Artist: iosphere freedigitalphotos.net
Here is one of my favorite relaxation exercises. Let me suggest that you sit in a quiet room, with your phones off. You can set a timer if you choose….
Sit in a relaxed position. (I like to focus on the breath as I would in a meditation…. breathing according to my natural rhythm.) Close your eyes, because it is said that 80% of distraction comes from the eyes! Breathe smoothly, finding your natural flow – the in and out breathe.…Take a few moments to connect with your natural stream….
Bring your attention to the third-eye chakra (located between your eyebrows (just a little bit above) where visualization occurs. Keep breathing rhythmically. If any unwanted thoughts come in, send them away and come back to your center (Thich Nhat Hanh), which is your heart; focus on the heart, and third-eye chakra. Continue to breathe… flowingly….
After a minute or two, begin to visualize. See before you a staircase with 10 steps, which you will descend, with flowing movement, allowing approximately 20 seconds between each step….Move down to the 1st step….You are breathing smoothly….take the 2nd step.…stay in the flow….down to the 3rd step.…continue breathing.…now to the 4th step….keep breathing…take the 5th step….breathing smoothly….down to the 6th step…. Breathing slowly….take the 7th step….continue breathing….down to the 8th step….in your flow…down to the 9th step….breathing….and now the 10th step.
You see before you a door and a doorknob that you can design in your favorite way, with your desired colors and materials….Take the time to create your unique vision…. fabric….texture…. Remember your breathing….When the design is complete, you can open the door to a most beautiful scene, possibly a beach, the mountains, an outdoor scene or setting, a favorite room…you choose….
Open the door and enter your milieu….Continue to breath like a current in a stream….taking in the sounds….smells, the feeling of being in your special place….Take a few minutes to luxuriate in the drift….Spend some time here….to recharge….renew….embrace unconditional love….be relaxed….serene….
Remember that you can go to this scene whenever you have time to visualize it. All you need is the intention to create the time….
When you are ready…. Go back to your door and open it….Prepare to climb the staircase as you continue to breath smoothly….move up to the 10th step….breathing….move up to the 9th step….in the flow…take the 8th step….continuing to breath….up to the 7th step….now the 6th step….breathing….you are becoming more and more alert as you move up the staircase….take the 5th step….breathing….up to the 4th step….smoothly….up to the 3rd step. As you approach the 2nd step, become even more alert….you are up to the 1st step….on the landing now…. Count to three….1….2….3….Open your eyes and come back into the room.
If you wish, you can jot down some notes about your experience! Take the time to orient your sensibility. I like to drink water before I move on to other tasks and responsibilities. A bonus to this exercise is that you can go to the place you have created beyond your specially-designed door – your scene, your room – and it gets easier to go to this destination once you’ve practiced it. It can become one of your relaxation tactics when you wish to be calm in the midst of a storm….
Soon, a podcast is coming, to accompany this written post. Oscar, my technical assistant, will negotiate SoundCloud! Until then, I hope you like this offering….
Speak to you on July 6th!
Linda
