Valley and Eagle,
These planet meditations are designed for you to sit with the beautiful elements and life in all its glorious creation on our earth as you quiet yourself to be here right now.
So making yourself comfortable,
I invite you to take a couple of full breaths,
Letting the air out slowly and bringing your attention to your breath,
To the inflow and outflow of your breath as you gently close your eyes.
And beginning now to notice any sensations you can feel in your body,
Beginning to notice how it feels for you in this moment.
What sensations might you notice in your body right here,
Right now?
Bringing your attention to your body and gently scanning slowly down as you breathe.
From your head,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Chest,
Back,
Tummy,
Hips,
Thighs,
Calves and finally feeling into your feet,
Noticing the sensations in your feet and in your toes perhaps.
Maybe your toes are touching,
Or maybe they're apart.
Whatever you notice now,
Just becoming aware of these sensations with a sense of gentle curiosity,
Nothing to do about them.
Simply becoming aware of the sensations in your body,
Bringing your focus into your body and into the sensations you may feel.
Perhaps you can sense some tingling or maybe numbness.
Perhaps there's a sense of tightness somewhere in your body or maybe you can't feel much at all.
Just breathing in and out and allowing all sensations to just be,
Bringing this kind curiosity to all you might feel and sensing where your body makes contact with the surface supporting you.
Perhaps you're sitting or lying,
Your heels or calves or shoulder blades pressing against the surface where you rest.
Whatever you sense,
Just noticing and letting be.
And now bringing your awareness up through your body and into your lungs,
Noticing the feeling of the air entering and leaving your lungs.
Breathing in and out,
Noticing the movement of your body as it fills with air and the movement as the air leaves again.
Perhaps you can even notice the pause,
The pause on the in-breath before you let the air go.
And the pause on the out-breath before you draw new air in,
Simply bringing awareness to your breath,
Your own natural ebb and flow.
Maybe noticing that your body knows what to do and every moment with each breath,
Moment by moment,
Minute by minute and day by day.
And now bringing your awareness to the sensation of your breath on your face,
Maybe just noticing the air on your cheeks,
Below your nose,
Over your chin as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
What's the temperature of the air like on your face?
Is it warm or cool?
Perhaps noticing any difference when you let the air go and when you take in a breath.
And however it is for you right now,
Just noticing with a kind curiosity,
With nothing to do or change,
Nothing to decide,
No rights or wrongs,
Just lying or sitting here now,
Supported by the ground,
Breathing naturally and noticing what's happening for you in this moment.
And now bringing your awareness to any thoughts which may be arising,
No need to push them away,
Just let them arrive,
Welcome guests and leave again.
As you lie here or sit here,
Gently returning your attention to your breath,
To breathing into your body.
And now bringing into your mind the image of a broad valley landscape,
Maybe it's a place you visited or know well or an image from film or a book or simply an imaginary valley that you're creating now.
And in your mind's image,
Seeing the sides of the hills lining your valley,
Maybe they're tall,
Creating deep shadows in your valley floor.
Or maybe they're low,
Gentle hills,
Following the contours of the land as they stretch as far as your eyes can see.
Perhaps the sides of your valley are dusty plains or maybe they're clad in thick dark green forest.
However your valley is,
Just lying here and breathing and seeing the image of your valley,
Hearing the silence in your valley,
The space.
So as you lie or sit supported by the surface on which you rest,
Bringing into your mind's eye your valley,
What is the floor of your valley like?
Is it dry with perhaps only a trickle of a stream breaking the silence?
Or does your valley have a broad deep river coursing through its floor?
So as you see the image of your own valley,
Noticing the sounds that come and go,
The pounding of the river perhaps,
The bellows of migrating wildlife,
The rustling of the long grasses,
The eagle cries that pierce and echo your valley.
And breathing now,
Feeling supported by your chair or mat and noticing these large birds that come and go through your valley,
Birds that travel our earth and seeing them enter your vision.
As you quietly breathe with this image in your mind's eye,
Beginning to see them more closely now,
The way their feathers flow with the wind in which they fly free,
Focused,
At ease in their journey.
Year after year,
They fly above your valley.
As the seasons change,
They arrive,
Become still,
Work with the wind and the rains and the warm sun in your valley,
Nesting and raising their young.
The thoughts of the next season when they must go,
Leave your valley as the winds become gales and clouds above darken your valley skies,
Their endless journey as natural as the tall trees in which they make their homes.
At ease,
Calm,
Courageous and focused,
They find their grounding,
They hunt as they must,
They rest as they need,
Protecting their precious young,
Patiently allowing all that comes.
Until they hear the call of the skies and one by one,
They show the new generation how to leave,
How to migrate and how to live in a changing world,
So seeing yourself as a creature of this earth,
Knowing that sometimes your weather may change and your clouds darken.
Change is part of life,
Life is change and yet as these birds that circle our earth,
You have your own quiet stillness deep inside,
Your own wise voice,
Your own voice of calm and courage always there,
Always helping you find your way,
Find your grounding,
Work with your own seasons,
Gather what you need,
Smile and feel the wind in your wings and yet always sensing your earth,
Your deep ground,
Finding the familiars and breathing with a cleansing breath of life and yet knowing like the birds there will always be your valley to return to year after year and sensing your innate wisdom that will guide you here.
So breathing here now,
Leaving your valley and becoming aware of the physical sensations in your body,
Noticing the contact of your body against the surface supporting you,
The gentle pressure where you lie and becoming aware of any tingling or numbness or physical sensations,
Maybe letting any thoughts that are bubbling to the surface just flow through,
Focusing on the steadiness of your breathing,
Now becoming aware of the sounds in your surroundings,
Noticing any sounds you can hear for a moment.
Can you hear the bell?
Wriggling your toes and fingers,
Maybe taking a stretch that feels right for you and opening your eyes,
Thank you and may the courage of the eagles and the calm of the valley be with you this week.
