What’s your ideal Summer day?
Try this meditation/visualization with your inner child
Do you remember that as a child summers seemed to go on forever? Now as an adult it feels much more fleeting and I find myself wanting to grab and hold onto every single minute.
My calendar year has always gone by the school calendar and, since I still work in the school system, this year is no different. In a few more days, I’ll be off for the summer - 2 months of slowing down the tempo of life….
As I talk to the kids in the schools about their favourite summer activities, I feel myself going back in time to when I was a young girl. What did I love about summer? I wasn’t a “typical” child. I was very shy and preferred to spend time on my own, and I’ve never really enjoyed going to the beach. Sports definitely weren’t my thing. My favourite way to spend the summer was going to the library, picking out dozens of books, and reading. I took myself to other worlds and lived other lives.
Lying on a chaise lounge in the backyard, or at the cottage by the lake, (or up in my room if it was way too hot) with my book and my journal was my idea of a perfect day. I know, I know, it sounds really dull, but it’s the truth.
Now, as an adult, I find myself yearning for those lazy summer days when I was able to lie around and read all day long. Over the years I’ve added other favourite activities like hiking, traveling, mindful yoga, journaling, and puttering around small towns in the country, but my true, essential self, still aches for the stillness and solitude of relaxing with a good book. It’s time that I started creating space in my schedule to do that again.
As I was reflecting on my ideal summer, I allowed myself to dream. I started by doing a summer ideal day exercise with your inner child. This version is adapted from coaching tools I learned from my mentor, Martha Beck, and is one that you can do on your own for self-reflection.
Summer Ideal Day Exercise With Your Inner Child
What would your ideal summer day look like? Your favourite days as a child may be a clue. Here’s a meditation/visualization you can try to help you find out.
Find somewhere where you can sit comfortably or lie down and gently close your eyes. As always, begin by connecting with your breath. Breathe slowly in and out until you feel relaxed.
Once you feel relaxed and really comfortable, it’s time to start using your imagination. Pretend you’re waking up on your ideal summer morning. Before you open your eyes on this special morning, notice how your body feels. Are you warm or cool? Are you comfortable? Where are you sleeping?
Gently open your eyes (keep your eyes closed for the exercise and open them in your imagined visualization) and begin to notice where you are. Make note of all the details you can; is it inside or outside, a big or small room, colours, scents, sensations, etc. Is there anyone with you?
Slowly start making your way out of bed (or off the floor, out of the sleeping bag, etc.), and begin to start your day. What do you do? Watch all the details like a movie in your head.
If you’re inside a room, I invite you to make your way outside. There’s a child waiting for you on a bench in the yard (or in the forest, or on the beach - this is your visualization!). Sit down beside her. She is having such a good time and you notice it’s you when you were young. What is your young self doing? Ask her if you can join in.
Spend as much time as you want with this younger version of yourself. When it’s time to say goodbye, head back to where you came from and carry on with your day. Notice how you feel and what you do with the rest of your day.
Open your eyes and return to the present day. Take a few moments of interoceptive awareness to notice how you feel.
I encourage you to let your imagination take the lead with this exercise. Connect with your inner child and start dreaming. Take yourself back to the sights, smells and sounds of your favourite childhood summer days. Close your eyes and embody the experience.
Once you’ve finished the visualization, I invite you to get out your journal and write down as much as you remember. You can even do this exercise without doing the visualization first; just start writing.
I’d love to hear about your ideal summer day. Please let me know! I encourage you to do this exercise often. You can do it for each season or to play with ideas for creating future change in your life.
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
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