Hello.
I hope that you're sitting comfortably.
We're going to bring our attention to our body.
You're going to feel all sorts of different parts of your body.
Just check in with how your body is feeling.
Before we start you might want to have a little wriggle.
Try to get yourself as comfortable as possible where you're sitting.
You should have your back straight and your two feet firmly on the floor.
Or if you're sitting on the floor just make sure you're sitting up as much as possible.
Now focus on your breathing.
Can you feel the breath coming in through your nostrils?
Where does it go?
Feel where the breath is going in your body.
If you put a hand on your stomach and another on your chest over your heart,
When you breathe in you'll feel this movement.
With an in-breath your stomach balloons out a little and with an out-breath your stomach shrinks a little.
With an in-breath your chest might rise a little and with an out-breath it might fall a little.
So you're going to take a nice long slow deep breath in through the nose.
Hold it for a second or two and release the breath.
Can you feel a tingle in your body?
Let's do that again.
Slow breath in through the nose.
Hold it for a while and breathe out.
You might be able to feel a tingling right across your body.
You might feel it reach down to your fingertips and down to your toes.
If your eyes are still open I'd like you now to breathe in and as you breathe out just allow your eyes to gently close.
Just let them close all by themselves and now I'd like you to listen.
Don't say anything out loud but think about what you can hear.
What sounds can you hear far away from you?
What sounds can you hear closer to you?
Can you try to rest your awareness on the sounds that you hear in just one ear?
And then try the other ear.
Did you notice a difference?
Now I'd like you to do something quite special for yourself.
I'd like you to feel how your head is resting gently on your neck.
Feel how it almost floats on top of your neck pushing down ever so slightly.
Feel how your head and your neck together are resting comfortably on top of your body.
Feel your shoulders,
How relaxed they feel.
Perhaps quite heavy,
Perhaps dropping a little.
If thoughts arise in your head while you're being aware of your body,
Smile at them.
Smile at the thought that crept into your awareness.
Imagine wrapping it up in a soap bubble and watching it waft away and then bring your awareness back to your body.
Take your awareness down through your arms,
Past your elbows,
Down into your hands,
Down into your fingertips.
Take your awareness into your chest and your back and down through your stomach.
Down into your legs.
Notice when you breathe out that the muscles in your legs relax and go soft.
Take your awareness down past your knees,
Down your calf muscles and into your feet and right down to your toes.
Notice how you are able to sit perfectly comfortably,
Completely relaxed,
Completely secure.
If any thoughts creep in again,
Smile at them,
Wrap them in bubbles and watch them waft away from you and bring your awareness back to your body.
Do you know what a sanctuary is?
A sanctuary is a very safe place.
It's somewhere you can go to feel calm,
Safe,
Secure,
Where you can feel completely comfortable.
What we're going to do now is to feel your inner sanctuary.
It's something that's always there,
No matter what's happening.
Just like the sky is always blue,
Whatever the weather is,
Even on a cloudy day,
Above the clouds,
The sky is always blue.
Inside you there is a place of peace and quiet.
Your inner sanctuary is always there,
No matter what you're feeling.
So put a hand on your belly again and another on your chest over your heart and slowly breathe in to your stomach.
Feel how your hands move when you breathe in and out.
Feel how your stomach balloons and shrinks.
Feel how your chest rises and falls.
Picture this,
Feel it and see if you can find a warm smile somewhere there in your body.
Can you see it?
That's it.
That's your inner sanctuary.
That's your peaceful,
Quiet,
Calm and safe place.
Focus your awareness on that warm smile.
Breathe in slowly and relax in your inner sanctuary.
Can you feel how this place grows with each breath that you take?
With each in-breath your inner sanctuary grows until it fills your entire body.
And know that you can always come back here because your inner sanctuary is always with you.
If you're ever feeling sad or scared or nervous or just a little overexcited or you just need a break,
Time off from friends,
From adults,
From other distractions,
You can come here to your inner sanctuary.
It's nearly time to finish this meditation now.
So I'd like you to rub your hands together.
Rub your palms until they become warm and then gently massage the top of your head,
The sides of your head,
Your face and your neck.
And then listen carefully to any sounds that you can hear in the room near you.
When you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
