Welcome to this Christian guided meditation.
Go ahead and settle yourself into a nice and comfortable position,
Allowing your body to find a posture that feels just right for you.
And once you have settled in,
Gently close your eyes.
Now let's take a couple of deep,
Soothing breaths.
Taking a nice deep breath in,
Hold,
And as you breathe out,
Relax into the sense of calmness that is slowly beginning to embrace your mind and your body.
So breathing in deeply,
And breathing out slowly,
Letting go of any tension.
As you continue to breathe,
You may notice thoughts from the day that may begin to arise in your mind,
Plans of what you need to get done tomorrow.
And that's perfectly fine.
Lay them down before God,
Bring them before Jesus,
And let them go.
Bring your attention back to the breath.
Lay everything down before him.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
Now allow your breath to settle,
And as it does,
Imagine you are walking by a beautiful stream outdoors in nature.
It is a lazy summer afternoon.
There are willow trees growing by the stream,
Providing the perfect amount of shade for such a beautiful sunny day.
The sun rays peeking through the hanging tree branches illuminate the grass in a soft lime green color.
And as you walk along the stream,
You notice the water is so clear.
You look down and see shining pebbles resting at the bottom.
The water is so beautiful and sparkling.
You take off your shoes and feel the soft grass beneath your feet.
You immerse your feet into the water and you enjoy the pleasant cool water on your skin.
You feel the sandy bed,
Allowing the pebbles to massage your feet gently.
It feels so refreshing and rejuvenating standing in the water.
As you stand here enjoying the gentle massaging of the pebbles under your feet,
And the flow of the stream splashing against your calves,
You take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
You release all your worries and concerns to flow away into the water.
And as you stand there,
You are amazed by creation,
And how God made all of this and thought the world needed one of you too.
Just allow the stream to carry all your stress away from you now.
Every droplet that gently splashes against your skin picks up all your worries and concerns and carries it away from you,
Leaving you feeling peaceful and relaxed.
Imagine any troubling thoughts that are being released from the soles of your feet and floating up to Jesus.
They are all released into the water.
Allow them to float away as you enjoy this beautiful nature around you.
Now as you gently step out of the stream and take a seat against the trunk of a willow tree,
You are still facing this stream and allow your feet to dry in the warm air,
And as you sit back you close your eyes,
You hear the chirping birds singing to one another.
There is a gentle breeze blowing.
You appreciate the sound of the trickling stream.
You can make out the bubbling sounds as the water moves over the rocks and branches.
It is as if all of nature is singing its praises to our God.
As you listen to the sound of the trickling stream,
You feel so tranquil.
Allow the sound of the water to soothe your mind,
So just take a moment now to listen to the song of the water flow,
Allowing yourself to rest.
As you continue to rest here under this beautiful willow tree,
Gently shift your focus back to your body and check in with your body,
Noticing how it feels.
Notice any areas that are in tension,
Discomfort or holding any stress,
And all you have to do is just become aware of how you feel at this moment,
And maintain the slow and steady rhythm of your breath as you observe any physical sensations you feel in your body,
Such as spending this special time with your body without any judgment.
While you check in with your physical body,
Some areas may feel very relaxed and calm,
And others may not.
So just observe any bodily sensations such as gentle tingling or feelings of heavy calmness.
Now take this moment to scan through your body as a whole.
How does your body feel today?
Where do you find your body holds the most tension?
Wherever this may be,
Just shift your focus to this area intently.
Attend to this area with compassion and prayer,
And with every breath feel this area softening and relaxing.
As you inhale and exhale,
Feel the gentle stillness of this relaxation.
Simply be here with your body and with God for the next few moments as it guides you to complete peace,
A space free from all your worries resting in Him.
As this practice comes to an end,
You notice a couple of goosebumps arise on your skin.
The sun is slowly beginning to set,
And it is time to head back where the comfort of your home awaits you.
You feel so rejuvenated and relaxed after spending time by the stream today.
This was exactly what you needed,
And you know you can always come back to this place whenever you wish.
Begin to return to your body and your surroundings.
Notice how you feel.
Notice the clothing on your skin.
Notice the surface you are sitting on.
Tune into any sounds around you.
Begin to stretch your body gently,
Wiggle your toes and fingers,
Move your head from side to side,
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Be blessed.
