Welcome to today's meditation,
A journey under the stars.
I suggest listening to this practice in the evening or right before going to sleep.
So now go ahead and settle yourself into a comfortable position.
You can be sitting upright or lying comfortably in your bed.
So now take your time settling into your space.
Have all your blankets and pillows ready and gently close your eyes.
Now,
Let's take a couple of deep,
Relaxing breaths,
Breathing in through the nose,
Feeling the air flow down to your belly,
And then slowly flowing back out through the mouth.
Allow this breath to be long,
Slow,
And gentle,
Breathing deeply into your belly.
So take a moment to notice how comfortable you are.
Feel the appreciation for resting here peacefully and for finding the time to slow down and care for your body.
As you allow yourself to relax,
Notice any areas of tension in your body.
Relax your jaw.
Relax your eyebrows.
Relax your tongue.
And maybe if you're clenching your hands,
Allow your fingers to become loose.
So just use your breath to let go of any tightness.
This is the time to let go and relax.
Begin to feel your body release all tension as your breathing becomes slower.
Soften your belly fully as you continue to breathe.
Imagine now that you are walking along a lightly trickling stream in a beautiful forest at dusk.
You are walking barefoot in the water,
Allowing the gentle stream to flow over your feet.
Notice the softness of the sand beneath your feet.
Notice the warmth of the water.
And as you look around you,
Notice the hues of purples and blues floating throughout the forest.
Right now,
Everything seems so magical here.
You feel very peaceful and relaxed.
You are carrying a lantern in your hand to help you in your walk tonight.
The lantern glows softly,
Not too bright,
But bright enough to illuminate your path.
As you continue to walk down the stream,
Following its path,
You notice that it leads to an opening up ahead with a lot of trees.
You feel compelled to continue walking straight ahead.
And the deeper into the path you walk,
The more relaxed you become.
You feel very safe and protected here,
As if the trees are here to support you.
And you can learn a lot from these trees.
They are patient and they know how to take their time.
They are always standing tall and proud.
And they live unbound.
Take a moment to appreciate their magnificent nature and the creation about you.
Everything here feels so still and so peaceful.
Just enjoy welcoming in the calmness to your body and your mind.
As you get closer and closer to the opening up ahead,
You enter a wide open lake.
You continue to follow the stream to the moment where the stream merges into the lake.
You feel the warm water wash over your feet.
You decide to sit on a nearby rock,
Place your lantern on the grass nearby,
And listen to the slow,
Gentle lapping of the water.
You can hear crickets in the nearby distance,
A couple of owls hooting in the trees,
And you enjoy the awakening of the night here in this beautiful forest.
You feel peaceful and safe.
The sun has set completely,
And in the nearby distance,
You notice a couple of white,
Yellow orbs twinkling in the darkness.
They are fireflies,
Softly blinking in the depths of the tall grass.
You see more and more fireflies begin to twinkle around the surface of the lake.
It looks so magnificent and elegant.
As you look up at the sky,
It is a deep,
Velvet blue,
Covered in millions of glittering white stars.
You feel so open and expansive,
Looking out into the sky,
Feeling very peaceful and relaxed.
The stars are gently shining down on you.
You allow the peace of the night sky to embrace you.
You feel the support of nature all around you.
Notice how quiet,
Still,
And calm everything is at this moment.
There is no urgency here,
Nowhere to be,
Nowhere to go.
Just as the trees and the stars have so little to do,
And can move so slowly,
So can you.
Having so little to do right now,
So little to think about,
Moving slowly,
Drifting into sleep.
There is nothing but peace here,
Allowing yourself to appreciate the beautiful night sky above you.
Observe all the glittering lights,
And allow yourself to be wrapped in this blanket of stars.
Imagine the sky is just like a soft,
Warm,
And heavy blanket,
Slowly coming down from the sky,
Lowering onto you and wrapping you up completely.
Allow yourself to drift into a comfortable and peaceful sleep.
