Hi,
My name is Susan Gutridge and today I'm going to lead you through a peaceful place imagery that can help you relax your body and settle your thoughts for sleep.
All you need to do this is get comfortable in the spot you're in and get ready to use your imagination.
To help you fall asleep tonight,
We are going to create a beautiful image.
An image that when you picture it,
You feel peaceful.
It could be a place you've been,
A place you've seen in a photo or a movie,
Or it could be something that you just create in your imagination.
If you have any trouble imagining,
You might want to think of an actual place you've seen.
Start there and build it up with your thoughts as I guide you.
Everyone has different abilities when it comes to imagining,
Kind of like everything in life,
So just do what feels right for you.
Alright,
Get comfy and cozy in the space you are in.
Let your eyes close if you feel ready to do that.
Breathing in and out.
In all the stories we work on together,
We are developing the ability to just be in this present moment.
So if your mind starts wandering away from my voice,
Just notice that it happened with kind words,
Perhaps a,
Whoops there I go again.
After all,
A wandering mind happens to everyone from time to time.
Let's practice returning to the present moment together now.
First,
We'll pretend that you are listening to the story.
As you are listening,
Your mind begins to wander.
You follow the distracting thought because that's usually what happens at first when our mind wanders,
We just aren't aware of it right away.
Then,
You realize that your thoughts are drifting very far from the story.
Perhaps thinking about your day tomorrow,
That thing you forgot to do today,
Or one of the other thousand thoughts that can distract us.
Catch yourself kindly saying,
Whoops there I go again.
Re-center with your breath,
Inhaling in,
Exhaling out.
Notice the tickle of breath at your nostrils as you inhale,
And the warm breeze of air on your lips as you exhale.
Open your hands fully and outstretch your fingers.
Feel the stretch through your palms.
Notice how that stretch creeps up into each finger.
Then rest your hands beside you,
Noticing the softness of your sheets or blanket or clothing you're wearing.
Notice the temperature,
The texture.
Open your hands,
Now you're back in the present moment,
And we can begin.
If you could be in a peaceful place,
Feeling calm and relaxed,
Where would you be?
Use your best imagination to picture it.
Is there a place you've been to that gave you a peaceful feeling?
Perhaps you want to use that one.
Or do you prefer to create a place with your imagination?
There are so many options to imagine as peaceful places.
A treehouse,
A snow fort,
A backyard garden,
The house of a kind friend.
You might know this place,
But you could also make it up.
Let me share an example with you.
A bunch of years ago,
I saw a postcard of Barbados.
It was a picture of the most beautiful beach,
With palm trees and clear blue water.
I had never been to Barbados,
But that picture was all I needed to imagine it.
You see,
We don't have to have been to a place to imagine being there,
To weave a peaceful place story around it.
When we imagine a peaceful,
Calm place,
Our body relaxes as though what we are seeing is actually happening.
Imagination is kind of our superpower that way.
Let's focus your imagination now to picture your peaceful place image.
Just imagining you could be anywhere in the world,
Feeling peaceful and calm,
Where would you be?
Picture that now.
A peaceful place where you feel safe,
Comfortable,
Quiet and peaceful.
As you think about where it is,
What would be around you?
What things would you see?
Would there be anyone there with you?
What would you hear in your peaceful place?
If I were on that beach in Barbados,
I think I would hear the sound of ocean waves,
The soft call of birds high up in the sky.
Maybe I'd hear the chirping of insects,
The gentle rustle of the wind in the palm fronds above me.
Now it's your turn.
Picture your peaceful place.
Feeling calm and safe.
What do you think you would hear as you picture yourself there?
Maybe you even start to notice your body feeling relaxed,
Feeling more heavy,
Feeling more quiet.
Let's scan through your body to notice where you're starting to feel relaxed and at ease.
Once you notice your body relaxing and settling,
You can grow that sensation to feel even more peaceful,
Even more ready to drift off to sleep.
Starting at the top of your head,
Being curious about where you're starting to feel relaxed.
Slowly shift your focus through your face,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your hands,
Down into your fingers.
Noticing whatever feels relaxed and peaceful.
Continue scanning from your shoulders to the area around your heart.
Noticing the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe in and breathe out.
And noticing your belly,
Your sit bones,
Your upper legs.
It's okay if you feel restless,
Just being curious as you notice.
If any parts of you are starting to feel relaxed or peaceful,
Just settling into that and enjoying it.
Then letting your attention slowly drift downward to your lower legs,
Your knees,
Your calves,
Your ankles,
Then your feet.
Noticing what you feel there in your feet and in your toes.
Do they feel relaxed or wiggly?
What temperature is there?
Cold or warm?
Take a moment to bring your feet together,
Rubbing them back and forth once or twice.
Being curious about the sensation of warmth you create when your feet rub gently together like that.
Sinking into the comfortable connection between your body and the bed.
Breathing in,
Exhaling out.
Bringing up that picture again of your peaceful place in your mind's eye.
All the things that would be around you there.
The sounds you would hear.
The smells that would be there.
The way your body feels relaxed and calm when you imagine being there.
To really lock in your peaceful place feeling,
Sometimes it's helpful to imagine a protective barrier around your peaceful place.
Like a force field that ensures it's always a peaceful place where you can relax and feel calm and safe.
If you'd like,
Imagine that now.
Your peaceful place with its protective barrier.
Maybe a shield,
A force field,
A bubble,
A rainbow.
With the feelings of being safe and calm and peaceful,
Locked inside that peaceful place for you to return to anytime you need.
Breathing in,
Exhaling out.
Know that this is your peaceful place and use your imagination anytime you want to connect with calm and peace and safety.
You can pull up this image anytime you want at bedtime to help you get relaxed and ready for sleep.
You might want to use it after a tough day to remember that just using your imagination can help move emotion,
Help your body relax.
It's a pretty cool superpower to have.
Noticing again your body feeling relaxed and ready for sleep.
Enjoying the peaceful thoughts that we created here together.
Feeling ready to drift off to sleep.
Breathing in,
Exhaling out.
Keeping these beautiful images of your peaceful place with you as you doze off into the sweetest of dreams.
Goodnight and thank you for spending this time for yourself.
