Hi,
Welcome.
Most of us know that sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D.
And we also know that low levels of vitamin D have been consistently linked to anxiety,
Depression,
Low mood,
Fatigue.
And also our reduced ability to cope with stress which is resilience essentially.
And But the relationship between sunlight and mood goes even deeper than vitamin D itself.
Because research published in the Lancet found that the brain's production of serotonin,
And serotonin is our primary mood-regulating neurotransmitter,
So production of serotonin is directly linked to the amount of sunlight we receive.
So the more light,
The more serotonin.
And it rises rapidly with brightness.
So neuroscience has also shown us that when we vividly imagine an experience,
Our brain activates the same neural pathways as when we actually have that experience.
So brain imaging studies confirm that imagining something and perceiving it for real Use the same neurons.
This means that whether you are walking in actual sunshine right now,
Or lying in a dark room in January in the UK.
Your brain is still listening.
The neural pathways activated by vividly imagined sunshine are the same pathways activated by the real thing,
By walking in sunshine.
So that's enough to begin shifting how you're feeling.
So drawing on this fascinating research.
We can begin.
Imagine that you are standing at the edge of a meadow.
Allowing yourself to take a deep breath in.
And out as you're using your wonderful imagination for today's exercise and imagining that meadow.
Right at the edge of it.
The day is warm.
The air is soft and clean.
And you can Look up to see that the sky is the most generous blue you've ever seen.
The meadow stretches ahead of you,
Wide open.
There's long grass,
Wildflowers in many beautiful colours.
Yellows,
Purples,
Whites.
And there is a gentle path winding gently through the middle.
As if it was made exactly just for you.
For this moment.
So standing here,
Taking it all in,
Allowing yourself Deep breath in.
.
.
And breathing out.
Simply relax.
Witnessing this wonderful scene and somewhere nearby this bird song.
Not a single,
But several,
As though.
.
.
They're simply going about their day and you are welcome to be part of it.
The smell of warm grass and earth as something faintly floral reaches you.
And above the door.
Up this side.
Glorious full and warm.
Already you can feel it.
Before even taking a single step,
Just stand here for a moment.
Turn your face towards the sun.
Feel it fast on your forehead.
Gentle.
Feels like a hand plays this softly.
Feel it smooth the lines of tension you carry there without even knowing.
Your forehead is softening,
Releasing,
Letting go.
Feeling that sunshine move onto your eyelids and the sun is filtering through them.
Warm,
Golden.
Even with your eyes closed you can sense the light.
Your eyes soften behind your eyelids.
And all the muscles around them are releasing now,
Melting in the warmth.
That beautiful.
Glowing.
Orange.
Colour energy gently cascading down now to your cheeks.
The warmth spreading across them.
Your jaw is unclenching.
Dropping slightly Take a deep breath now.
And imagine you are breathing in golden light,
Warm,
Luminous,
Healing light.
Let it fill your lungs completely.
And breathe out.
Whatever you're carrying today,
Whatever it is,
You don't need to name it.
Just let it go with the breath.
Out into a warm air where it simply dissolves.
Taking another deep breath in,
Breathing in that golden light.
And breathing out whatever you need to let go Now gently feel the sun move into your neck.
The back of your neck.
That place where so many of us hold tension.
Feel the warmth seeping in.
The warmth going into the muscles softening what has been held tight perhaps for days perhaps longer and now your shoulders.
Notice where your shoulder is that tight.
Are they raised?
Pulled forward?
Carrying something heavy,
Invisible.
Feel the sun land on them.
Like two warm hands pressing gently down.
Invitation to let them drop.
To release,
To stop holding the weight of everything quite so tightly.
Let your shoulders roll just a little.
And a little more Breathe in golden light.
And breathe out everything that you are ready to let go of.
Breathe in.
Imagining the golden light.
And breathing out.
Everything that your shoulders have been carrying Now slowly the sun moves to your chest,
Your heart space,
This tender place that anxiety loves to make its home.
Tightness,
Constriction,
The weight that sits here sometimes on difficult days.
Now feel the warmth of the Sun here in your chest,
Heart space.
Notice it.
Here radiating inward as though the light is moving through skin and bone and muscle to reach the very center of you.
Breathing it in and feeling your chest expand into the wall.
More space,
More light,
More room.
Breathe out and feel whatever has been compressed here.
It begins to soften.
Releasing anxiety losing its grip stress dissolving,
Mood beginning to lift and elevate.
The sun continues down your arms along your forearms to your hands.
Feel your fingers warming,
Uncurling perhaps if they've been held tight.
The hands that do so much,
Receiving warmth now.
Your entire upper body now is there,
It's being bathed.
In that glowing warm sunlight.
Now it is your back.
Whole broad surface of your back,
Drinking in the sun.
All that tension stored along the spine between the shoulder blades in the low back.
The warmth is finding it all.
It's softening it all.
It's melting it all.
Allowing yourself,
Fume up with deep breaths while standing here at the edge of the meadow.
Allowing your body to be bathed in the sunlight.
Breathing in.
Letting go and beginning to warm.
Simply moving through this beautiful space.
In this light at exactly the pace that feels right for you right now.
Feel your feet on the path,
The soft ground beneath you.
Each step grounding you a little more,
Each step a gentle reminder that you are here.
You are safe.
Allowing the meadow to move around you as you walk.
Wildflowers brushing your fingertips as you pass.
And the sun.
The sun is walking with you.
Steady and warm on your face,
Your shoulders,
Your back.
Generous,
Constant,
Bathing you.
With every step you take breathing golden light.
Every step,
Breathe out what you no longer need to carry.
Breathing in golden light.
And letting go.
Just notice how your body feels now,
Perhaps a little lighter.
Perhaps the tightness in your chest has softened.
Perhaps your shoulders have found their natural place,
Lower,
Easier.
Perhaps something in your mood has shifted too.
This is your serotonin,
That's your nervous system responding to light,
Real or imagined.
Your brain is responding either way.
Your brain is receiving this and your body is receiving this.
Find a place to stop for a moment.
That's why taking another deep breath in of light.
Letting go.
You stand here,
Perhaps in a gentle rise in the path,
Where the meadow opens up around you and the sky feels vast.
You're standing here in the full warmth of the sun and simply breathe.
You're in golden light,
Warm and healing and full of everything your body and mind have been needing.
And breathing out whatever remains of the heaviness,
Anxieties,
Stress,
Low mood,
Releasing it into warm air where it simply dissolves.
Few more deep breaths now.
That's riding.
Begin to bring your awareness gently back now.
Carry the warmth of the sun with you as you return.
It doesn't stay in the meadow,
It comes back with you.
It's yours in your chest,
In your shoulders,
In your breath.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Welcome back and visit this beautiful meadow whenever you want to.
