So we're going to do a brief guided mindfulness meditation where you're going to need to listen carefully to my voice and try really hard to picture yourself in the situations that I describe.
But to begin with,
You need to be very comfortable.
So find a place to sit,
Maybe on a sofa or a beanbag or a chair,
Or on the floor,
Or you could even lie down on the floor if that's how you feel most comfortable.
Take a couple of deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth,
And then just let yourself breathe normally.
If you're comfortable doing so,
You can just allow your eyes to close while we begin.
I'd like you first to picture a beach.
It might be a beach you've already been to,
Or a picture of a beach that you've seen,
Or a beach that you've seen in a film or a movie.
Imagine yourself standing there,
Bare feet on the sand.
It's a warm day,
The sun is in the sky,
There are a few clouds.
The sea is calm,
You can hear the surf slowly rising on the beach,
And you decide to walk down to the water line.
As you do,
The dry sand becomes firmer and wetter,
And you can feel the cool sand on your feet.
And as you approach the water,
The waves gently lap over your toes.
The water is cool,
But not cold,
And you feel very comfortable walking along the beach,
Splashing your feet in the water.
In the distance,
You can see a white house built on the edge of the beach,
And you decide to make your way towards the house.
Imagine yourself walking through the sand,
Feeling the sand and the sea between your toes,
And the warmth of the sun on your body as you walk along the shore to the house.
When you arrive at the house,
You see that the door is open.
It's very inviting,
And somehow you recognise the house,
Although you've never been there before.
It feels comfortable and safe,
And you decide to go into the house to have a look.
As you walk through the open hallway,
Which is very brightly lit,
Very warm,
You find yourself at the bottom of a flight of stairs.
As you look up the stairs and think about climbing up,
You realise that you're wearing a very heavy backpack.
You didn't notice before that you were wearing it,
But now that you're aware of it,
You realise it's very heavy.
Inside this backpack are all of the things that you're currently worrying about.
The concerns that you have,
The worries that you have,
Little things that you're a little bit scared of or unsure of,
Things that make you feel a little nervous or uncomfortable.
And you've been carrying them around with you in your backpack.
You realise now that if you want,
You can take off the backpack and you can leave it behind at the bottom of the stairs.
So do this now.
Take off the backpack,
Put it on the floor and walk comfortably up the flight of stairs,
Feeling a sense of lightness now that you are no longer carrying your concerns and your worries in a heavy backpack.
As you get up to the top of the stairs,
You see an open door leading to a bright balcony overlooking the sea.
You walk up to the edge of the balcony,
Lean on the rail and stare out over the beautiful ocean.
It's a quiet,
Peaceful day and you feel safe,
You feel happy and you feel peaceful.
You can stay here for as long as you like.
You can come back here any time you like,
Remembering at the foot of the stairs to take off the backpack and leave all of your worries and your cares behind you as you make your way to this private balcony where you're safe,
Comfortable,
Happy and peaceful.
Hold this picture in your mind and tell yourself that you can come back here at any time simply by taking a deep breath,
Closing your eyes and picturing yourself standing on the balcony,
Looking across the sea,
Feeling peaceful and calm and happy.
Stay here for as long as you like and when you're ready,
You can open your eyes and come back to the room where you've been sitting or lying.
