Relieve Stress And Tension Audio

As you prepare to relax very deeply,

I'd like you to choose a spot to fix your eyes on,

Either somewhere in front of you or down towards the ground.

Just a place in the space around you that you can put all of your attention on.

And as you listen to these words and look directly at this spot,

To begin with,

I'd like you to make a little bit of effort to really stare at that spot.

The way your brain evolved to look with intensity at things when it's in fight or flight mode.

And you can even channel any stress,

Any tension,

Right at that spot.

That's it.

And one of the most interesting changes that happens in people as they begin to relax and calm down is that they start to see the bigger picture.

Because when you're stressed,

You often can't see the forest for the trees.

But as you calm down and begin to relax,

It's as if your awareness softens and expands.

And just like when you drop a pebble into a lake and the ripples spread out towards the edges,

I'd like you to let a ripple of awareness begin to spread out around you.

That spot over there,

As you notice the space around that spot,

The objects around it,

Noticing you can become more aware of your peripheral vision.

Even as you keep your eyes comfortably gazing just at that one place,

Noticing the things you can see out of the corner of your eyes,

Even becoming more aware of the space behind you and above you and below you and 360 degrees around you,

Noticing the position of that body,

Any background sounds,

The blinking of those eyes,

So that the spot over there becomes just a tiny part of a much wider perspective.

And then I'd like you to take a slow,

Deep breath and just allow those eyes to close when you're ready.

That's it.

As you begin to relax very deeply,

And if they're already closed now,

You can imagine the lids slowly closing again in your mind's eye,

As you prepare to deepen this calmer,

More expanded awareness even more.

And as those eyes rest closed,

I'd like you to make fists with both of those hands,

And this time channel any remaining tension in that body into those fists,

Just squeezing those fingers into those palms and imagining any tension flowing into those hands.

That's it.

Focusing your awareness on the sensations in those hands as you take in a very slow,

Deep breath.

Hold it for a second.

Squeeze those fists a little tighter still,

And then release to breathe out comfortably.

And let those fingers relax and unfurl as you let that same more expanded,

Softer,

Calmer awareness open.

To include the space around those hands,

As you notice the space around those arms,

The space around that head,

And that neck,

And those shoulders,

The space around the whole body.

And you might notice yourself beginning to spontaneously relax as you do this.

Perhaps those facial muscles are beginning to smooth out.

Perhaps the jaw is beginning to loosen.

Perhaps those shoulders are beginning to relax and sink as a comfortable heaviness begins to flow through that body now.

And now I'd like you to simply imagine making those fists once more as those physical hands rest still,

To immerse your attention in the memory of those sensations from just a minute ago.

To imagine squeezing those fingers into those palms.

To imagine any remaining mental tension flowing into those hands.

As you imagine squeezing them tighter and tighter.

That's it.

And then,

As you take another slower,

Deep breath,

And hold it for a second,

And then let it out smoothly and easily.

I'd like you to imagine those fingers unfurling again,

Releasing any less than pleasant thoughts and sensations,

And allowing your awareness to ripple out to include the space around that body,

The space around any thoughts.

Becoming aware of the silence that's always there behind any sound.

The silence from which these words arise and into which they pass.

Where there is sound,

There is also the space around the sound.

Where there is sensation,

There is also the space around those sensations.

And you can just imagine the space around you,

In physical space,

In mental space,

In mental space,

The space around these words,

The space around any mental images you make.

All imbued with calm,

Relaxed comfort and stillness.

Like a lake becoming still.

Utterly still.

Reflecting the sky above and any surrounding trees or foliage.

With crystal clarity.

The sunlight dancing on the surface of the water as you relax even deeper now.

That's it.

And what would it be like to become so fixated on one tree,

On the feeling of the bark of that tree,

The shape and feel of its trunk,

That you stopped being aware of the whole forest around you?

Because you can magnify the importance of one tree by standing right in front of it and gazing at it intently.

But when you take a step back but when you take a step back and then more and more steps until you are at a comfortably distant vantage point,

You not only see the forest opening up but also a whole world of rivers and valleys,

Villages and towns,

Of open plains and paths to the sea or the mountains.

A whole world of possibility within which that tiny tree just recedes into one little streak of color,

One tiny shape within the vibrant landscape of the world around you.

As you open your awareness and find a more balanced outlook that sees more possibilities,

That lets you put things into perspective.

And as that body relaxes deeper and deeper still and that mind becomes calmer and more and more still,

I'd like you to begin to notice how this calmer,

More expanded awareness is something that can really assist you in getting things done in life in life more smoothly and efficiently.

Because a child who's learning to play an instrument at school and who's learning to do mental arithmetic might frown as they try to consciously remember how to do that task.

But a professional musician or a shopkeeper who spent decades calculating people's change,

They know how to do their job with much greater physical ease from a calmer,

More efficient part of their brain.

Just like you once had to struggle to learn to walk as a child or to learn to talk and form words.

But now it's become an unconscious skill that you can do spontaneously and trust yourself to walk and talk and relax as you do so.

And here and now,

I'd like you to notice a situation where you had been feeling not so relaxed,

Maybe at work or at home.

One of those times when you'd started to feel not so relaxed,

Not so at ease,

Not so in flow.

And I'd like you to notice what it's like to be fixating on a problem in that situation something that has tended to bother you in the past.

And then to let that ripple of awareness expand and open into the space around you,

Allowing you to take a step back and notice a new way of being.

A wider perspective that might show you ways to deal with that situation more pragmatically,

More calmly,

More resourcefully.

And you can just notice those changes happening right now.

And each time you relax and expand your awareness like this,

You're sending a signal to that body that it's safe to relax and get on with what you're doing in comfort,

Allowing you to experience a state of effortless concentration,

Of effortless flow that you can enjoy more and more over the days and weeks ahead.

And I'd like you to just notice a future you looking even more vibrantly healthy,

Energized,

Yet calmly focused.

A you who is in flow,

Moving through life,

Able to focus and be attentive and also instinctively taking time out to relax,

To get a good night's sleep each night,

Eating healthily,

Taking time to do things you enjoy and enjoying an even more balanced,

Balanced,

Fulfilling life as you do so.

Where if any challenging situation comes along,

You can attend to it effectively,

To the best of your ability.

And you can also remember to see the forest and the trees,

To keep things in perspective and feel so much calmer,

Lighter,

More creative and more fulfilled as you do so.

And you can listen to this session often.

And deepen this calm,

Open,

Balanced way of moving through life each time that you do.

And for now,

You can begin to feel more alert and refreshed.

That's it.

And prepare to come all the way back with a real sense of good feeling.

That's it.

By noticing the position of your body,

The sensation of whatever it is you're resting on.

And then whenever you're ready,

You can just have a nice stretch and open those eyes feeling wide awake.

Welcome back.