Hi there,
I'm Vanessa Loder,
And this short guided meditation is designed to help you lower anxiety,
Boost your immune system,
And visualize healing.
Years ago,
When my mom was first diagnosed with cancer,
I read Andrew Weil's book,
Spontaneous Healing.
In it,
He talks a lot about the mind-body connection and using the power of visualization to create spontaneous healing in the body.
In particular,
There's a story of a man who had a large wart on his left hand.
The doctors had burned it off several times,
But it kept coming back.
Andrew Weil sent this patient to a visualization therapist,
Who discovered that this man had a complete fascination with steam shovels and diggers and earth-moving equipment.
They had all thrilled him since he was a little boy.
So she suggested that he visualize a steam shovel scraping away at the wart on his hand every morning and night.
And when he made that one change,
Within a week,
The wart was dramatically decreased,
And after two weeks,
It had gone away,
And it never returned.
This story illustrates not only the power of visualization,
But the importance of finding the images and symbols that elicit the strongest emotional reaction for you.
I'm going to take us through a guided visualization to lower anxiety and boost your immunity,
And I invite you to play around with different visual images to see what creates the strongest resonance for you.
When I first began visualizing boosting my immune system,
For me,
What actually really helped me feel the feelings in my body was to visualize or imagine the stormtroopers from Star Wars,
Because their white uniforms,
I could really see and imagine my white blood cells marching in these white uniforms,
Similar to the stormtroopers,
And I could just see them marching around my body,
Ushering out any disease.
Years later,
I started to feel like that image was too violent.
So then I started to see the white blood cells as these Buddhist monks in white robes,
Gently guiding out any illness,
Any disease,
And saying,
No,
No,
You have to leave the temple of Vanessa's body right now.
So play around with the images that work for you,
And be creative.
You are your own best authority when it comes to healing your body.
And as we do the guided visualization,
Those are just a couple of examples of what helped me connect with something to visualize my white blood cell count increasing.
And it can be helpful if you have something from a movie or something that you've seen or felt or experienced in a visceral way in the past,
And you apply that to the visualization to really help your mind engage and lock in on what you're wanting to visualize.
Also remember,
There's no wrong way to do it.
Every time I do these types of things,
My mind comes in and says,
This isn't working.
This is weird.
Why did you choose stormtroopers?
The mind will come in and chatter at you.
And you just say,
Thank you,
And come back to the visualization.
As we begin now,
Please get into a comfortable seated position.
I recommend having your legs uncrossed with your feet resting on the floor.
If you're in a chair,
Rest your hands gently in your lap.
Start off by taking a couple of deep breaths.
Just noticing how your body is sitting here halfway between heaven and earth.
Feeling the support and the groundedness of the earth beneath you,
How it's holding you up,
While at the same time noticing the spaciousness and expansion of the sky above and all around you.
Starting to tune in to the physical body as you feel the support of the floor or the chair beneath you.
Just noticing how your body is feeling right now.
As you inhale,
Visualize or imagine inhaling a calm,
Peaceful energy.
With each exhale,
Visualize or imagine that you're releasing any tension or stress or anxiety that you've been holding onto.
You may even want to move your jaw around or roll your shoulders or your neck to release any tension that you've been storing.
Opening up,
Just releasing and letting go of any tension or stress.
With each inhale,
Inhaling this calm,
Peaceful energy.
With each exhale,
Releasing any tension.
Just letting it go.
Letting it all go.
Letting it flow right out.
We don't need that.
We don't need that.
As you inhale this calm,
Peaceful energy,
You may also see a color or colors associated with it.
Filling your body with this peaceful,
Calm energy.
And as you exhale and release,
You may also see a color or colors as you release this tension or anxiety or dis-ease that you've been holding onto.
Perhaps visualizing or imagining yourself like the kelp in the ocean where the waves may be crashing over you,
Small waves or big waves.
And you just gently glide back and forth,
Back and forth,
Riding those waves.
Staying anchored and grounded,
While at the same time,
Flexible and flowing with the waves.
The kelp doesn't have any judgment whether it's a big wave or a small wave.
Imagine that seaweed just gently flowing back and forth,
Back and forth,
Riding the waves.
As the mind wanders,
Again gently calling it back to the breath or to the visualization of waves moving through the ocean,
And you just gliding along with those waves.
And now I'd like for you to create a beautiful,
Healing oasis for yourself.
So if you'd like,
You can visualize or imagine what you consider to be the most beautiful and peaceful place in the world.
Whatever you consider to be the most peaceful and healing and beautiful place in the world.
This could be at the beach,
Near the ocean.
It could be in the forest or in a meadow.
It could be a yurt or a tent in the woods or on a mountaintop.
Or perhaps your healing oasis is a beautiful temple surrounded by a sacred garden in a courtyard.
And you walk through that sacred courtyard and garden and then enter into this beautiful healing temple.
So go ahead and take a moment to imagine whatever you consider to be the most peaceful and healing place in the world.
Imagine yourself there now with as many details as possible.
Feeling perhaps the sun on your skin warming you,
Or the sounds of birds chirping in the sky,
Or the smell of salt water or fresh pine needles.
Between all five senses,
Visualize or imagine yourself in this peaceful,
Healing place.
And now,
Arriving fully in your healing oasis,
I invite you to visualize or imagine that you lie down,
Create a really comfortable,
Cozy environment for yourself.
Maybe you're lying on a really beautiful bed or surrounded by soft cushions.
Or maybe you're lying on a magic healing table made of gold or white light or crystals lying on a bed of crystals and the crystals heal your body as you lie on this magical healing bed.
Perhaps it's a bed of moss with crystals underneath.
Let your imagination be free as you allow yourself to lie down on this beautiful,
Powerful healing table or bed.
As you lie down on this healing bed,
You take a deep breath,
Maybe you even sigh as you exhale.
You have arrived.
Now all you have to do is just lie there,
Relax,
And let the healing begin.
Imagine that there is a magical energy in this healing oasis.
As you lie on this beautiful,
Healing bed,
Your body begins to heal itself from the inside out.
Now we're going to boost our immune system by focusing on our white blood cells.
If this is in your highest good at this time,
Take a moment and visualize or imagine that your white blood cells are multiplying and feeling strong as they move throughout the body.
You might see them literally as white blood cells.
You may also visualize or imagine that they're healing beings,
Perhaps Buddhist monks in long white robes,
Or as I shared what worked for me,
The storm troopers from Star Wars.
Play around,
Be playful and relaxed with this as you imagine your white blood cells gathering up in force to protect your body at this time.
Guarding you,
Protecting you,
Keeping you safe and healthy and strong.
Imagine your white blood cells moving throughout the body,
Being very vigilant as they expand and grow with love and power and healing.
They're moving throughout your whole system now.
Visualizing,
Sensing,
Seeing,
Hearing any way you can your white blood cells expanding throughout your whole body,
Multiplying,
Growing,
Doing whatever is in your highest good.
Visualize or imagine if there's any sense of illness or dis-ease in the body.
The white blood cells know exactly where to go and they remove it from your system.
You can play around with whatever works for you,
Whether they are gently asking that illness to leave your body,
Creating and destroying or blowing things up,
Maybe perhaps escorting the illness out the door as you let go of illness or dis-ease,
Having it leave your body.
With ease,
Returning your body to perfect health,
Strengthening your immune system.
Don't worry if it doesn't feel like it's working.
Simply tune in to whatever is most relaxing and healing for you in this moment as you continue to lie on this healing bed,
Receiving the powerful healing energy from this oasis that you've found yourself in.
Perhaps the sunlight is landing on your body and helping to heal you.
Or there's a crystal bed underneath you.
Or you can hear or feel the healing energy of the ocean.
Maybe you're on a beautiful raft floating on top of the ocean as your body receives this healing.
Or perhaps you're underneath the water swimming with dolphins as they help to heal your body.
The power of your healing bed or the crystals wherever you are is working on the body during this entire time that we've been together and for the rest of the day and the night.
When you go to sleep tonight,
You will return to your healing oasis to receive even more healing.
As you continue to inhale calm,
Peaceful energy and with each exhale releasing any tension,
Anxiety or illness in the body as your body continues to fill with healing and love.
Now visualizing or imagining that your whole body is filled with this beautiful white light.
If you'd like,
You can even surround yourself in a pyramid of white light surrounding your entire body.
So you're in the center and the pyramid comes down on each side of your body and underneath you as well.
This is a safe light,
A protective light and no harm can come to you while you're in this pyramid of white light.
Now completing your time in this healing oasis.
If there are any other areas of the body that would like some extra attention or love,
You can send your breath there now or visualize or imagine them filling with this beautiful white light.
This healing light comes from above and below and it heals your body from the inside out.
Now it's time to leave your healing oasis.
Coming back to the present moment,
Remembering that you can come back to this healing oasis anytime you'd like to feel a sense of calm and peace and ease and to receive a powerful healing.
Coming back to your body now in this room,
Feeling the support of the chair or the floor beneath you,
Feeling healthy and strong,
Noticing any sounds inside the room or outside the room,
Perhaps wiggling your fingers and toes and when you're ready,
Allowing your eyes to gently open.
Namaste.
