Hello and welcome to Summer Stillness.
Today we are going to take a moment of stillness in the fullness of summer.
Summer begins at the solstice and solstice means stillness.
This is where the sun hangs heavy in the sky for long periods.
And in summer we are invited to align with the energies of fullness,
The outward expression of self,
To celebrate,
To find joy in the light.
So finding yourself in a comfortable position,
You may wish to be seated or lying down,
And just taking a moment to settle into your body.
And just noticing if you are storing any tension,
Tightness anywhere.
And just taking a nice deep cleansing breath in through the nose,
Filling up the lungs.
And on the exhale,
Just allowing yourself to soften.
On the next in-breath,
Just breathing into any areas of tension or tightness.
And on the exhale,
Just allowing them to soften.
Taking in one last deep cleansing breath.
In through the nose,
Filling up the lungs and the belly.
And in this exhale,
Just finding softness in your shoulders,
Your knees,
Your feet.
And just placing your hands wherever they feel comfortable.
And just allowing your eyes to close or softening your gaze,
Softening your eyebrows and your jaw.
Just finding relaxation here.
I'd like you to visualize yourself in front of a portal,
A portal of light.
And just watching the light grow in front of you.
Notice if it's moving,
Maybe it's flickering.
And just stepping into this portal and finding yourself being carried through.
And you're going to come out into summer.
So what does this sacred summer space look like for you?
It may be a beach.
It may be a garden.
It may be familiar.
It may exist only in your imagination.
And just taking yourself through this space,
I'm going to invite you to find somewhere where you can rest and be still for a moment.
Maybe a sunbed,
Maybe a blanket,
Under a tree.
Whatever feels good for you.
And now you've found this space of stillness.
Just taking in your surroundings.
Here we are in summer.
The season of fullness.
I'd like you to think now,
What aspects of your life are currently in summer?
I'd like you to observe your journey so far.
And think back to your past self who has created this moment that you're in.
How do you feel?
Maybe you are feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Maybe you are reminded of times you've had to be resilient.
Maybe there are some challenges that you've had to overcome.
Or perhaps something is still ripening for you.
So let's celebrate where you've been so far.
I'd like you to take a moment now to think about any failures you may have met.
Perhaps maybe there was a time when you felt like giving up,
When everything was working against you.
And something hasn't gone according to plan.
And sometimes these things happen to us.
Sometimes they happen for a reason.
And that reason isn't always apparent.
Not for a while.
But in all of these,
There are lessons.
And there is wisdom behind them.
So I'd like you to take a moment now to think of anything that you feel is a failure.
What's the lesson and the wisdom that you can take from it?
Summer is a time of celebration,
Of having fun.
Maybe spending more time with friends and being social.
But it's also a time for rest.
And this may be a vacation,
Just some time out.
It may even just be spending some time sitting in the shade and out of the sunlight.
And rest is really important for us.
It is part of our growth cycle.
Not just on a physical level,
But when we go through periods of growth,
Of self-development,
Of working towards a goal.
It's important that we also balance that with rest.
So we avoid burnout.
And so I just want you to consider now,
Where can you find rest?
Where are you ready for a bit of rest,
A vacation,
Some shade right now?
And so just taking yourself into this beautiful summer landscape that you're in.
And just finding a moment to give yourself gratitude.
For how far you've come.
Celebrating yourself for a moment.
Summer is the midpoint of the calendar year.
And as we've been working through spring,
We now reward ourselves with some fun and indulgence.
And you might be thinking of what there still is left to do.
What the second half of the year may look like for you.
So just take a moment now to think about your future self.
So just bringing yourself back to this beautiful summer landscape.
And it's now time to take yourself from this space of rest.
And just make your way back along towards the portal.
And see the light in front of you growing.
Notice is it brighter this time?
Is it more vibrant?
Maybe it's more still.
And just stepping into the portal.
And moving back through.
Into your body.
Into the room you're in.
And just taking a moment to arrive back here in this space.
You may like to flatter your eyes open.
Take a little stretch.
Thank you for joining me today to embrace the stillness of summer.
And you can come back to this meditation any time throughout summer.
Maybe in your own inner summer.
Whenever feels good for you.
Enjoy the rest of your summertime and I will see you soon.
