiet,
Allow the feelings and the sensations of this tranquil,
Peaceful,
And calming water to soak deeply into your skin,
Into every muscle,
Into every bone,
Into every organ,
And into every cell within your body,
So starting at the crown of your head,
Allow relaxation to float across your forehead,
Your temples,
And to wash away any tension in your jaw,
And your neck and deep into your shoulders,
Softening your belly,
Easing away any tension along your spine and through your hips,
Relaxing your thighs,
Your calves,
Your ankles,
And your feet,
Relating this experience to your own mind,
There may be times when your mind is choppy and unsettled,
But when you take the time to anchor into your breath,
You can calmly dive deeper beneath the surface to find your own stillness,
And your own inner peace,
It is always there,
And it is always available to you in each and every moment,
And in each and every breath,
Back to your body,
To introduce some small movements through your fingers,
And you can slowly open.
