The Healing Cocoon of Light

Hi, it's me again with a new meditation. This one's kind of long so let's get started.
Instructions:
Find a place & time where you won't be distracted or disturbed. Get into a comfortable position with your arms & legs uncrossed. Take a deep cleansing breath all the way down into your belly. Take another deep cleansing breath.... & Another. Even though your eyes are becoming fatigued, keep them open just a little longer and take another slow deep cleansing breath. Your eyelids are getting heavier & heavier. Allow them to close as you say to yourself (insert your own affirmation here).
Now you can start to allow the muscles in your body to relax. Allow your legs to relax. Feel them becoming heavier....and heavier.... As they relax, your legs are becoming heavier and heavier. As they release the last bit of muscular tension, your legs are becoming heavier and more relaxed, heavier and more relaxed. Your arms too are becoming heavier and heavier. AS they release the last bit of tension in their muscles. You can feel gravity weighing them down. Your arms are heavier and heavier more & more relaxed. Your arms and legs feel very relaxed as they release the last bit of muscular tension becoming more & more heavy and relaxed.
And now your face too can begin to let go of tension. Your forehead is becoming smooth & relaxed. In addition your cheeks are becoming smooth and relaxed. And now your jaw can begin to relax. Feeling more and more loose & relaxed. As your jaw relaxes more & more you feel your muscles releasing and your lips beginning to seperate as your juw is becoming more and more loose and relaxed.
Now our neck and shoulders can begin to relax. Your neck is loose and relaxed.... and you shoulders are relaxed and drooing. Feel your neck and shoulders becoming more and more deeply relaxed.... So loose and relaxed.
Take another deep cleansing breath. And as you do allow the relaxation to spread into your chest, belly, and back. In addition, as you brethe out, fl yourself becoming calm and relaxed, calm and relaxed. Now take another deep cleansing breath. And as you breathe out, feel your chest, belly, and back becoming calm and relaxed....Calm and relaxed.
Sense yourself drifting deeper....deeper....deeper.... and deeper. Becoming more and more calm, drowsy,and peaceful. Drifting and drowsy.... drowsy and drifting.... Drifting down, down, down, into complete relaxation. Drifting deeper and deeper more and more relaxed.
Now picture yourself in a beautiful outdoor setting. Visualize a clear day with the sun shining and warming your skin. Picture yourself wearing your favorite most comfortable dress or outfit. Just you by yourself (unless you choose to bring someone with you) enjoying the freedom of being in God's presnse. Notice how beautiful the sky is. How clear and blue it is. A familiar light breeze and the the beauty of your favorite natural setting s all around you.
Notice a path leading to a special place off to one side. And you decide to take a walk down this path because it looks so inviting. You feel so free to be adventurous and to do whatever you like. So begin to walk down this beautiful path and just enjoy these good feelings. As you continue down the bath, you notice that beyond you there seems to be a clearg just beyond the trees.
As you come closer to the end of the path, you can see that before you are three teraces, leading down a wide clearing. As you step onto the first terace, you notice that at the bottom of the clearing is a beautiful garden with all of your favorite flowrs and plants. It seems so colorful and inviting. However, in order to get there you have to walk down 3 sets of steps with 5 steps in each set. In a moment I'll help you to walk down those steps. With each step you take just allow yourself to become twice as relaxed as you are now. Just release any leftover tension that's in your muscles. Allow yourself to become more and more deeply relaxed as you allow the image to become brighter, clearer, and more inviting to your mind.
Alright now, I'll just count each of going down to the second terrace. With each step you take tell yourself, "I'm becoming twice as relaxed as I was before". All right 5...4....3....2....1....Now you're twice as relaxed as you were before. Next, take another deep cleansing breath. Breathing in deeply and breathing out allowing the relaxation to spread throughout your body. Just enjoying the warm sun on your skin and the beauty of this place that God has created. In a moment I'll help you go down the next set of steps, enabling you to go into a more relaxed state.
Allright, 5....4.....3.....2.....1..... Now you're twice as relaxed as you were before. Now see yourself standing on the last terrace. This is the last one that you have to go down before you enter your garden, let's go there now. In addition, with each step you take, please tell yourself, "I'm entering into a wonderful state of deep, healing, relaxation. Keep repeating this affirmation as we go down the last set of steps.
Let's go there now. 5....4....3.....2.....1... As you breathe deeply and enjoy the sensaons that you're creaing you might even tell yourself, "I'm feeling well in body, mind, and spiri".
While you're enoying these sensations take a look at your garden and notice hat in the middle of all this beauty ther is there is a small fountiain with a comfortable looking chair next to it just waiting for you to take a seat and allow all of your discomfort, pain, and troubles to go away. If you like, you could take your shoes off and enjoy the lush grass beneath your feet as you walk over to your chair. The garden is perfectly safe. There isn't anything in the garden that can harm or hurt you in any way. Enjoy these feelings as you walk easily toward the chair.
As you come toward the fountain and listen to the sooting sounds of the gurgling water, you can take a seat in the chair. As you settle in, just noice how calm, peacefuk, serene, and tranquil your mind feels and how relaxed your body feels. Close your eyes and feel the sun's warmth on your body. You start to notice the sun casting its orange and yellow rays on the inside of your eyelids. You just eel so comfortable as you allow your mind to clear and your thoughts to drift far, far away.You couldn't open your eyes even if you wanted to. You feel so relaxed and at ease.
Then the most amazing thing occurs. The warm relaxing light that was on the nside of your eyes seems to expand and enclose you like a cocoon. First you feel it on your head, then on your face, moving all the way down until it encloses your entire body. Notice how the light washes away any discomfort or tension. This cocoon of light does indeed feel healing and purifying.
You also notice the more relax, the stronger the cocoon becomes. It takes so little energy to help it grow. So just take in another deep cleansing breath, hold it... hold it... and as you breathe out, just allow that cocoon to expand and move through your entire body. Allow it to wash away any pain or tension that you may have had previously. Just like a warm bath of light. Notice how much better you begin to feel. Notice how the cocoon of light washes away any discomfort or problems
As you feel the cocoon surrounding your body, you notice that it starts at the soles of your feet and slowly moves up to the crown of your head before going back down again. Every time it surrounds you, you feel more relaxed and at ease. Allow the cocoon to move around and through your body once more. Practice moving it throughout your body pausing it at any part of your body that you would like it to become stronger. When you pause at the body part that needs some extra attention, just take another deep cleansing breath and as you breathe out, allow yourself to relax even more. You may even notice how much stronger you can make your cocoon become, just by intention as you breathe out. Notice how you can enjoy just a bit more relaxation and comfort. In addition, notice how it can help you to to forget about any feelings that may have troubled you for a few moments longer.
Those moments of forgetting about any negitive feelings that start to happen for extended periods every day can have a healing effect on you. At first this may take some time and practice until one day you notice that any feelings of pain or tension just becomes a signal to take a deep cleansing breath, visualizing the cocoon becoming stronger once again, and then breathing out. As you inhale, you breathe in comfort and healing light into your bosy. Now it's time to just relax and enjoy the positive sensations of comfort and relaxation in every part of your being. As you breathe deeply, be mindful of the rhythem of your breath. Also notice the positive feelings that you're enjoying from this healing cocoon of light. Now I'll just leave you alone so that you can continue to enjoy this in peace and quiet for a few minutes. In addition, you can practice allowing the cocoon to become stronger, more purifying, and healing. The moment of quietude begins now. (If someone is reading this meditation to you, have him/her wait for 1 1/2 minutes).
OK I'm back again. Shortly I'll just count you up from 1-5 with every number I count, just allow yourself to come back to your normal waking consciousness. Holding onto these good feelings in your body and keeping them with you. 1.... Slowly, gently, and easily allowing yourself to become more mindful of the sounds around you. 2.... Your eyes are clearing under your eyelids. 3.... Holding onto those positive feelings and sensaons as they continue to become stronger and your body is being revitalized. 4.... With this count you may slowly begin to open your eyes feeling refreshed and relaxed with positive thoughts and pleasent sensations filling your entire being.... and 5 Gently opening your eyes feeling alert, refreshed, and wide-awake. Aert, refreshed, and wide awake.
Now Just centeg yourself.... Sensing your relationship to your surroundings, the familiar sights, sounds, smells, and textures of your environment and whatever you may be sitting or lying on. In addition, the center can become very energized and organized Take the feelings of relaxation with you as you go on with the rest of your day or evening.
Well, did I lose anyone? I told you that this was going to be a long meditation, but I hope that you find it helpful in dealing with any pain or stress that may come into your life. And the reason if I asked if I lost anyone beside the fact that this is such a long meditation is because I made a tape of this meditation for one of my friends who goes to my church and I put her to sleep! So it may be a good idea to make a recording of this one and play it when you go to bed at night so you'll get a good night's sleep. I'll be back in a couple of days with a new meditation. So until then ~Nameste~,
Dana