Boosting Your Self-Esteem

You choose a color that calms you, such as ocean blue or a favorite flower, and picture it as a speck of light. It moves from your head through your face, jaw, neck, shoulders, chest, stomach, arms, hips, legs and feet, easing tension as it goes. At the end you thank the light and are told you can return to this same technique any time by closing your eyes.

Once you are relaxed, you are invited to think of three strengths, and they can be small: cooking, a sport, being a loyal friend. The idea is that doing more of what comes easily to you builds confidence, and that confidence can make trying new things feel less daunting. The example given is a good cook hosting more dinner parties.

The session says your mind does not tell reality from imagination, so cruel things you say to yourself are stored as beliefs, true or not. That is the reason for keeping your inner dialogue kind. When a negative thought appears, you remind yourself it is catastrophic thinking, your conscious mind misbehaving, and replace it with a positive one.

You step up to a lantern holding every doubt, imperfection and worry you have carried since childhood. You light the fuel cell, the lantern fills and plumps up, and you see the emotions swirling inside. Then you let it go, say farewell to those limiting beliefs and watch it rise until it disappears, leaving your body lighter and your mind freer.

The opening asks you to breathe in for four, hold for four and breathe out for six, then repeat once. The longer out-breath gives you a slow, easy start before the body relaxation begins. Nothing is required of you beyond following the counts and letting go of worries.

After the lantern has vanished and the closing words about shining bright, the voice counts from one to five. By five your eyes open and you are described as wide awake, alert and fully back in your body. That clear finish is why it works well as a morning practice.