Why not ask a trusted friend to read the instructions to you in return for doing the same for them? Or you can learn them by heart; this is not as daunting as you might think, because there's a lot of repetition. Or you can print this page out, use it as a script and make a recording to play at your convenience.

Before you start, remove your shoes, loosen your clothing and lie on your back in a warm quiet room with a thin cushion or folded garment under your head. Close your eyes and listen to the instructions in their exact sequence which follows the physical anatomy of the brain to spread a wave of calming relaxation through your entire being.

Move your attention to your feet and ankles; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your feet and ankles with the breath. Exhale. Now your feet and ankles are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your calves and knees; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your calves and knees with the breath. Exhale. Now your calves and knees are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your thighs and hips; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your thighs and hips with the breath. Exhale. Now your thighs and hips are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your buttocks and genitals; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your buttocks and genitals with the breath. Exhale. Now your buttocks and genitals are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your abdomen and spine; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your abdomen and spine with the breath. Exhale. Now your abdomen and spine are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your chest and upper back; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your chest and upper back with the breath. Exhale. Now your chest and upper back are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your fingers, hands and wrists; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your fingers, hands and wrists with the breath. Exhale. Now your fingers, hands and wrists are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your forearms and elbows; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your forearms and elbows with the breath. Exhale. Now your forearms and elbows are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your upper arms and shoulders; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your upper arms and shoulders with the breath. Exhale. Now your upper arms and shoulders are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your neck and scalp; feel their weight; feel them pressing into the floor; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your neck and scalp with the breath. Exhale. Now your neck and scalp are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your forehead and eyes; feel their weight; feel them pressing downwards; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your forehead and eyes with the breath. Exhale. Now your forehead and eyes are completely relaxed.

Move your attention to your mouth, jaw and tongue; feel their weight; feel them pressing downwards; let them be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all the tension flow out of your mouth, jaw and tongue with the breath. Exhale. Now your mouth, jaw and tongue are completely relaxed.

Now feel your whole body pressing into the floor; let it be loose and heavy; now inhale slowly and deeply and hold the breath; when the instruction comes to exhale feel all vestiges of tension flow out of your body with the breath. Exhale. Now your whole body is completely relaxed.

Now let your relaxed body fall away from you: down, down, down, until it has gone completely.

Before you start, find a warm quiet room, remove your shoes, loosen your clothing, close your eyes and sit with your hands resting loosely in your lap, either cross-legged on the floor, or in an upright chair.

The instructions are about to begin. During these instructions we will use the word god. You can take this to mean anything you choose.

Sit straight, so that your head, neck and chest are in a straight line. Now start by focusing in your heart area, in the middle of your chest where the spiritual heart is. With your mouth closed, breathe in and out of your chest, focusing on your heart as if you were breathing in and out through your heart. Breathe deeply.

Because of the purity of our seeking, many high beings are present and with them comes a great deal of the spiritual substance out of which all form derives. Imagine that substance as a golden mist which fills the air. With every breath, don't just breathe in air, imagine you are pulling into you this golden substance. Fill with it. Let it pour through your entire body.

Breathe in the energy of the universe. Breathe in the breath of god. Let it fill your whole body. Each time you breathe out, breathe out all of the things in you that keep you from knowing your true self. Breathe out all of the separateness, all of the feelings of unworthiness, all of the self-pity, the attachment to your pain, whether it's physical or psychological. Breathe out anger and doubt, and greed and confusion. Breathe in god's breath and breathe out all of the impediments that keep you from knowing god. Let the breath be the transformation.

Now, let the golden mist that has poured into your being focus in the middle of your chest. Let it take form as a tiny being, the size of a thumb, sitting on a lotus flower right in the middle of your heart. Notice its equanimity, the radiance that makes it bright with a light that comes from within. Use your imagination and as you look upon this being become aware that it is radiating light. See the light poring out of its every pore. As you meditate upon it, experience the deep peace that is emanating from this being. Feel, as you look upon this being, that it is a being of great wisdom. It is sitting quietly, silently, perfectly poised. Feel its compassion and its love. Let yourself gradually fill with its love.

Now slowly let this tiny being grow in size until it has filled your body, so its head just fills the space of your head, its torso, your torso, its arms, your arms, its legs, your legs. So that now in the skin of your body sits this being, a being of infinite wisdom, a being of infinite compassion, a being who is bathed in bliss, self-effulgent bliss, a being of light, of perfect tranquillity.

Now let this being in your skin begin to grow in size. Experience yourself growing, until your head reaches the top of the ceiling and you are sitting beneath the floor, and all of the beings gathered within this room are within your body, all of the sounds, even the sound of my voice, are coming from inside you; feel your vastness, your peace, your equanimity.

Now continue to grow. Your head goes up into the sky, blueness all about, until all of this great city, all of your environment is within you. Look inside and experience the human condition. See the loneliness, the joy, the caring, the violence, the paranoia, the love, the love of a brother for a brother, of a lover for a lover, the love of a mother for her child, sickness, fear of death. See it all. Realise that it is all within you. Look upon it with compassion, with caring, at the same moment, with equanimity, feeling the light pouring through your being, inward and outward.

Now grow still larger. Feel your vastness increasing until your head is among the planets and you are sitting in the middle of this galaxy, the earth lying deep within your belly. All of humankind lies within you. Feel the turmoil and the longing. Feel the beauty. Sit in this universe, silent, huge, peaceful, compassionate, loving. Let all of the creations of human beings' minds be within you. Look upon them with compassion.

Now continue to grow until not only this galaxy but every galaxy is within you, until everything you can conceive of is within you, all of it inside you. You are the only one. Feel your aloneness, your silence, your peace; no other beings here; all of the planes of consciousness are within you. You are the ancient one. Everything that ever was, is, or will be is part of the dance of your being. You are all of the universe and so you have infinite wisdom. You appreciate all of the feelings of the universe and so you have infinite compassion. Let the boundaries of your being disintegrate now and merge yourself into that which is beyond form. Sit for a moment in the formless, beyond compassion, beyond love, beyond god. Let it all be in its perfection.

Now, very gently, very slowly, let the form of the boundaries of your vast being, the one, be re-established. You are vast. You are silent. All is within you. Come back from beyond the one and slowly come down in size. Come down through the universes into this universe, until your head is once again among the planets and the earth is within you, until your head is once again in the heavens and the cities are within you. Come down in size until your head is at the top of this room.

Stop for a moment. From this place, look down into the room and find the being who you thought you were when you began this meditation. Look at that being, bringing to bear all of your love and compassion. See the journey of that being, as it is living out this incarnation. See its plight, its fears, its doubts, its connection. See all the things it clings to which keep it from being free. See how close it is to knowing who it is. Look within that being and see the purity of its soul.

Now, at this moment, reach down from your vast height and very very gently and delicately, with your mind, place your hand on the head of this being and bestow upon it your blessing, a blessing that in this very life it may fully know itself. At this moment you are that which blesses and that which is being blessed. Experience both simultaneously.

Now come down in size until you are back in the body which you thought you were when you began. You are still flesh surrounding a being of radiance, of wisdom that comes from being that vast one, of the compassion that comes from being in tune with the truth and of a love for all things. Feel the love and peace pouring out of you. Use the love that is coming through you now for transmitting that energy, that blessing to all beings everywhere. Become a lighthouse and send peace and love to all those who suffer.

Think of all the people you have loved. And think of all the people you have felt less than love for. Look to their souls and surround them with light, with love and peace at this moment. Let go of the anger and of the judgement.

Now send the light of love and peace out to people who are ill, who are lonely, who are afraid, who have lost their way. Share your blessings, because only when you can give can you continue to receive. And you will find that no matter how much you give, you will receive tenfold.

Now let the radiant perfect being once again assume its diminutive form, the size of a thumb, sitting upon a lotus flower in your heart, in your spiritual heart, in the middle of your chest, still radiant with love, light, peaceful, immensely compassionate. This being is love. This being is wisdom. This is your wise inner self. This is the being within you who always knows. This is the being who you meet through your deeper and deeper intuition, when you've gone beyond your mind. This is the being who is the flow of the universe, the tiny form of the entire universe that exists within you.

At any time you need only sit and quieten your mind and you will hear this being guiding you home. When you have finished this journey you will have disappeared into this being, surrendered, merged, and then you will recognise that god, the wise self, and the everyday self are one.