Find a comfortable chair and close your eyes. Inhale deeply and slowly, let the air
begin to fill up your lungs and feel your chest expanding as a result. Hold the
breath for about three seconds and then release slowly, breathing out through your
mouth. Repeat this process several more times and then let your breath become slow,
fluid and natural.
Now imagine that you are sitting in a large open field where the wild flowers have
managed to colonize the grassy expanse all around you and for as far as the eye can
see. As you look around, all you can see are the vibrant colors of summer flowers
and in the distance, the dense green foliage of woodland trees that frame the
field's edges.
In front of you is a large wooden easel, which is supporting a large blank canvas,
and positioned in front of the easel, there is a small chair, which is surrounded by
a vast array of oil paints, palettes and other assorted painting equipment. Sit at
this chair in your mind and completely try to clear your mind.
Do this by not allowing any thoughts to access your mind and focus instead on the
sultry sounds of summer. Listen for the sound of melodic bird songs, for the
consistent sound of insects on wing and also for the gentle sound of the faint
breeze as it rustles periodically through the long grasses.
Regardless of your real painting ability is, here you are an expert artist in the
medium of oils. You are going to paint a picture of yourself as you feel intuitively
that you would look, should you not have had to endure any negative emotions or
experiences in your life.
Contemplate for a moment how you feel you would look. Then pick up the palette and
begin to mix your paints, choosing the colors, which you feel corresponds to the
most to you. Begin to pain without hesitation or fear. It is a large blank canvas,
which you will fill quickly with your chosen colors and the image of you. Allow your
arms to move freely across the canvas, feel the sensation of the paintbrush as it
blazes a trail across the canvas itself.
You have the ability to visualize the person that would be you clearly in your minds
eye. You are able to recreate the same hair, same eyes, features of course are
exactly the same, and yet there is a difference, but in a subtle way.
As the painting begins to come to life, observe the differences between yourself and
that of the painting. This image is of you without all of the pressures of life. See
how you would look when you are happy, contented and with no pressure holding you
back.
Paint yourself smiling and without any stress or worry lines. Imagine your forehead
smooth, your skin glowing, and your smile is open and natural.
See how you look without all of those limitations, which freeze you in place in your
life. See how you look without all of the pessimism of the world affecting your
inner self.
Continue to paint this picture of the 'peaceful you', using large swirls of paint
across the canvas, feeling your creativity flowing from you as your picture comes to
life.
When you have finished, stand back from the painting. Make sure you can view your
masterpiece and see what the real you would look like if you could obtain true
happiness and fulfillment. This picture represents you if you could be successful in
your chosen field and if you could strive for your goals in life without fear of
failure or rejection from holding you back. Take a few moments to contemplate your
painting and understand what this means.
So now you know how you would look and feel if you were able to switch off from the
past completely and hopefully you can realize that we do, if we are not careful,
carry the whole weight of the world and all the consequences of our own actions in
our minds and bodies, and this can have a hugely detrimental effect on us.