Begin with two or three full complete breaths at your own pace.
Allowing the exhalation to be a little longer,
Slower,
Deeper than the inhalation.
Just releasing any old stale air in your lungs.
And then letting your breath relax to its own natural rhythm.
And now moving your awareness gently through your body,
Beginning at the top of your head.
Letting your scalp relax.
Letting your upper eyelids rest gently on the lower lids.
Letting your jaw release,
Your neck relax.
Letting any areas of tension dissolve.
Letting warmth move down through your torso,
Relaxing your arms.
Letting your back relax.
Your heart and your lungs,
Feeling the tension draining out.
Letting a sense of wellbeing fill you.
Letting your hands relax,
Your palms and your fingers.
Feel relaxation moving down through your hips,
Down your legs.
Some relaxation down to your feet.
Some soles of your feet that have carried you through this day,
Letting your toes relax.
Inviting a sense of tranquility into your mind and your heart.
Letting go while remaining alert,
Awake,
Present to the light,
To the relaxation moving through you.
Shifting your awareness now to the back plane of your body,
To the back of your heart,
Not the front of your heart where your feelings go out into the world,
But the deep calm at the back of your heart.
And picture taking 10 steps down into your deepest heart chamber,
That sheltered,
Secluded,
Very beautiful place you might picture as a garden,
Safe and peaceful.
You're beginning to descend the steps 10,
9,
8.
Feel your great sense of peace emanating from this place.
7,
6,
5.
Feeling more relaxed with each step.
4,
3.
Smelling the beautiful fragrance of this garden,
The immense calm of this sheltered place.
2,
1.
And enter the garden.
Look around at this beautiful welcoming place,
Notice the colors,
The shapes,
The temperature of the air,
Any textures,
Noticing fragrance if there's a taste in the air,
Noticing any movement in the trees or the flowers,
Noticing how the light moves through this place.
And walking now to the center of this garden,
Safe and at ease,
And finding a comfortable place to sit.
A cozy,
Comfortable spot beneath the safety of a beautiful arching tree.
Feeling the welcoming energy of this protective tree that invites you to sit beneath it.
And now inviting into this beautiful space,
A wisdom figure you trust completely.
Someone imagined or from history,
An ancestor,
An animal spirit,
Anyone that comes to you as a being that you can trust completely.
If no one comes to mind,
Just picture the most loving,
Trustworthy being that your imagination can picture and feel the warm glow of their presence.
Invite them to sit across from you and settle into this space together.
Feeling the energy of this being,
The warmth emanating from them.
You might look into their eyes,
Notice their expression,
Their deep affection for you.
You might just share the stillness and the quiet together,
Or you might ask them a question.
They may answer you with words or an expression or with loving silence.
Either way,
Just enjoy the peace of this place that's always there,
Quiet but alive,
Deep in your heart.
If you ask them a question,
The answer may come now or it may come to you unexpectedly in the hours or days to come.
No need to force anything.
Just be present.
Just enjoy this quiet refuge.
And when you're ready,
Just let it rest.
Thanking this wisdom figure,
Knowing they're always there for you,
And turning now to ascend the steps.
One,
Two,
Three,
Carrying with you the immense peace of this place,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Remembering that it is always here available to you,
Seven,
Eight.
Turning to the surface of your life,
Calm and refreshed,
Nine,
Ten.
The more you visit this refuge within you,
Whether in meditation or in a pause in the middle of your day,
The more it will begin to speak to you,
To offer you your own wisdom.
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
You
