candle relaxation

This is a guided relaxation exercise where you are encouraged to find a comfortable position and let go of everyday worries. You are asked to focus on your breathing and imagine a lit candle, watching it as it softens and melts like your muscles. The exercise guides you to relax different parts of your body, from your head to your toes. It emphasizes the importance of relaxation during the birth of your baby and encourages you to trust your body. Finally, it brings you back to the present moment. Welcome to your candle relaxation exercise. Please find yourself somewhere comfortable to sit or lie down. I'd like you to give yourself permission now to really settle back into your chair or the bed or wherever you find yourself. Give yourself permission to leave all your everyday cares and concerns behind just for a while. Permission to focus purely on yourself and on the birth of your baby, which your body is preparing for soon. So just check your body now to make sure that you are comfortable. Remember that it's perfectly okay to adjust your position if you need to. And you might find that it helps to place your hands loosely in your lap or alongside you. And to make sure that your legs are uncrossed. Just be aware of the sensation of your body supported by the chair or the bed. And I want you to begin by taking a deep breath in. Allowing the air to flow all the way down to your tummy. And as you breathe out, experiencing a wave of relaxation which flows over you from the top of your head all the way down to your toes. Feeling your shoulders drop, your jaw relax, all your muscles become loose, limp and relax. And as you continue, just be aware of your breathing. You can allow yourself to breathe naturally. In and out. Nice and easy. There is no need to breathe in any particular way. No need to control it or force it in any way. And as you breathe naturally and easily, in and out. Imagine yourself breathing in a sensation of calmness. And then breathing out any tension that's in your body. Breathing in calmness. Breathing out tension. In your mind's eye, I wonder if you can begin to picture a candle. Now I don't know what kind of candle it is that you see. Maybe it's a tall, delicate candle. Or perhaps a heavy, thick candle. Either way, it's up to you. And perhaps this candle is an ornate silver candlestick. Or maybe it's a simple china one. Again, it's your decision. As you see the candle, it is already lit with a gentle flame. And you can just gaze at that flame. And just enjoy the relaxing feeling of watching it as it gently glows. And as you watch, you notice that the wax of the candle is beginning to soften from the heat of the flame. Perhaps there are even drips of wax that begin to run down the side of the candle. And as you watch that candle burning, it's almost as if your own muscles are just like the wax of that candle. Slowly softening and melting. And it's such a lovely feeling just to focus all of your attention on that candle. And as you do, you notice all the changing colors and the shapes in that golden flame. And as you see the wax glowing with warmth and beginning to soften and drip slowly down the sides, you allow yourself to let go of any stress or tension that you may be holding onto. You imagine all the muscles of your body just smoothing out now. Every muscle in your body just relaxing and softening, just like the warm, melting wax. So now just bring your thoughts back to your body and bring your attention to the top of your head. And just like that candle, slowly softening, thinking about letting all the muscles of your scalp soften and relax. Just letting go of any tension. All through your hair and down the back of your neck, just allowing all the muscles to be completely loose and limp and relaxed. Now you begin to focus on your face, all the tiny muscles around your eyes. Just allow all of these muscles to relax. Your eyebrows, your eyelids, and under your eyes. And you might notice your eyelids fluttering as you go deeper into relaxation. Or it might seem as if those eyelids are getting heavier and heavier. It feels so nice just to release any tension or strain in those closed eyelids. So much so that even if you wanted to, those eyelids feel so relaxed that they simply won't open. And even if they did, they would close again just as quickly, taking you even deeper into relaxation. And now think about all the muscles in your cheeks and through your jaw. You might find it helps to allow your tongue to gently fall away from the roof of your mouth and to just soften your jaw. Now think about your shoulders. Just allow them to drop. Really feel your shoulders fall as all the tension there just melts away. And as your shoulders fall, this can be a signal to you to relax all of the muscles in your body. All the way from the top of your head right down to the tips of your toes. Just relax those shoulders and feel every muscle in your whole body relax. And be aware that just a simple touch on your shoulder can be a signal for you to relax. Just the weight of a hand resting there will remind you to let those shoulders drop. To let go of tension. To just melt any tightness or tension away. Now remember, it's always fine to change position if you need to. Even in hypnosis, you can feel free to move around if you need to feel more comfortable. Just allow yourself to be as comfortable as you need to be. You're feeling so comfortable now. Just feeling your body relaxed. Nobody is wanting anything from you. Nobody is demanding anything. All that you need to do is just relax. Now think about the muscles in your stomach. If you're holding any tension there, just allow it to go as you breathe naturally and easily in and out. Now turn your attention to the muscles down your back, into your thighs and down your legs, into your feet and right down into your toes. Breathing in calmness and breathing out tension. Now that you're feeling so relaxed, you think about the birth of your baby. And how excited you are to meet your baby for the very first time. You know that the more you relax at your baby's birth, the easier it will be. You know that each and every day, you gain more trust in your body and your confidence grows. You enjoy the time you're taking out to relax, knowing that is such a positive preparation for your baby's birth. The more you practice relaxation, the better at it you become. In a moment, it will be time to come back to this room and the here and now. When you're ready, you start to feel the awareness returning to your body. You feel some soft, gentle movements as the energy returns. Your eyes feel lighter and when you're ready, you begin to blink them open into your back. And you just relax until you have fully adjusted to the environment.