Guided Imagery — 10 min

Sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes and picture a place you associate with calm — a specific beach, a trail, a room you know — for ten minutes.

The practice

1. Sit or lie comfortably and close your eyes.
2. Picture a place you associate with calm — a specific beach, a trail, a room you know.
3. Build it out sense by sense: what you see, hear, smell and feel underfoot.
4. Let your body settle into the same ease the scene suggests.
5. Use a recording if picturing it yourself is hard.

Where it fits in a day

• Like any relaxation technique it is a skill, and it works better practised regularly than saved for a bad day.

Cautions

• Relaxation techniques are generally safe, but in rare cases they have worsened symptoms in people with epilepsy, certain psychiatric conditions or a history of trauma; if that applies to you, talk to your healthcare provider first.

Category

Recovery — a 10-minute relaxation practice.

Related protocols

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation 12 min
• NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest): 10-Minute Recovery Protocol
• No Clock-Watching at Night

Sources

• NCCIH — Relaxation techniques: what you need to know
• NCCIH — Things to know about relaxation techniques for stress

AgeGen mental-recovery practices are drawn from authoritative health agencies. We never claim therapeutic effects unsupported by the linked sources.