Twelve minutes, five segments. The senses arrive in a fixed order — keep it, the sequence is what makes the scene hold.
Settling, and a note on how this works
2 min[plain and unhurried — you are lowering the stakes before you start]
Hello. Over the next twelve minutes we're going to build a place and spend some time in it.
One thing worth saying first, because it stops people giving up in the first minute: not everyone sees pictures. Some people hear the place, or feel the temperature of it, or just have a sense of being somewhere without any image at all. All of those are the same thing working. If nothing appears visually, stay with me anyway.
Sit or lie somewhere you can stay for twelve minutes. Let your eyes close. [pause for 10 seconds]
Take one slow breath in, and let it go. And another, letting the out-breath be the longer of the two. [pause for 20 seconds]
Arriving in the place
2 min 30[stay generic — never specify colour, name or detail the listener hasn't supplied]
You're outdoors, somewhere that feels safe and completely your own. It might be a place you know, or somewhere you've never been. Let it arrive on its own rather than choosing it. [pause for 25 seconds — do not fill this]
Notice where you are standing, or sitting. Notice what's underneath you — grass, sand, stone, wood. [pause for 20 seconds]
Look out ahead of you. Take in how far you can see, and what's between you and the furthest point. [pause for 25 seconds]
Notice the light. The time of day. Whether the sky is open or covered. [pause for 20 seconds]
The other senses
3 min[the fixed order matters — sound, air and temperature, smell, touch. Do not reorder.]
Now listen. There will be sound here, even if it's very quiet. Something near you, and something further away. [pause for 30 seconds]
Feel the air. Its temperature on your face and on the backs of your hands. Whether it's moving or completely still. [pause for 30 seconds]
Take a breath in through the nose and notice what this place smells of. Smell reaches memory faster than anything else, which is why it makes a scene feel real. [pause for 30 seconds]
And reach out and touch something — whatever is nearest. Notice whether it's warm or cool, rough or smooth. [pause for 30 seconds]
Resting there
3 min[the deepest point — say almost nothing and let the silences run long]
Find somewhere here to settle. Sit down, or lie down, wherever the place offers. [pause for 25 seconds]
Nothing is asked of you here. Nothing needs deciding. [long pause — 60 seconds]
This place doesn't go anywhere when you leave it. You can come back whenever you want to, and it will be here. [long pause — 60 seconds]
Coming back
1 min 30[deliberate and reversed — leave the scene the way you entered it, then return the room]
In a moment we'll leave. Take one more look around — the ground, the distance, the light. [pause for 20 seconds]
Now let the place fade, and bring your attention back to the room you're actually in. The chair or the floor underneath you. The temperature in here. [pause for 20 seconds]
Move your fingers and your toes. Take one deeper breath. [pause for 10 seconds, then lift the voice]
And when you're ready, open your eyes. Give yourself a minute before you stand up or drive anywhere — people come out of this further under than they expect. Thank you for practising with me.