Begin by getting yourself comfortable in whatever position you like.
This is your session.
So you get to decide what works best for you.
No one else knows exactly what it's like to be you or to be in your body.
So you get to be the guardian of your own experience.
Not just during this meditation,
But always.
And while you're finding your most comfortable position.
Start to notice your breath.
Notice where you feel it first.
Maybe in the chest.
Maybe in the throat.
Or maybe you feel it around the nose.
Wherever you feel the breath.
Observe it for the next several rounds.
Notice it as if for the first time.
Be curious about each new breath.
How it will feel.
How it travels through your body.
The way it makes your chest gently rise.
And fall.
Be fascinated by it.
Noticing that each breath is unique.
And slightly different than the last.
Notice that even if you tried,
You can't hold the breath forever.
Sooner or later,
You need to let it go.
And when you do let it go.
You experience a wonderful sense of relief.
It's as if your whole body lets go.
Feel that relief now with every breath.
Feel the softening.
And loosening that happens all over your body.
As you begin to drop,
And release.
Letting go of any holding on.
It feels so good to let go like this.
Surrendering to this near-perfect moment.
As you allow your whole body to go loose.
Heavy?
And comfortable.
And for this moment,
There's nothing that anyone needs from you.
Nothing you need to remember?
Or focus on.
Nothing you need to make happen.
So you can let go of all thoughts of responsibility and simply enjoy this feeling.
And return to the breath once again.
Feeling it washing over your body like a wave.
Rising and falling.
Gently rocking you in an easy,
Natural rhythm.
That is deeply soothing.
And each gentle breath takes you deeper and deeper.
And deeper.
Into a gorgeously relaxed state.
And time seems to stretch out.
As you withdraw your attention from the outside world.
Turning your thoughts inwards.
As you're rocked gently.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
It's almost as if you were lying back in a boat on a lazy river.
Gently flowing downstream.
Gazing up at the deepest blue expanse of sky.
Beautiful bright sunlight beaming down on you.
And a light breeze gently cooling your skin.
Close your eyes,
Allowing the sun to bathe your whole body in healing light.
Breathing it in to every cell of your being.
And then sighing it out as you allow yourself to drift.
And dream.
After a while.
You notice that even though the river continues to flow,
You are not moving.
Your little boat seems to be grounded.
Caught on the riverbed,
Sitting low in the water.
Look around and notice a pile of rocks and stones in the boat with you.
Weighing it down.
Preventing it from moving on.
These rocks represent all the hurts and criticisms.
All the rejections,
Big and small,
That you've been holding on to.
All the moments you've experienced that have caused you to doubt yourself.
To fall out of love with yourself?
To criticise and reject yourself.
All the harsh words spoken by others and held on to by you.
Every rock represents a time when you were misunderstood,
Or unfairly judged.
Hurt,
Rejected or criticised.
And for whatever reason,
You didn't know how to let them go.
So you held on to them.
Maybe for safekeeping.
And here they all are now,
Weighing you down and stopping you from moving forward in your life.
And it's okay to feel some sadness about them.
It's okay that you held on to them.
Don't add any more rocks to the pile by criticising yourself for doing that.
You did what you knew how to do.
And now,
It's time to let them go.
You're ready.
So choose a rock now.
Pick it up and look at it.
Notice its shape and color.
If it's rough or smooth.
Cool or warm.
And really notice the weight of it.
Perhaps it reminds you of a very specific event.
And it's okay to feel some small remnant of hurt from that event.
It's time to let it go now.
So drop it over the side.
And hear the satisfying splash as it hits the water.
Notice that your boat seems to lift a little in the river.
Choose another rock.
Hold it in your hands and examine it.
This one may be smaller.
Or bigger than the last.
And it too might remind you of a past hurt.
And you're already prepared to let it go.
So do that now.
And it splashes into the water,
Sinking immediately out of sight to the bottom.
And the boat gently borbs and rises.
You're getting the idea now,
So you pick up another rock.
Look at it.
Briefly acknowledge it.
And let it slip from your fingers and drop into the water out of sight.
Keep going.
Rock after rock.
And with each one you let go.
The boat bobs and rises a little more.
As it gets lighter and freer.
You can almost feel a pull.
As it really wants to be released and float.
And now there's just one rock left.
This one might be quite heavy and hard to lift.
You left it till last.
So make a decision now to let this one go for good.
It served its purpose.
And you no longer need it.
Pick it up.
Using both hands if you need to.
And heave it over the side.
And as it disappears from sight,
Your boat is finally released and it springs forward in the water.
Flowing with the current.
Happily bobbing along on the tide.
And at that moment you feel such a lightness in your heart.
Feel a sense of love and pride in yourself for letting all this go.
The sun beams down on you and you feel totally free.
You lie back down.
Close your eyes.
Feeling the breeze gently blowing over you.
As you continue to drift.
And dream.
Knowing that now the river can carry you onwards.
To all the wonderful new moments of your life yet to come.
All the beautiful experiences you are now on your way to having.
And the delicious,
Easy journey there.
Drift and dream for a few moments more.
Asking in this feeling.
And then,
When you're ready.
.
.
Begin to come back into your body.
Into the present moment.
Bringing all those wonderful feelings back with you.
Becoming aware of the room around you.
Moving,
Stretching the body as you wake up.
Open your eyes.
Coming back.
Feeling refreshed?
Light.
And free.
