A Guided Relaxation with David Hockney

Hi,

Here is an article I wrote in honor of David Hockney. This guided relaxation takes us on a meditative ride with him.

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Transcript

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Hi, this is Jill Badonsky with AMuses Daydream. And today I am going to give you a guided meditation that goes with my David Hockney Substack article from yesterday about Nicole's Canyon, and we're gonna take a drive in our imagination through Nicole's Canyon just for some escape and for new perspective. So close your eyes if that feels comfortable. And imagine you're settling into the passenger seat of a car, and David Hockney is driving. You don't have to say anything clever. He likes you just the way you are, and you're just along for the ride and the experience. So sink into the chair of the car and let your shoulders loosen, your belly relax. Feel a sense of relaxation through the whole body. Notice the weight of your hands resting wherever they naturally land. Take a slow breath in through your nose and let it fall out through your mouth like an exhale that has nowhere to go. And put your seatbelt on. The car begins to move, and you're entering Nicole's Canyon. With each curve of the road, let your attention follow. The first bend is shallow and easy. Feel the car turn and imagine it's turning you away from the glare of the current events, away from the headlines, the noise, the conflict, and towards something softer and more saturated with color. Ahead of you, the canyon starts to shift into hockney color. The hills are not just brown and green anymore, they're streaked with orange, violet, electric blue, yellow. The canyon has put on lipstick. With every inhale, choose the color and let it fill your inner vision. With every exhale, let a little of your stress drain into the road behind you. So breathe in a color. Breathe out stress. If you like that color, breathe it in again or pick a new color. Feel it fill your inner vision and breathe out stress. The road refuses to be straight, curves and rises and switches back on itself. Let those curves stand in for your day. Each turn is a small permission to change your mind from noisy to peace. To pause. To take a different angle. All you need to do is enjoy the ride and feel what it's like to experience something different and artistic. As you pass a patch of Boganville blazing against the hillside, let it become a symbol of one small bright thing in your life. A moment of connection. A tiny victory, something you love. See this one small thing in your mind and let it present itself to you in vivid color. Let your breath linger there. Imagine all the world's noise staying down there on the grid, like a radio turned way down in another room. Up here, your only job is to look, to notice the tilt of trees, the angle of driveways, the way the sky keeps changing shades of blue without asking your permission. The car begins to slow approaching the edge of the painting. The road levels out. But the colors stay with you, tucked just behind your eyelids, ready to be used later in whatever you create, even if it's just a moment of paying attention. Take one more deep, generous breath in. Hold it for the count of three. And exhale completely. Gently bring your attention back to the room. But know Nick Holles Canyon is still available as a root in your mind. Whenever the world flattens, you're free to return to the curves. But take a moment and decide what this experience tells you. What message does it have for you? And how will you remember that?