Find a space that is quiet,
Comfortable and free of any distractions,
And settle your body into a surface that will support you in being most at ease.
Perhaps it's seated in a comfortable chair,
Laying on your bed or a thick rug on the floor.
Whoever you have chosen to place your body,
Give yourself the freedom to adjust,
Fidget in any way needed so that your body can fully settle in.
Begin by noticing the contact between your body and that supportive surface.
Experience the warmth and connection perhaps in your back,
The backs of your legs,
The head resting.
Use those connections to bring you into this present moment.
Let your noticing rest on your breath now.
Allow your body to sink with each breath out,
The breath in easing open the spaces between your thoughts.
You're going to use that powerful mind in this meditation to visualize,
To create a space of your very own to retreat to,
To find peace,
Restoration,
Comfort,
Whatever it is that you might desire at this moment.
Begin by allowing a thought to bubble up from deep inside of you.
The thought of a place where you feel most like yourself,
Fully expressed,
Fully alive.
A place that brings you joy.
This might be a place that you've been before,
Or perhaps it's only a place in the imagination of your heart.
Would this place be warm or cool?
Are you indoors or outside?
When you glance around,
Is there daylight,
A sunrise or sunset?
Perhaps you're bathed in darkness or moonlight.
Maybe there's a light rain falling around you.
Allow your imagination to draw together all the things you love while forming this very personal space.
If you're in a room,
What would that room contain to create for you joy,
Comfort,
Peace?
If you're outside,
What are your surroundings?
Slowly look around you.
Are you on a beach near the ocean?
Are you in the mountains?
In a forest by a stream?
Where do you need to be outside to be fully alive?
Allow this space to take shape without judgment or editing.
Sense the images as they bubble up and notice the feelings that come and go.
Set free that creative power we all possess to discover what nourishes you.
Allow that breath deeply into the belly and as you breathe out,
Settle into this visualization.
If you're inside,
What kind of room is it?
Is it cozy and warm?
Or is it spacious,
Breezy with light pouring in?
Pause for a moment and notice how your body feels in this space that you've created in your mind,
In your heart.
Sense the easing open of your breath now,
Aware of that ease in your body.
Check in with your arms,
Your legs,
Your spine,
Your muscles.
What sensations are you aware of?
Perhaps there's a lightness through your limbs now,
A tingling through your fingers and your toes.
Are you aware of the warmth or coolness of your skin?
Notice the ease in your body.
Gently come back to that space that you've created.
Is there anything else that's been added?
Has anyone else shown up to support you in this space?
Or are you alone?
Perhaps it's someone you know and love,
Someone that you feel would bring comfort,
Inspiration,
Support.
Maybe that's someone as a pet,
Bringing the force of unconditional love to your special retreat.
Let yourself be in the center of this retreat,
Slowly turning,
360 degrees of view in your space,
Using all of your senses to absorb the restorative energy this space has to offer.
Breathe it in deeply.
Allow it to soak in through your lungs.
Let each cell in your body absorb the power of this paradise.
Receive it completely.
On the out-breath,
Soften into your space.
Draw the air from this retreat deeply in again,
Expanding from head to toe,
Receiving,
And on the out-breath releasing completely,
Falling gently into the safety you've created.
Turn your awareness to the body now,
Knowing that your body is never the same from one moment to the next.
It's in a constant state of shift and change,
Always seeking to move towards healing.
Serve and honor those shifts now with wonder and curiosity,
Trusting that in this moment your body is powerful enough to create healing.
Become aware of the shifts that have happened today by using your creative spirit and your mind.
Perhaps you notice an openness in the chest and the belly where the breath can flood in.
Maybe there's less judgment in your thoughts.
Maybe you notice a softening into your essence as you understand the safety in your own space.
As you begin to journey now,
Gently toward the surface of your awareness,
Those sensory experiences in your space of retreat may be tucked away.
Bring with you the essence,
The energy,
The restoration,
The peace,
And the joy.
Whatever it is that you needed will remain with you as you float to the surface.
Begin to use that breath in gently guiding yourself back,
Perhaps feeling revitalized as the deeper breath enters the body now.
As we become aware of our body in contact with the surface of support,
Notice your grounding.
Let your sensing move to the hands and the feet,
Where some small movements might begin in the fingers and the toes.
Becoming more aware and into the present moment,
Sensing the arms and the legs,
The clothing resting against your skin,
Sending your awareness out like feelers beyond your skin to begin connecting with the space around you,
Experiencing this coming back slowly and completely.
Starting to open the eyes to visually orient yourself to your present moment,
Present surroundings.
Making bigger movements now by stretching through the body,
Letting those spontaneous deep full breaths happen.
And in this awakening,
Taking a moment to congratulate yourself for taking time,
Time to create a resource,
A safe space in your mind,
Your heart,
And your spirit.
For taking the time to be quiet and still.
Know that this is your retreat,
And you can come back to this space at any moment with a mindful breath in and a complete breath out.
