This was very effective. I would have liked to lay down - especially to curl up into that little ball I'd been in earlier after awakening - but I was already sitting up and morning stiffness makes it hard to shift around much before I complete my mobility exercises (largely done through Insight Timer tracks of Feldenkrais, gentle yoga, stretches, visualization, tapping, etc).
That said, this was incredibly effective nonetheless, from a half-lotus seated posture. I had my winter meditation cloak on so I was nice and warm, aiding the relaxation, and I leaned my lower abdomen forward onto one of my softer beanbag neck pillows for the gentle pressure there where my hands could not cover well enough. That also let me lean my entire torso forward enough to become more relaxed while supported.
I can see where some people might not resonate with the long drawn out words, but I liked them. I do box breathing for anxiety and anger, plus pain relief. When I do that, I count each stage to help keep me focused on the breath. With this, I could exhale for the duration of the word and not have to count at all. For morning brain fog, that was a truly beautiful thing to discover. 😊 I also appreciated the gentle brightness and smile added to your voice as you concluded the practice.
I did think some guidance or commentary on how to retain this sense of relaxation through the day would be helpful, though. Fortunately for me, daisies are one of my favorite flowers, so that's easy for me to remember. I would respectfully recommend maybe one additional beat or breath between each step in describing the shape, to help us "lock in" what we have visualized so that foundation is ready to accept the next step of describing it. I started losing track of the shape itself as that part progressed because I didn't have the time to get it firmly in my mind's eye first. I graduated from the fast paced, intensive Defense Language Institute, where new language, alphabets, grammar, vocabulary, etc were thrown at us like grade school dodgeballs, so I'm used to quick acquisition of concepts and so on, but this caught me off guard and was too quick in between elements.
The only other suggestion I have is one I expect most other people don't hear or doesn't bother. (I was an audio technician and audiobook technical editor for some years.) About halfway through, that ticking clock started to become very noticeable and somewhat distracting. Given the static sound, it wasn't a watch; sounded like a wall clock or potentially a desk clock sitting nearby. During the silent parts, even brief ones, the ticking could easily be heard.
That said, the practice itself worked so well that I was able to let that irritation wash through me and away, just like the discomfort from the cramps.
I was quite impressed with how effective the practice was, and the method of color change was an interesting choice. A small segment of my mind tried to figure out the logistics of filling the shape, then me, but that kept that part of the brain lightly occupied while I focused on the practice itself, so it worked out well. 😊
I have a busy day ahead and am about to get up from my seated position. This is usually where I get a return of cramping, but I think if I firmly affix the visualization in my mind now, before I rise, it might help with moving around in less discomfort.
Thank you so much for sharing this practice with us here. Bookmarked and added to a special purpose Playlist for repeated use. Have a beautiful day or evening! I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻❤🤲🏻
