Guided Visual Meditation: Instructions

Begin the visual meditation by saying the following instructions in a calm, slow, meditative tone.

1. Start by getting comfortable, and take a minute to focus on your breathing. Close your eyes. Become aware of any tension in your body, and let that tension go with each breath out.
2. Imagine a place where you can feel calm, peaceful and safe. It may be a place you've been to before, somewhere you've dreamed about going to, somewhere you've seen a picture of, or just a peaceful place you can create in your mind’s eye.
3. Look around you in that place and notice the colors and shapes. What else do you notice?
4. Now notice the sounds that are around you, or perhaps the silence. Sounds far away and those nearer to you. Those that are more noticeable, and those that are more subtle.
5. Think about any smells you notice there.
6. Now focus on any skin sensations - the earth beneath you or whatever is supporting you in that place, the temperature, any movement of air, anything else you can touch.
7. Notice the pleasant physical sensations in your body while you enjoy this safe place.
8. Now while you're in your peaceful and safe place, you might choose to give it a name, whether one word or a phrase that you can use to bring that image back, anytime you need to.
9. You can choose to linger there for a while, just enjoying the peacefulness and serenity. You can leave whenever you want to by opening your eyes and being aware of where you are now, bringing yourself back to alertness in the 'here and now'.