Welcome to the Forest Meditation.
You find yourself standing at the beginning of an old forest path,
The kind that feels like it's been waiting just for you.
As you walk along,
The ground feels soft beneath your feet,
It's covered in moss and scattered leaves,
And the morning light peeks through the trees.
It feels warm and tingly on your skin,
And everything around you feels ancient and alive.
You have a feeling of anticipation and curiosity and adventure that you haven't felt in a very long time.
With each step forward,
The sounds of the outside world grow distant,
And the chatter in your mind seems to lessen.
There's only the whisper of the wind through the trees,
The soft call of a bird,
And the rustle of branches overhead.
You think you hear a hooting of an owl,
And so you look up to scan the sky,
And you see bright blue patches above the canopy of trees,
It almost forms an umbrella over the earth.
You breathe in slowly,
And you feel the fresh,
Earthy scent of pine,
Damp leaves,
And nature.
Exhale gently,
And you let go of anything that you may be holding onto,
Worries,
Tension,
Noise,
Because now you feel free.
You are in the forest,
And you are there with nature.
You continue on down the path,
Which is leading you deeper into the forest.
Sunbeams stream through the trees,
And you see them dance along the leaves.
You notice small wildflowers,
Indian paintbrush,
Blue bonnets,
Different types of flowers that you remember from your childhood,
Blooming along the trail,
Bright blues,
Soft purples,
And tiny bursts of white and red.
You decide you're going to pick a flower,
And as you do,
It's almost like magic,
Because a butterfly flutters past,
Almost leading the way.
Slowly you continue walking,
And you follow the butterfly.
You feel so grounded and peaceful,
As if you knew the route by heart,
And this was your home in the forest.
You think you hear a stream nearby,
Gently trickling over stones.
The sound is soothing and timeless,
And as you follow the trail,
You come to a small wooden bridge.
You cross it slowly,
Pausing to look down,
And watch the water flowing beneath you.
In a sense,
This place feels so sacred,
Like the forest itself is recognizing you,
It's welcoming you home.
Up ahead,
You see a clearing,
And in the clearing,
You see one tree,
A giant tree,
Tall,
Wide,
And ancient.
Its bark is deeply grooved,
And its branches are stretching high above.
You feel drawn to it,
And you walk up to it and place your hand against the trunk.
The bark is cool,
Solid,
And grounding,
And you sit down at its base,
Leaning gently against it.
You continue walking,
And up ahead,
You see a clearing,
And at the center stands one giant tree.
It's tall and wide,
And it looks ancient.
The bark is deeply grooved,
Its branches are stretching high above in the clearing.
You feel drawn to it,
And as you walk up,
You place your hand against the trunk.
The bark is cool,
Solid,
And very grounding,
And you sit down at its base,
Leaning gently against it.
The tree supports you like an old friend.
Its roots reach deep into the earth,
And it feels steady and sure.
Somehow,
You feel like this tree has the answers that you've been seeking.
So you rest your back against the tree,
And you close your eyes,
Feeling the warmth and the comfort of the tree.
You sit and rest and feel the strength of the earth beneath you.
You start to feel restored,
As if the tree and the earth knew that you needed this strength.
You continue to breathe in and out,
And feel how rooted you are,
Just like the tree.
As you sit there,
You begin to feel something,
A presence in the forest,
Not just in the trees and the wind,
But in the silence itself.
It feels like a message,
A message of telling you that you're not alone,
That you're part of something ancient and something beautiful and grounded,
And that you're allowed to rest.
You are allowed to grow slowly in your own time.
You let those words sink in,
And you let them settle deep in your heart.
Take them in,
And you silently think to yourself that you are safe,
And you belong where you are,
Just as you are.
You sit there for a while,
Taking in the sights and the sounds and the feeling of comfort.
Eventually,
It's time to return.
You slowly get up,
Knowing that you have this secret and peace within you from the tree and the forest.
You thank the tree for its compassion,
Its strength,
And for allowing you to leave all of your troubles at the base of the tree.
You continue to walk,
And you find the edge of the forest and the little path that brought you in.
But you feel differently,
You feel lighter,
And you feel magical because you've left all of your worries at the base of the old tree.
And as you walk on,
You slightly smile and think that whenever you need to find that magic and feel that lightness,
You can go back to that old tree in the middle of the clearing and the forest,
And leave all of your worries at the base of the tree.
So now,
It's time to come back,
And bring your awareness back to your body.
Slowly,
Wiggle your fingers,
Feel the surface beneath you,
And notice your breath now.
It's calm and steady,
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes,
And know that you can always return to the forest for renewal,
For strength,
For stillness,
And for lightness.
