Begin to calm your body.
Start by closing your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth on a sigh.
Let's do that again.
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth.
It feels so good to breathe.
Your body is beginning to feel still and heavy.
Now let's imagine.
Imagine you are outside at sunrise on a cold winter morning.
The sky is dark except for a streak of orangey,
Pinky glow near the horizon.
You are bundled in your warm coat,
Scarf,
Hat,
And gloves,
And you're sitting on a soft patch of grass with a warm blanket draped around you.
It seems as though the only part of you not covered in something warm is your face.
You love the winter morning,
The chill,
The stillness,
The bright,
Sunny glow against the gray,
Billowing clouds.
It's so beautiful.
The birds don't seem to know or care how cold it is outside and continue to sing their gleeful morning songs.
Chirps from the wrens,
Cheers from the cardinals,
Hoo's from the morning doves,
Caw's from the crows,
Pecks from the woodpeckers,
Searching the old tree trunks for breakfast bugs,
And soaring above the shrieks from the hawks.
Being outside on a winter morning makes you feel calm and happy and truly,
Truly grateful of this beautiful world.
As the birds sing,
You notice the sun beginning to peek over the horizon,
An orange ball of light,
Warm and calming,
Yet full of energy.
Feeling happy,
You take a deep breath in through your nose,
Feeling the cold air rise up into your nostrils.
You hold it for just a moment,
Then let it out on a big sigh,
Noticing how warm it is feels as it leaves your mouth.
As you let the air out of your mouth,
You notice something.
White.
White smoke?
No,
White steam.
Yes,
As your warm breath hits the cold air,
It creates steam.
The steam looks like smoke coming out of a chimney or,
Perhaps,
Like a dragon breathing a white,
Misty fire.
You try to make your dragon mist bigger.
You take a deep,
Slow breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth on a warm,
Slow sigh.
The mist is bigger this time.
It stretches out in front of you like a long,
Hazy path.
You can make it bigger.
You imagine being a dragon in a battle.
Your mist has to be big enough to reach your opponents.
You take a deep,
Deep,
Slow breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth on a warm,
Slow sigh.
This time,
Your dragon mist is huge and seems to take up all the space around you,
Spreading out like a blanket over the earth.
Your magical mist surrounds your opponents,
Confusing them.
They can't see.
Your dragon breathing is too strong for them.
They leave and all,
Again,
Is quiet.
How fun!
You didn't know you could breathe like a dragon,
Did you?
You smile and giggle to yourself,
Thinking what a beautiful morning it is.
The birds continue to chirp and sing.
The woodpeckers continue to look for their breakfast.
And the sun continues to rise in the grand sky before you.
Its special rays are shining on your face,
Warming your skin,
And warming your heart.
You feel a deep sense of thankfulness and peace.
You sit on your patch of grass,
Feeling warm and happy,
Practicing your dragon breaths and knowing that you have found a very special way to spend this cold winter morning.
Take this feeling of happiness with you throughout your day and know that you are loved.
