So just begin by finding a comfortable seated position,
Whether it's in a chair or seated cross-legged on the floor,
And gently close your eyes.
Place your palms in your lap and start to bring awareness now to your breath,
Flowing.
Noticing the gentle rise of the chest and the abdomen on the inhale,
And the release on the exhale.
On your next inhale,
Noticing the temperature of the air and its coolness as you inhale,
And noticing the air and its warmth as you exhale.
Just bringing awareness into our bodies,
Down out away from the mind space.
We spend so much time in our heads,
Giving yourself full permission to relax here for just the next few minutes.
And as you continue to breathe,
I want you to imagine for a moment that you have roots on the bottom of your feet,
Like a beautiful oak tree.
And these roots travel down through all the layers of the earth,
Anchoring and grounding you into present time.
As you continue to breathe,
Not trying to change your breath in any way,
Just noticing what your breath feels like today.
And notice in your body if you feel any tension.
And on your next inhale,
Inviting your breath to travel to that place in your body,
Seeing if it can expand and loosen just a little bit.
And if your mind starts to wander,
Not a problem,
That's what the mind does.
Just bring your attention back to your breath.
And as you continue to breathe,
I want you to imagine for just a moment that you are in a beautiful meadow and the sun is shining,
The birds are singing,
There's spring flowers scattered around your feet.
And you look up and you notice that you're holding a giant red balloon on a string.
And I want you to imagine that you are placing in this balloon any emotions or feelings or thoughts that you might have that are feeling somewhat negative to you today.
You might feel some anger or frustration,
Some angst,
Some shame,
Some doubt.
You might be recalling a circumstance or an interaction you had that didn't feel very good.
Start to place these items in the balloon,
Not becoming attached to them or judging them in any way.
You're simply bringing them into your awareness and placing them in the balloon.
And as you place each thought or emotion into the balloon,
It gets bigger and bigger.
And you notice the balloon can hold as much as you have to give.
You might have these feelings or thoughts from things that happened today or yesterday,
Perhaps last week or last year.
Perhaps there's some negativity you experienced 10 years ago or 20 or even from when you were a small child.
Nothing is too much for this balloon to hold.
As you keep allowing gently these feelings that are uncomfortable for you just to land in the balloon,
You might notice negative energy in your space from other people.
It's just energy and you can simply let it go.
So just place that energy from others that you might be carrying around in your space and gently place it in the balloon.
You might even place in there things you're not even aware of.
Place that in the balloon too.
Noticing that balloon now filled with all the negativity that you can possibly imagine.
And when you feel complete,
I want you to see yourself safely in this gorgeous meadow with the sun shining,
Opening your fingers and letting that string go.
As you notice the balloon floating upwards,
Higher and higher in the sky,
Higher still past the tallest trees and now past the tallest mountain tops until you cannot see the balloon anymore.
Allowing that balloon to float away completely.
As you look around and notice the fresh air,
The beautiful trees along the outside of this meadow,
Feeling a sense of peace and quiet.
Noticing what's here now.
What's emerging in place of everything you've let go of.
Now you have space and room to fill up with what makes you feel good.
Bringing attention now to your heart center as you continue to breathe.
Just noticing your heart,
Perhaps feeling a gentle beat.
And I want you to bring to mind something that you feel gratitude for.
And this could be a person or a place,
Perhaps it's an experience that you've had,
Anything that brings you pure joy.
And feel that in your heart as you feel your heart space expand like a golden sun radiating outward.
Sensing this golden light now expand into the space around you 5,
10,
20 feet in all directions.
Filling you with this radiant joy that you can tap into and shine at any time.
Continuing to breathe here gently.
Feeling that sense of gratitude,
Relaxation,
And the peace of letting go of everything that isn't serving you.
And gently now bringing awareness back into your body.
Taking a few deep breaths.
Wiggling your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes and return to the room.
