Give yourself a break from your routine by spending a few minutes with the following guided visualization.
Sit comfortably. Take a few slower, deeper breaths. Remind yourself to relax your muscles. You are going to take mental excursion to a place of beauty and peace.
Imagine that for a long time you have heard about a special hike to the top of a mountain, and finally you have the opportunity to take it. It is a bit of a challenge, but it is a climb within your capabilities. You have an experienced guide who knows the way to the top of the mountain and knows how to stay out of the way of your special experience. He has found a place for your to stow away any baggage that you have brought along. You can pick it up later if you want. You don’t need it right now.
This walk to the top starts before sunrise. So you awaken early. You are a little sleepy as you start to climb, but as you go, your body begins to feel energized. You walk in a comfortable rhythm and your breathing matches your pace. You are more aware of your breathing. The air here is a little thinner than you are used to and your lungs open more fully to receive it. As you walk, you can feel the blood flowing in your limbs. You are comfortably warm with the exertion.
Walking in the twilight before dawn, the world seems painted in shades of gray. You notice the sky lightening above you. As you walk, the tiredness leaves you and you are fully awake. You can feel the vital energy rise in you as you ascend the side of the mountain.
In time, you reach the mountain top. It is still mostly dark, but you can see that the sun will rise soon. You face the East and you are fully alert in anticipation of the sunrise. As you watch, the first rays of the sun break over the eastern horizon. Golden light streams toward you. At this special moment, you are free of any thoughts from down below. Your attention is fully in the experience of being in this place at this moment. You are at the highest point within many miles. Below you see the dim shapes of lower ridges not yet touched by the sun’s rays. But where you stand is intensely bright. Everything up here is beginning to glow with those horizontal beams of light.
Your heart fills with joy as you appreciate the beauty around you. This is a moment you cherish, and it is more special because you know that it is fleeting. The Sun rises fully above the horizon and the land below begins to brighten. Colors emerge from the blacks and grays of the lower hills and the valleys between them.
It is very quiet. The air is pure. Whatever cares you had the day before seem far away.
You have nowhere you have to go right now. So spend as much time as you like in your peak experience.
You are comfortable, full of life and energy. As the sun ascends in the blue sky, you feel it’s rays cleanse your heart. The pure air fills your lungs and you breathe easy. Your mind is at peace. You feel a spiritual wholeness. You look down at the world in a way such that you are a part of it, but not troubled by the churning of civilization that right now seems far away.
You have been to the mountain top. When you are ready, express your gratitude for having the opportunity to be alive in this high place at this beautiful moment. Then in your own time, descend the trail. As you move back into the more familiar world below, carry with you the memory of the light, the peace and joy that you found at the peak.
© 2010 Tom Barrett