Floating

Finding yourself in a comfortable position,

Whether you're sitting,

Standing,

Or lying on the floor.

Wherever you are,

Lining up your hips with your knees,

With your ankles,

Your spine long,

Your neck long,

Relaxing your shoulders.

Taking a deep breath in and letting it out with a sigh.

Arriving here in this moment in your body.

Another deep breath and as you sigh it out,

Letting go of whatever you've brought with you to this moment.

Whatever you were worried about before you sat down here today.

Whatever tension and stress you may have brought with you.

Feel free to inhale and sigh it out as many times as you need to,

To really feel centered,

Grounded and present.

You can choose to open your eyes and just gaze gently into the distance or close them if that's more comfortable for you.

If you're sitting,

Rest your hands wherever you like.

If you're lying down,

You can put your hands beside you,

One palm on your chest and one in your stomach,

Both on your stomach or your hip bones.

Really experiment and find what feels good in this moment.

What really works for you.

Take the time to make yourself really comfortable.

And we'll begin by just becoming aware of our breath.

Noticing your inhales and noticing your exhales.

Not trying to change anything.

Not judging anything.

Just noticing.

Becoming aware of what it feels like to be in your body and breathing.

Noticing where your breath goes.

Maybe your belly,

Maybe your rib cage,

Maybe your chest,

Your back,

The sides of your waist.

Wherever it goes is perfect.

That's exactly how you're breathing right now.

And you're doing it right.

You can't do it wrong.

Notice the quality of your breath.

The length and depth and breadth of it.

Whether it's smooth or jagged.

If there's any temperature sensations associated with it.

Warm or cool.

And don't worry about keeping track of all these things you're noticing.

Just notice them.

If you notice something different than what I'm suggesting,

Notice that.

But don't worry about holding it in your mind.

We're mostly just trying to give you a central point of awareness.

A point of focus.

Which is your breath.

And now if you like,

And if it feels comfortable for you,

You can slowly begin to deepen your breath.

Letting your inhale become a little bit longer.

And letting the exhale become a little bit longer.

If this causes your breath to hitch or become jagged or uncomfortable in any way,

Dial it back.

Do what feels comfortable for you.

And if you're sitting with a new type of breathing,

Notice that.

Notice again the inhales and the exhales.

And if you're following the breathing pattern that you were in before,

Your own natural breath,

Continue to notice that as well.

Inhaling and exhaling.

And now in your mind's eye,

Picture a beach.

It could be a lake,

A river,

The ocean.

Whatever came first to your mind,

Imagine yourself on that shore.

And really bring it to life.

What's the surface underneath your feet?

What color is the sky?

What color is the water?

Is there any wind or breeze?

Is the sun out?

Are there clouds?

Notice any plants around you.

Trees,

Grasses,

Flowers.

Feel the ground beneath your feet.

Feel the air on your skin.

And now gently walk forward and step one foot and then the other into the water.

And no matter what your day that you imagined is like,

The water is perfect.

It's just warm enough.

It's just cool enough.

It just feels so good to put your feet in this water.

And slowly you walk forward,

Letting the water wash over your shins and your calves.

Taking a few more steps so that the water is over your knees.

And if you're someone who has a little bit of a fear about water,

Don't worry.

This is in your imagination and you are safe.

Stepping in a little bit deeper so that the water laps over your thighs.

It's so comfortable.

It's soothing.

The feel of the water,

The sound of it,

Just the gentle splashing.

And keep walking in until you're comfortable,

Until you can lay on your back and float.

And even if you're not a floater in real life,

Even if you sink in this water,

You float perfectly.

Suspended just in the top layer,

Feeling that perfect temperature,

Feeling yourself become weightless as the water supports you.

Feeling again the air and any parts of your skin that are not in the water.

Feeling that sensation of weightlessness,

The sensation of floating.

But at the same time,

A very comforting sensation of being held,

Being cradled by the water.

And where the water touches your skin,

Imagine light entering your body.

Imagine a white light coming from the water,

A healing light entering your body,

Flowing through your pores,

Your veins,

Your muscles.

And slowly feeling that white light fill your whole body with a warm,

Safe,

Comfortable feeling.

Feeling the light as an extension of the water washing over any tensions,

Any hurts,

Any aches and pains,

Any knots.

Feeling it soothe whatever ails you,

And that could be physical and that could be mental.

Whatever it is,

Just letting the water wash over you,

Letting the white light fill you.

Feeling any lingering sensations of tension just drifting away in the current,

Washing away.

And taking a few moments of silence just to bask in that feeling,

Being aware of the water and the white light and your gentle breathing as you float here,

Suspended and safe.

Feeling the light as an extension of the water washing over any tensions,

Any aches and pains,

Any aches and pains.

Feeling the light as an extension of the water washing over any tensions,

Any aches and pains.

Feeling the light as an extension of the water washing over any tensions,

Any aches and pains.

And now that your healing bath is almost over,

You find yourself getting your footing and walking slowly back out of the water.

Now your thighs are out in the air,

Your knees,

Your calves and shins,

And finally your feet as you step back onto whatever surface it was that was the bank or the beach.

And you notice that miraculously you're completely dry,

Completely comfortable,

Just warm and enough,

Just cool enough.

And you also notice that that sensation of healing,

That feeling of the white light is still all within your body flowing through you.

And even though you're not floating anymore,

You still feel that sense of safety,

Being held,

Being protected.

And now we'll very slowly leave our imaginary beach and come back into the reality of where your body actually is.

So first,

Deepening your breath.

Maybe a sigh if you feel like it,

Maybe you're not quite ready.

And as you deepen your breath,

Begin to notice the outline of your body.

Notice your feet and your ankles,

Your calves and your shins.

Notice where they really are in space.

Notice where they are against any surfaces.

Notice your knees and your thighs,

Your butt and your hips.

Notice your torso,

Front,

Back and sides,

Your shoulders,

Arms and hands,

Your neck and your head.

Notice the tiny muscles around your eyes,

The muscles of your jaw.

Again,

Notice the surfaces that you're resting on.

Notice the air on your skin.

And then bring your awareness to any sounds close by,

The sound of your breath,

The sound of the room that you're in.

And then maybe notice any sounds a little bit further out in other rooms around you,

Sounds outside.

And now if you haven't sighed,

Might be a good time for one nice big sigh.

A cleansing breath as you arrive back in the present moment,

Back in your body,

Back to where you started.

And taking a moment to again become conscious of your breath,

Noticing your inhales and your exhales,

Noticing if anything has changed.

And if nothing has changed,

Notice that.

And that's totally fine too.

Once you feel fully present,

Slowly begin to wiggle your fingers and wiggle your toes.

Maybe turn your head from side to side or roll out your shoulders.

And very gently in your own time,

When you're ready and not before that,

If your eyes were closed,

Slowly flutter them open,

Becoming fully present in the room with all of your senses.

Thank you so much for joining me.

I hope this helped.

May you have peace in your thoughts.

May you have strength in your words and may you have joy in your heart.

Namaste.