Safe Space - Visualization For Relaxation & Calmness

This easy meditation guides you through a brief visualization exercise to create a safe space for relaxation and allows you to ground yourself into this moment. It is suitable for anyone who would like to relax and unplug for a few moments.

Transcript

Hello everyone and welcome.

Today we're going to meditate on our safe space.

This is a visualization exercise that will help you relax and find some space for yourself in today's busy world.

You're going to breathe using your diaphragm,

Which is deep belly breaths,

So make sure you're not so relaxed that your spine collapses and blocks your breathing.

You can be sitting or lying down or even standing if you prefer.

But if you're sitting,

Just place your hands comfortably in your lap,

Face up if you're feeling tired or face down if you feel the need to relax.

You can also use a hand mudra if you like,

Placing your thumb and your first finger together.

This is called the chin mudra,

The jayana mudra,

And it helps increase your concentration.

And once you've settled,

Close your eyes and take a deep breath and inhale.

And exhale at your own pace.

And when you inhale again,

Allow your lungs to fill with breath.

And when you exhale,

Just use your exhale to let go of any tension from your day.

And follow your own rhythm of deeply breathing.

And bring your awareness into your breath,

Into your body.

And breathe all the way in to the depth of your lungs to your belly.

And allow your belly to relax and soften.

Allow your mind and your thoughts to soften.

As you take this moment to simply breathe.

And feel the support beneath you.

The chair or the ground you're sitting on.

And feel yourself connected with the ground below you.

And let it take your weight.

And become aware of the sounds around you.

Just notice that they're there.

It doesn't matter what those sounds are.

Simply observe them.

Be aware of them,

But do not give them any thought.

And with your eyes closed,

Notice the light and shade through your eyelids.

Notice the fabric of your clothes touching the surface of your body.

And notice the air touching your skin.

And have a sense of yourself and where you are in this moment.

Have a sense of the sky above you and the horizon stretching all the way around you.

The earth below supporting you.

You are fully connected to this earth.

Fully supported.

And allow your mind to let go of your thoughts,

Anything it no longer needs to hold on to.

And as you let those things go,

They simply flow out and away from you.

The same applies to your body.

Allow it to fully relax and release anything it no longer needs.

Any tension or concern.

Just let it flow out and away.

And just draw your energy back to your center,

Drawing your attention back from wherever you've been in your day.

Allowing yourself to be fully here now.

And take a moment to find your center,

Wherever it is for you right now.

You don't need to think about where that is.

It may be different depending on your day or your mood.

But the body and the mind knows what it means to center.

Just go there and allow yourself to rest.

When you are in this place of center,

You are simply the observer,

Observing your thoughts.

You are not your thoughts.

You are consciousness,

Observing yourself.

And from this place of your center,

Sense the space around you.

And become aware of the rise and fall of your breath.

It is simply coming and going.

And you are breathing with your space where you are.

I'd like you now to imagine you're sitting somewhere outside in the sunlight.

It's a beautiful place.

It could be on a beach or a mountaintop.

Or in a meadow or a forest.

It's someplace outside that makes you feel safe and calm and relaxed.

And you are sitting there in the sun.

The sky is blue and bright above you.

And the sunlight feels warm upon your skin.

Warming the top of your head.

Know that nobody will disturb you here.

You are safe from distraction.

This place is your refuge.

And you can relax while you're here.

Take a moment to relish in the sunlight.

Feel the way it warms your skin.

How it warms the top of your head.

And all of the sunlight itself were filling you up.

Recharging you.

So bring your attention to the feeling of the sun on your face.

And allow it to relax the muscles of your face.

And let it warm the back of your head and your neck.

So let it warm the muscles of your neck.

Relaxing them.

The sunlight melts away.

Any tension there.

And you in turn let the tension go.

On this beautiful sunny day.

And the sunlight warms your shoulders.

Relaxing the muscles of your shoulders.

And as it travels down your shoulders and your back,

It fills them up with warmth and light.

And you'll feel yourself letting go of the burdens you've been facing.

As you just sit in the sunlight being warmed and relaxed.

And the sunlight bathes your arms and warms and relaxes them.

In your forearms.

Your hands.

Your fingers.

It also warms your chest.

Filling it with light and warmth.

And as you keep tuning to your breathing and inhaling and exhaling at a comfortable pace.

Just find yourself settling in.

Nestling into the sunlight and breathing out any tension or any concern.

As the sunlight warms not just your skin and your muscles.

It also warms your ribs.

Your heart.

Your lungs.

As you continue to breathe and observe your breath.

The sunlight also warms your back between your shoulder blades.

Melting away any tension you may carry there.

And letting the muscles melt and relax.

Soften.

The sunlight warms your stomach.

And feel it into the muscles.

All of your muscles and even the organs and bones beneath them.

Are warm and safe and relaxed.

And as you consciously fill with this warm sunlight.

Observe yourself.

And if your mind has begun to wander.

And if so,

Just gently bring your attention back to this moment.

And allow the sunlight and your breath to wash away any thoughts or worries.

Any concerns,

Simply continue breathing and let them go.

And as you continue filling with this beautiful sunlight.

And filling your hips and your lower back.

Release any tension that you feel there.

And let that sunlight and that warmth continue to flow through you.

Seeping into your seat and the back of your legs.

Your hamstrings.

Your thigh muscles fill with the warmth and the light of the sun.

And they relax.

Right into your bones.

Feeling heavy and warm and supported.

And the warmth just flows through you now.

Filling your calves and your shins.

Warming your legs.

Your ankles.

Your feet.

All the way down to your toes.

And all of you is filled up with sunlight.

You're being charged up like a solar panel.

And at the same time you're completely relaxed.

Completely at ease.

And while you're filled with sunlight from the sky,

We also want to be anchored here.

In this moment.

Rooted like a tree.

So imagine your feet are like the base of a tree.

And they grow roots.

Into the ground.

So you're just growing these roots into the ground.

Allow yourself to grow them.

Just imagine and visualize that you're growing roots.

And see these roots traveling deeper into the earth.

Grounding you.

Bringing you a sense of calmness.

Of presence into this moment.

And imagine yourself sitting there in that beautiful place that you've created for yourself.

Grounded into the moment.

Notice the scents around you.

The sensations.

The smell of the air.

The freshness of it on your skin.

Any sounds.

Maybe birds.

Maybe there's the sound of water.

The sound of wind or air.

Just notice all the sounds around you in this place.

Take a moment to be here.

Roots also provide trees with nutrients like water and minerals.

So imagine that your roots are working for you like this as well.

That there's a type of energy of the earth or soil.

And that energy comes up like nutrients through your feet.

And into your calves.

Your knees.

Your thighs.

Just traveling up through you.

Grounding you into the moment.

Bringing that earth energy,

That calming,

Cooling,

Quieting earth energy.

Into your body.

Into your hips.

And then up to your torso.

Your lower back.

Your spine.

This earth energy is filling you slowly and it's calming and cooling and comforting.

This energy travels up to your waist.

Up your chest and back area.

To your shoulders.

And into your neck.

And head.

So you're filled with sunlight.

And fully in the moment.

In this calm,

Safe space that you've created for yourself.

Out in nature.

Take a moment to be grateful for the earth.

For your life here.

For this peaceful time that you've created.

And allow yourself to simply be.

Nope.

And returning your focus to your breath.

Breathe with this space as you're in.

Notice the feeling of inhale as your chest expands.

The sensation of breath entering your body.

And then on your exhale,

Notice the warmer breath leaving your body.

You have warmed the air.

Become aware of the sounds around you,

Both near and in the distance.

Become aware of your body.

Become aware of your sit bones.

Connected to the chair or ground that you're sitting on.

Notice the way that you're feeling right now.

And know that you can return to this place,

This sacred place that you've created for yourself,

This safe space at any time.

And take a moment now to disengage from your sacred,

Safe space.

And return to center.

Paying attention to your body.

Deepening your breathing.

Bringing your attention to your hands,

To your feet.

Wiggling your fingers and your toes.

And when you are ready,

Open your eyes.

Namaste.