Getting Yourself Organized

The balcony gives your mind something gentle to follow. You watch taxis, a mother walking children to school, dog owners crossing paths and Frisbee players in an autumn park. Then you settle into a lounge chair and let your thoughts float off into the sky. It is a slow way to leave the day's busyness behind.

You press the button on the 10th floor and descend to the ground floor as the count goes from ten to one. Each number takes you one floor lower and one step deeper into relaxation. At five, halfway down, you are reminded that you can learn to center yourself and focus your mind.

Choose anything: a desk, a company, a schedule or your whole life. You see yourself looking at it and notice you already have a strong opinion about how to arrange it. Then you watch yourself organize it easily, quickly and thoroughly. The recording says the more you practise this, the more natural it becomes.

The silences are for you to practise. You picture directing a ball of energy onto a goal, then feel what achieving it is like. You also imagine yourself six months and one year from now, let go of stress and old weights on each exhale, and picture two normal activities done in a calmer, more focused way.

Near the end, you are invited to notice how hard it is to recall what was said minutes ago and that you needn't try. The idea is that you can relax and let the suggestions settle in without effort. The recording says your subconscious mind will take in the words while you sleep.

Yes, the opening asks you to listen only at night, when you are safe and won't be disturbed, never in a moving vehicle. The closing guides you toward sleep and a refreshed morning. If you are under a doctor's care, it advises consulting your physician first.