Take a slow breath in through your nose,
Let it fall out gently,
Imagine yourself stepping into a quiet woodland clearing.
Sunlight filters through tall branches and settles warmly across your shoulders,
A soft breeze moves the leaves above you.
Somewhere nearby,
A trickling stream keeps a steady rhythm,
Let that sound guide you into a calmer pace,
Nothing to do nowhere else to be just your breath arriving and leaving.
With your next breath,
Sense the ground beneath you,
Picture soft earth supporting you with an easy strength.
As you exhale,
Imagine any tension you've been holding sliding down your body and into the soil,
Let your shoulders loosen,
Let your jaw unclench,
Let your belly soften if your mind wanders,
Just bring it back to the stream,
A clear and gentle flow always moving,
Always returning.
In your mind's eye,
Notice how the sunlight warms your skin.
See how it flickers through the leaves,
Hear the birds calling to one another across the trees,
Feel the quiet pulse of the air as the wind brushes past,
Let your senses open slowly like the way morning light stretches across a forest floor.
Take another breath and let it travel all the way down to your belly,
Breathe out softly and allow your body to settle deeper.
Picture the stream now,
Clear water moving around smooth stones,
You step closer and kneel beside it,
The air feels cooler here,
The light dances on the surface,
Imagine dipping your fingers in,
Let the cool water carry away anything you no longer want to hold,
Thoughts,
Worries,
Tightness,
Old stories,
Let them float downstream,
Small and weightless,
Take your time,
There is no rush,
Bring one hand to your chest and feel the gentle rise and fall of your breath,
Offer yourself a quiet thought of kindness,
Something simple and true,
It might be I'm doing the best I can today,
It might be I'm allowed to rest or something entirely your own,
Let that phrase repeat softly with every exhale,
Let it comfort the part of you that's been carrying a little too much.
Imagine the woodland around you expanding in all directions,
Tall oaks,
Moss covered roots,
Ferns unfurling in the shade,
The stream continues to trickle beside you,
Birdsong drifts in the air like a gentle conversation,
Everything in this space accepts you exactly as you are,
Nothing about you needs to change for you to belong here,
Breathe that in.
When you're ready,
Take one last slow breath,
Imagine standing up from the stream and walking back through the clearing,
Light on your skin,
Wind in the leaves,
The sounds of the woodland gently fading,
Carry with you the ease,
The warmth and the small voice of kindness you offered yourself and as you return to the room you're in,
Know that this place in the woods is yours to revisit whenever you need it,
Just one breath away.
