Welcome to Hope and Daisy's guided faith-based meditation.
Today we're going to go through a walk in the rainforest.
Find a comfortable place sitting or lying down and rest your hands wherever they fall most naturally for you.
When you are ready,
Close your eyes.
Feel gravity tug at you from beneath,
Your weight pushing down against the floor or your seat.
Soften your resistance as you allow the force to pull you gently.
Lift your shoulders up to your ears and squeeze at the top.
Hold for a moment and then release.
Again,
Squeeze your shoulders gently and release.
One last time.
Squeeze,
Hold and release.
Let it go.
As you feel a sense of ease through your neck and shoulders,
Give your upper body a little shake.
If you are lying down,
You can roll your body side to side.
Allow the tensions and stresses of your day to fall off you like leaves in the autumn.
Imagine a pure white string made of light coming from the top of your head,
Reaching up to the sky.
As the string pulls you upwards gently,
Allow your body to shift into alignment.
Sense your spine lengthen,
Your back widen,
And your chin tuck slightly towards your chest.
Nothing forceful,
Just give your body permission to move without judgment,
Without expectations of what you should be like.
Slowly begin to turn your attention to your breath.
Notice whether it is fast or slow,
Deep or shallow.
Just pay attention without trying to change it.
When you are ready,
Follow my guide and we will now complete a breath counting exercise.
Breathe in,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out,
2,
3,
4.
Again,
Breathe in,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out,
2,
3,
4.
Notice the muscles relax and loosen while the inner tension melts away.
This time allow your exhales to be just a little longer.
I will count along with you.
Breathe in,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out,
2,
3,
4.
5,
6,
7,
8.
Breathe in,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
2,
3,
4.
5,
6,
7,
8.
Repeat this a few more times on your own as you wish.
Now,
Let go of your breath.
Allow it to fall into a natural pattern that is comfortable for you.
Take a moment to enjoy the silence.
A moment to sit with yourself.
If you are in a busy environment with a lot of noise,
That's okay.
See if you can notice the moments of silence between the sounds.
As you continue to breathe,
Imagine the smell of rain wading through the air.
The smell of plants covered by rain.
Wet leaves and grass.
Breathe it in gently.
With each breath,
The sounds of rain droplets start to form.
As the sound slowly gets louder,
You hear a few droplets splash against the leaves around and above you.
A downpour of gentle rain upon the trees and the earth around you.
As the rain envelops the forest,
A few drops make their way past the leaves to land on you.
Tiny droplets of cool water land on your arms and neck,
Sending shivers down your spine.
Allow these images to form naturally.
The green of the lush forest leaves and underbrush.
Vines and branches snake around each other with the sunlight piercing through the treetops.
Plants surround you with their roots spread above the surface.
Sounds of distant animals break through the music of the rain.
Monkeys of different shapes and sizes howling,
Calling to each other through the dense trees.
They pass overhead high up among the treetops,
But they pay you no mind.
Here,
You are a part of the forest.
The spatter of rain massages your body as you ease with every droplet that lands on your body.
As you step deeper into the forest,
The bushes and plants in your way are softly pushing aside.
Without any force,
They move like water at your touch.
Their soft surfaces and branches brush past you gently.
The intricate patterns on the leaves are felt against your arms and thighs.
Notice the details of the leaf veins and surfaces.
Water that builds up on them trickles in droplets down your legs.
The sound of rain on leaves is so serene,
As if droplets are falling on your heart,
Easing and relaxing you.
The floor beneath you is a winding one of roots,
Earth,
And grass.
A cool,
Firm wetness that pushes against the soles of your feet.
With each step,
You feel the impression you leave in the ground.
Branches push deeper into the soil.
After a while,
The undergrowth opens slightly as the canal runs in front of you.
The rain fills the canal and forms a small stream a few inches deep.
The sound of the stream blends in with the gentle drumming of the rain.
As the sounds and feeling of water ease your body and mind,
Allow any tension you have to be bathed away with the rain.
Give it permission to be washed down to the ground and into the stream at your feet.
Slowly,
Allow the images to fade as you focus on the sounds.
The rain,
The plants,
The stream,
Even they begin to fade now as the rain eases.
The smells fade with them until there is only silence.
The only thing filling this silence is your breath.
The air reaches deep inside.
In your own time,
Allow the world around you to come into focus,
From the sounds to the feelings and sensations in your environment.
Take a moment to come back into your surroundings.
Wiggle your toes and your fingers.
Sway your head from side to side.
Give your body a gentle push.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Enjoy the rest of your day with a sense of deep relaxation.
Be blessed.
