Hello,
I am Melissa and I am going to guide you today in a visualization for grounding.
Sometimes when we are distressed,
We can lose access to our own body and the resources of our body.
We can feel untethered,
Unsafe,
Adrift.
We lose access to the support of the earth.
So settle into your comfy spot today and let's get started.
You can begin with a deep breath in for about 4 to 5 seconds and a long,
Slow exhale.
Another inhale when you are ready,
4 to 5 seconds,
Whichever feels good for you,
And then a long,
Deep exhale.
Release tension.
Feel it drain from your body with your out breath.
Let's take a few more of those good breaths.
An inhale and an easy,
Deep exhale.
Continue to feel more tension drain from your face,
Your shoulders,
Your neck.
Just let it go.
Let's do a couple more breaths just to ease the body,
To help us come inside ourselves a little more deeply for this practice today.
With each exhale,
Allow more and more tension to drain from your body.
Out with the breath.
One more good breath in and a cleansing out breath where we let go.
You can begin to notice that we're standing at the edge of a meadow,
A large meadow of tall grass.
There's a path from where we are to the center of the meadow and there's a giant tree waiting for you there.
Let's go ahead and step onto this path and make our way slowly out to the tree.
It's a soft,
Worn trail.
You may begin to notice the weather in this meadow.
It might be warm,
Sunny,
Or cool.
Maybe you feel that sun on your face or shoulders.
You might see wind that's moving through the grass and the sound of leaves that are rustling in the tree up ahead.
There might be clouds shifting in the sky or birds overhead.
Notice what you hear,
What you might smell in this meadow.
As you get closer to the tree,
You notice what kind of tree this is for you.
Maybe it's a giant red maple,
An old sequoia,
A leafy palm tree,
Whatever's calling to you.
Let yourself get closer to it and you can reach out and touch the bark of this tree.
Notice the trunk,
The solid trunk of it,
How high this tree is,
The width of it,
The smell.
Notice how it extends all the way down into the earth and you can let yourself just sink down and have a seat,
Lean against this tree.
Settle there on the ground,
Lean back,
And allow the tree to support you.
Notice what happens around you and inside you as you sit here and rest,
As you allow your muscles to soften and you let the tree do the work of holding you.
It is strong,
It's able to hold all of you,
All that you might bring to it today.
Take a few breaths as you let your muscles continue to relax,
As you soften and lean back more into the solid support of this tree.
Just as this tree is drawing in breath,
With your own inhale,
Let that breath extend down the length of you,
Through your nose and mouth,
Down your spine,
Past your lungs,
Through them,
All the way down into your tummy and into your hips.
Let the breath move all the way through you,
Down and into the earth.
Feel yourself now connected to the earth through your breath.
You can also feel yourself connected to the earth through the strength of this tree that holds you.
You can feel the sturdy support of the roots of this tree,
The roots that hold and tether this tree to the ground.
They also hold you and support you.
Just lean in.
The earth is a place of recycling,
Where life springs from and where it returns to.
You can allow yourself in this moment to draw from the earth,
Whatever nourishment you might need for this day.
Maybe you need to draw some clarity or peace,
Patience.
Just breathe that in.
Let it feed you.
And with your exhale,
You can return to the earth,
Whatever does not serve you today,
And let the earth recycle that.
Exhale and let that go.
Maybe you let go of fears or worries,
Racing thoughts.
So just take a moment now to breathe in your nourishment and return back what you don't need and relax into the care of this big tree.
So if you're ready,
You can come back to your body and allow yourself to rise from your place there on the ground,
And we're going to say goodbye to this lovely meadow and tree for now.
You can touch that tree with a big thank you,
And we're going to get back on the path that leads out of the meadow.
Whatever nourishment you received here,
You get to keep that.
You'll take it with you.
If this was a place that you felt cared for and you got support,
You can always return here anytime throughout the day for rest and for grounding.
Just continue down that path toward the edge of the meadow,
And you begin to notice more as you're returning to your seat,
To your body,
To your room.
Allow yourself to just fully enter back in to the space where you are.
