This practice is a gentle invitation to come back to yourself.
When you feel overwhelmed or anxious,
Taking a few moments to check in and find a quiet place in your mind can help everything feel a little more still.
By focusing on a peaceful scene and noticing how it feels in your body,
You can move away from that heavy or frantic feeling and toward a sense of calm.
Find a position that feels supportive.
Let your body choose what feels most comfortable to you.
Close your eyes or let your gaze rest softly.
Before we move into the breath,
Simply bring your awareness to your body.
Notice where you might be holding on to something.
You may feel a tightness or a heaviness.
Just notice where that feeling lives in your body.
Observe the sensation and the emotion that might be resting beneath it.
Allow it to be exactly as it is.
Now we invite the breath to move through your body.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Follow the cool air as it travels down into your chest and your abdomen.
Hold it for a brief moment.
Now exhale slowly through your mouth.
Imagine the breath leaving your body and taking a layer of that tension with it.
Take another deep breath.
Follow the path of the air as it weaves down your spine and expands your ribs.
As you exhale,
Let your shoulders drop to the floor.
Feeling yourself settling deeper into the surface beneath you.
Take one more deep breath.
Fill your lungs completely,
Feeling the life in your body.
As you let this breath go,
Feel the stillness of the room around you.
With your body settled,
Imagine you are sitting in a large comfortable chair.
In the corner of a quiet library.
The room is filled from floor to ceiling with books.
The air is still and carries the comforting scent of old paper and worn leather bindings.
A tall window nearby lets in a stream of soft golden light.
Watch the tiny dust motes dance in the sunbeams.
Your lap you were holding a favorite book.
Feel the weight of it against your legs.
Run your hand over the cover and notice the texture of the spine.
As you open the book,
Take a breath and notice the faint sweet smell of the pages.
Feel the warmth of the sun on your hands.
Reach out and touch the smooth wood of the side table next to you.
Listen to the peaceful silence of the room.
Broken only by the faint,
Rhythmic rustle of a page turning nearby.
You are protected here.
There is nowhere else you need to be.
Notice the feeling that lives in this place.
Allow that feeling to wash over you like the sunlight.
Find the exact spot in your body where that feeling lives.
Let it expand with every breath.
As you stay with this feeling,
Allow a color to come to mind.
There is no right or wrong choice.
Just notice the first color that feels right to you.
Imagine this color beginning to glow within the scene.
See it moving through the air and then gently filling your own body.
Watch as it travels through your chest and down to your fingertips until you are completely bathed in this light.
Let the color and the feeling become one.
Keep this feeling with you.
Choose a physical anchor.
You might gently press your fingers together.
Or place a hand over your heart.
Feel that physical touch reminding your body that this stillness is part of you.
Hold the anchor for as long as you feel that feeling.
Take a moment to check back in with the area where you felt tension earlier.
Notice if the sensation or the emotion has shifted.
Even a tiny softening is enough.
As you prepare to return to your day,
Remember that this place is always here.
If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed or anxious,
You can return to this quiet corner.
Take just a minute or two to find your breath,
Use your anchor,
And come back to the stillness of the library.
When you're ready,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.
