Calming Visualisation for Deep Rest

Hello and welcome to the StillPoint meditation

My name is Debbie

Close the eyes and settle in

And I'd like for you to imagine that you're going for a walk in a beautiful forest

As you move deeper into your forest, with each step along the meandering pathway

You feel tension held in the body begin to effortlessly melt away

It's so nice to be here

So calm and soothing

It's as if the space, the soft stillness of your surroundings invites the same within you

An inner stillness you can just relax into, let go

Space to breathe more easily and deeply as well

Beginning to breathe fully into belly, then ribs and lungs

Hold for a moment to savour the crisp, fresh forest air

Then exhale from lungs, ribs

Belly draws in last

Again like that

Breathing deeply into belly

Energy rises to expand ribs

Then top of lungs, hold for a moment

And exhale from lungs, ribs

Belly draws in last

And again

Breathing in to belly, ribs, lungs, hold

Exhaling from top of lungs

Ribs, belly

Continuing like that now for a few more cycles on your own

Breathing in to create space

Breathing out, letting go into that space

Now on the next exhale

Let the breath return to its natural state

Perhaps noticing that it's a touch slower, softer, more aligned with the pulse

The rhythm of the forest breathing around you

And begin to open up your other senses

To drink in the richness of the place you find yourself

Notice the gently winding path you're walking slowly along

How soft it is beneath your feet

All the different textures that make up your path

The fallen leaves, some crunchy and still fresh

Some soft, almost worn away

The rich brown of the soil, the cushioning of moss and grasses

Now start to become aware of the sounds you can hear around you

All of the different layers of sound weaving together in a beautiful tapestry

The sweetness of birds singing in the trees, their different songs

The sound of the breeze gently moving through trees, leaves and grasses

Making them undulate, ripple and sway

And from the distance, the whisper of soft waves lapping against the shore of a pristine beach

See the way beams of golden sunshine reach through the canopy, warming the skin

Creating dappled, moving patterns on everything around you

Notice the colours, textures of different trees

The endless shades of green on leaves, plants and grasses

And glimpses now through the trees of crystal blue water and soft white sand

The scent of fragrant flowers, rich soil and the faint tang of ocean spray barely perceptible in the air

And as you open yourself to noticing with your whole awareness

Every sense alive to this moment

It's like your body is healing

Let your surroundings soothe and calm you

With a few more slow steps, you reach the point where your forest opens up to the sea

You pause to enjoy the expanse of white, empty sand

And the way the sunshine sparkles and glimmers on aquamarine water

You step out onto your beach, enjoying the powdery warmth beneath your feet

You feel so incredibly relaxed and content here in this peaceful place

You decide sit and enjoy staring at the ocean some more

Resting comfortable

So relaxed

You begin to follow the rhythm of the waves as they lap against the shore, and gently wash out

Waves rolling softly in, washing out

Sparkly water washing in, and out

And as you get lost in this gentle rhythm, you realize it matches the wave of your soft breath

And with every harmonized wave of ocean and breath, you feel even more relaxed

So connected to yourself and the world around you

With the warmth of sunlight on your skin, the water looks so inviting

You walk down the sand and come to stand where water and beach meet

Feel the damp firmness of sand beneath your feet, grounding, anchoring you

Then warm water connecting with skin

The water is the perfect temperature, so soothing and nurturing

This is a special, healing ocean

And any reservations you may have had around water simply do not exist here

You walk further into the clear, sparkling water and allow more of your body to be bathed, cocooned

Feeling so safe and held, you let yourself rest here in these healing waters for a while longer

So content to drift, to float on a sea of deep relaxation