Please do not listen to this guided meditation if you're driving or running machinery.
So find yourself in a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Somewhere your head and neck can be supported.
Maybe on the bed or in a favourite chair.
Just sit and relax.
When you're ready,
Close your eyes and take a nice deep breath.
And as you exhale,
Make it like a sigh of relief.
Nice and easy.
Nice and steady.
I won't need anything from you right now,
So you can give yourself this time just for you.
Take another nice deep breath.
Now you can find that you can just let the chair or the bed take the weight of your own head.
If you need to move around to adjust,
To get more comfortable,
That's fine.
And breathe.
Take five nice deep breaths.
And every time you exhale,
Allow yourself to relax just a little more.
Don't try and relax,
Just allow yourself to.
As if you're getting out of your own way.
Let your facial muscles relax.
Your jaw relax.
And let your shoulders droop.
And any tension that's there,
Just let it fade away.
Let the feeling continue down your arms,
Into your wrists,
Your hands and your fingertips.
And just notice which hand feels the most relaxed.
Right now,
Or is it left?
It really doesn't matter if it's left.
On your right,
Or whichever one is more relaxed.
Just take one of those nice deep breaths.
And as you exhale,
Let the other hand catch up.
Let the chair or bed now support the weight of your full body.
Allow everything to become very limp,
Like a wet rag.
That's it.
And any tension that's there,
Allow it to melt away.
Can you relax your legs,
Your knees,
Your calves,
Your ankles,
The arches of your feet,
All the way to the tips of your toes.
And if any other thoughts come into your mind during this,
You can just take one of those nice deep breaths.
And as you exhale,
Just blow any thoughts away.
And it doesn't really matter if you hear noise where you are or where I am.
They won't disturb you.
In fact,
They may even be the noises that will help you to relax even more.
And if there was an emergency,
You'd be able to come back to full awareness straight away.
So rest deeper now.
And as you do,
Relax even more.
Now,
Imagine you're walking along the forest path,
Where you can feel the earth give way underneath your feet.
Notice the way you can feel the clean air on your face,
The scent of the forest in your nostrils.
And notice how it's not too hot or too cold.
Just breathe in that clean air.
And just breathing in helps you to relax even more.
As you walk along the forest path,
There's a well-worn path on the left.
And notice that it leads to the dark part of the forest.
This is the path of someone who has little or no boundaries.
But there's a path on the right,
Barely visible.
Well,
You can get a sense that taking this path leads to a better reaction to better boundaries.
So if it's okay to,
Walk up and down the new path on the right,
Until it becomes more open and wider.
And it's as if time doesn't really exist in this place.
Notice how the wider that you make the right path,
The more overgrown the left path becomes.
Take pleasure walking up and down this right path and know why you're taking this,
Why you're creating it.
And now continue further along this right path.
And notice that it leads to a beautiful lush green valley.
And there is a small house that's being built by hand in the middle of it.
This house represents you and all the work that you put into yourself.
And the grass represents the world outside of you.
See yourself walking around the outside of the house.
Looking at it from different angles,
Different perspectives.
Perhaps the house is perfect just as it is.
Or maybe you can say there's some room for improvement.
Well first of all,
Just let yourself decide that it would be good to plant some trees and some shrubs.
So that these plants will aid you by creating a boundary from harm and also benefit the world.
So for example,
A blackberry bush is very spiky and dense.
And it gives a bounty of fruits for us to enjoy and to be nourished by.
And if you plant many in a row,
They will protect you just as well as a tall electric fence.
This plant also gives.
It serves two purposes.
And see yourself with the tools in your hands,
Ready to do this.
With a knowing inside you,
A wisdom.
And when you're ready,
Begin to plant those bushes.
Notice yourself noticing how the soil is black and rich.
And how you can know that everything being planted here will flourish.
As each plant goes in,
More the boundary is created.
And when you're ready,
Stand back from the work that you have put in and admire it.
But of course this is just a section of the land around the house.
So what else would you plant?
When you plant tall trees,
They will protect you from harsh winds.
If placed in a way that's good through all of the seasons.
Tall trees also supply us with the most oxygen.
And also absorb the carbon dioxide.
Therefore they are giving whilst also protecting.
The trees also serve many purposes.
Just like before,
There are trees waiting to be planted here.
Finding yourself with the knowledge and the desire,
Begin to plant these trees.
And notice how easy it is.
And how you can get a sense of the trees already putting out their roots to grow strong and tall and wide.
And just notice how much safer your house seems.
How much more protected.
And just look at these beautiful things that you're planting around your house.
And you realise that they will need a water source.
So look around and find the lowest lying area.
And begin digging deep down and around.
And make the shape of a small pond.
And as you do so,
Notice how strong your muscles feel.
Notice how clear your mind is.
And as you step back from that circle of dirt that you've created.
You know that it will only take a few heavy rains to pour down.
To fill this pond.
This natural source of water.
A pond serves many purposes on your land.
It not only protects you and the wildlife with water,
But it's also somewhere to go to meditate.
And reflect on the good things in your life and the good things that you do for others.
So closer to your house.
You see that you need some vegetables or fruits to create a garden.
It's easy for you to access the water as necessary.
And you can grow all of the fruit,
Any fruit that you like.
Any kind of vegetables that you need.
And just like before,
When time and space just doesn't matter here.
Notice how your garden flourishes and provides all this garden needs from you,
Is you.
Look around and see,
Perhaps you need an orchard.
Strategically you can plant many apple trees and other fruit trees.
Right next to that protected area.
Right next to the big tall trees.
And perhaps a little closer to the pond where they can get a drink.
This orchard is going to supply you with the most delicious apples and other fruits that you've ever tasted.
And the nutrients are off the charts.
Feel yourself getting stronger and stronger.
And look around you at the land and just feel proud.
So not only do these plants protect you and your home.
But they give you safety and the community around you safety.
So make sure you work on the garden within you.
Proper barriers that if planted well with love and care,
They will give.
And each time you listen to this meditation,
You can plant some more.
Work on another area,
Make it even more beautiful.
And lastly,
Look again at that hand built home.
And see yourself making changes to it,
Whether it needs new paint or more building work.
And know that you can create this as easy as you think it.
See it happening right in front of your eyes.
You are an excellent builder of boundaries.
And every day in every way,
You're getting better and better.
And as I count from one to five,
You can start to come back to this time and place.
Remembering everything,
Feeling proud and powerful and wise.
So one,
Starting to come back to this time,
This place.
Two,
Connecting with your physical body.
Three,
Remembering whatever you need to remember.
Four,
Starting to move your fingers and your toes and coming back to awareness.
And five,
All the way back,
Eyes open,
Wide awake.
And maybe take a big stretch and give yourself a few minutes just to assess and relax and contemplate your work.
And then carry on with the rest of your day.
Well done.
