Welcome back to the forest.
I am delighted that you're back with me for the final part of our series.
And today is all about letting her laugh again.
And you can probably tell from my voice that there is a bit of a different feel to this final session together.
And so we're going to begin standing.
So find a space where you can stand up and have a nice big stretch.
Yeah,
Perhaps even with a noise that goes with the stretch.
Letting your arms expand.
You can even shake your hands a little bit.
Yeah,
Shake your feet.
I won't shake too much here because I'm in the forest and you won't hear me.
And you can even bring a little bit of movement into your belly and your hips.
Perhaps making those rotations.
Reminds me of doing the hula hoop when I was a child.
So we're really just starting today's session with bringing some spontaneous movement into the body.
That's it.
Taking some deeper breaths.
Even making a sound as you release that breath.
And sound and movement is really,
Really welcome in this session.
Again,
A nice deeper breath in.
And exhaling.
You can even stick your tongue out.
Make some weird faces.
Yeah,
And just bringing that sense of animation and freedom and spontaneity in your body.
And you might wish now to sit down or lie down,
Or you might want to stay standing up.
It's all good.
But just letting yourself,
Again,
Soften.
Letting yourself settle a little bit in your body.
That doesn't necessarily mean coming into stillness.
We can actually settle in movement.
In fact,
Quite often when we have an active or overactive nervous system,
A little bit of gentle moving or rocking or swaying,
As I'm doing now,
That can actually help your body to settle.
Because it gives your mind something to focus on.
And it can release a little bit of pressure and tension that we can hold in our nervous systems.
And remember,
You've come far.
There's no need to dig deep today.
This is a moment to breathe differently.
To welcome in the lightness.
The movement.
The delight.
And as if on cue,
The trees are beginning to shake in unison with those words.
Not sure if you can hear that.
And she's here with you.
Your inner child.
That little one that you met.
The one you soothed.
Can you feel her nearby?
Bring yourself back again to that special place.
That wild or quiet landscape where you always meet her.
Just walking towards her.
As you let the landscape take shape again around you.
And noticing what's different today.
What colour is the sky?
What moves on the breeze?
Noticing the shapes of the clouds,
If any.
What's drawing your attention?
Letting your senses open like windows.
And now seeing her.
She's not waiting in stillness this time.
Your little one is moving.
Maybe she's twirling.
Maybe she's barefoot or dancing.
Perhaps she's painting the air with her hands or chasing something only she can see.
She's playing.
And you might even find yourself moving your body as you imagine her there.
Noticing how is it to see your little one?
That cheerful,
Chirpy,
Cheeky little you in her play.
Perhaps she might even pause when she sees you.
She might tilt her head and smile.
Or maybe she's like running towards you and laughing.
Just letting her energy move through you and through your body and in your heart.
You don't need to match her,
You just need to feel her.
Let yourself be invited.
And if she asks you to play,
Say yes.
Even,
You know,
If it's just with your breath,
Your imagination or maybe just a quiet smile in your body.
Maybe she really wants to dance.
Perhaps she wants to show you something secret,
Like a fairy den or a shiny stone or,
You know,
A game with no rules.
Let your inner child lead.
Let her joy be messy.
Allow yourself to respond to her.
Let her be wild.
Let that gorgeous one be innocent.
I feel a big smile in my heart as I share this with you.
And you might even want to say to your inner child aloud,
I love seeing you like this.
You might want to say,
I miss this part of us.
You're free to play as much as you want.
Really let your nervous system begin to remember what this feels like.
The joy that isn't earned.
The freedom that isn't explained.
The delight that doesn't need permission.
Let it ripple through your chest.
Let it move your body.
Let it vibrate through your throat.
Let it tickle through your belly.
Let her laughter move in you.
And even if you don't laugh out loud right now,
Even if all you do is watch,
You're witnessing the part of you that never stopped wanting to feel alive.
And if she's still a bit blocked and,
You know,
You're feeling resistance,
That's okay.
Smile with her,
Encourage her.
Don't make her wrong.
Stay with her a little longer.
Just being.
Breathing.
Delighting.
And notice how's that impacting you today as you witness and engage with that lovely,
Lively energy of your inner child.
And now when the moment feels complete,
Offer her one more smile.
Or a nod or a twirl or a shimmy,
Whatever feels right for that relationship that you've been nurturing.
And you might even say aloud,
Let her really hear your voice.
Let yourself hear your voice say,
I'll come back to play again.
And this joy is ours.
Thank you,
My little darling,
For reminding me.
Let her know she can stay here in this place where joy is safe.
Where laughter is sacred and precious.
And gently begin to return.
Back through the trees,
The meadow,
The beach,
Wherever you are.
Noticing if you have a little skip in your step as you're returning.
Whatever feelings,
Sensations or whatever's present,
Just let it be with you as you journey back into your own breath.
Back into your own body.
Your own now.
Yeah,
Feeling your feet on the ground.
Feeling your hands.
Again,
You might want to just shake them a little bit like we did in the beginning.
Feeling the curve of your lips.
You can even trace with your finger in a playful way the outside of your mouth.
Tracing your lips.
Give your nose a little tap.
Whatever feels like a playful way to come back into connection with your body.
And taking a deep breath in.
And letting it go.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes.
And carrying this joy with you.
A secret pocket of freedom that you can reach for any time.
She's still laughing.
She's still playing.
She loves life.
And somewhere inside,
So do you too,
Just as much.
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart in joining me on this journey into loving,
Loving your inner child.
