Welcome to this guided meditation for soothing discomfort in the body and in the mind Please begin by finding a comfortable position and of course,
I don't know what that position is for you So feel free to take your time to adjust so that you can rest deeply into support of whatever furniture floor is holding you It's holding you so that you don't need to hold anything right now You can allow this moment,
My voice,
The comfort of your own space the comfort of taking this few minutes to be with yourself in a special way Allow all of that to hold you and as you begin to settle,
You can gently bring your attention to any part of the body that feels neutral or pleasant It can be something as small as a tip of your nose maybe your ears or your toes Take a moment now to simply notice the sensations of neutrality or even maybe pleasantness Perhaps you can sense their texture inviting you to continue to gently shift your attention so that you can relax just a little more especially with each exhale Breathing out into the support underneath you Breathing in comfort,
Relaxation,
Peacefulness even perhaps Feel free to explore the pleasant sensations and neutral sensations in that part of the body that you chose or shift to a different part of the body Your breath also could perhaps become the anchor for your attention Noticing how the air moves in into the body,
Expanding your lungs and how it gently gets pushed out by your body Taking this time to reconnect with a deep resourcefulness of comfort that you might not have spaciousness in your day to notice and savor And if at any point there is a strong sensation that calls for your attention that you could label as being uncomfortable or even painful Invite a gentle,
Kind embrace Gentle touch of that sensation Welcoming it just as a part of your current experience It doesn't mean that you're approving of it being here and now but you're simply noting There is something so special that can happen in that noting,
In that gentle acknowledgement Just as a crying child asking for attention,
Strong sensations in our body can find a way to relax a bit,
To release if we turn to them with gentleness,
With compassion And there is a helpful reminder that you don't need to generate or force any warm and fuzzy feelings This can be a gentle invitation for that kind of attitude to naturally evolve over time Perhaps today,
As you're breathing and resting,
This is the first time you're planting the seed of compassion,
Kindness in relation to something so challenging Feel free to take a moment to extend some thank yous to yourself for your courage and willingness to be present and learn and relax and soothe yourself And as we continue with this experience,
I will be inviting you to gently call upon your imagination to conjure up some pleasant,
Soothing and comforting experiences and you can trust that if you have lived long enough,
You have seen many things,
Pleasant things and experienced enough of them for your deeper mind to be able to create those pleasant sensations for you right now And at any time you feel like the suggestions I'm giving are not really resonating as much feel free to substitute any imagery,
Any invitations by some of your own There is no way for me to know what are those places and memories and times of your life where you felt especially good Even for just a brief moment,
There was maybe even a smile on your face or just a joyful presence engaging in sights and sounds and sensations of that experience Some people like being in the forest,
Going to the ocean or just sitting down with a cup of tea in their favorite chair and taking a few breaths while inhaling the aroma Today,
I will be inviting you to explore what it would like to be for you to be on a quiet lake It's an early morning on a lake surrounded by beautiful trees You can imagine maybe the soft light touching the surface of the water and even just this gentle vision can invite your nervous system to further exhale The wind passing through the trees The birds starting to wake up slowly but surely And there is a small wooden canoe waiting for you,
Gently swaying at the shoreline You step in slowly and lower yourself into the seat The boat feels solid,
Safe As you lean back,
The water begins to carry you,
Gently gliding away from the shore There is no need to paddle The canoe simply floats with ease,
With peace The water is calm,
The air is still or perhaps it has a nice breeze to it Your breath slow and quiet And all around you,
Only stillness Nothing to do,
Nowhere to go Just floating With every breath you can feel a little lighter The air around you is so cool and clean Your body gently resting Your mind wide and open like the sky Every so gently,
You can bring awareness to the place in your body where discomfort often lives You can just hover around it with your attention and awareness Just simply sense the area or around the area if it is too much to turn towards that directly Hovering,
Gentle,
Soft attention And imagine that from the lake below,
A cool,
Healing mist rises up This mist knows where to go It begins to surround the area of discomfort Not to fight it,
But to gently soothe it Like breath on the burn Like a shade on sun-warm skin It seeps in slowly,
Bringing a calm clarity To all the nerves,
Softening the edges,
Quieting the signal This is your mind Learning to care for your body with precision and love Let's take the next 20-30 seconds to just rest and breathe and float and allow that mist If you've been calling it in,
To gently continue to sip it in Soothing and softening and comforting Let's spend this time in silence Inviting all the pleasant imagery and sensations that you've been cultivating to come and help you settle in this healing mist And here you are,
Hearing my voice again Inviting you to continue on with this experience for the next couple of minutes As we gently begin to wrap it up Let's begin by offering yourself a message When you return to your daily life,
You will carry with you this new memory A memory of comfort,
Of choice,
Of ease Let's imagine that somehow from this moment forward the area that used to carry discomfort will begin to feel milder,
More manageable Perhaps a gentle warmth or a soft pressure or a strong pressure but manageable,
Workable To remind you that your body is healing,
Your mind is healing your body Let's begin by this affirmative and empowering,
Soothing self talk that you can offer yourself As you go,
Remembering that the more you return to this place this calm,
This lake,
This breath the more automatic this comfort can come You can invite yourself to be pleasantly surprised by that as you're teaching yourself to feel freer even inside this body Allow the canoe to begin to drift gently back toward the shore Drifting,
Gently,
Softly gliding As you return,
You can make an intention Maybe you can put your hands on your heart or one on your heart and one on your belly to carry with you this quiet memory This sense of possibility,
This soft inner strength Whenever you're ready,
You can let your breath to begin to deepen just a little Wiggle your fingers and your toes perhaps That feels good and gently flutter your eyes open Taking your time to reorient yourself gently back into the room gradually Carrying calm,
Clarity and choice with you Thank you
