Good morning,
Good afternoon,
Or good evening,
Depending on what time you're listening to this guided meditation.
If you're feeling burdened by stress,
Or have racing thoughts,
Or feeling the weight of responsibilities,
This practice is here for you.
Overwhelmed can have us feeling stuck,
Disconnected,
And exhausted,
But through a mindful awareness and gentle visualization,
I'd like to help create some space for ease and clarity.
Take a moment to find yourself in a comfortable position,
So finding somewhere you can sit supported and comfortable,
Or perhaps lying down,
And allow yourself to arrive in this moment when you land.
As you begin to arrive in your seat,
I invite you to bring your awareness to the ground beneath you.
Imagine that with every exhale,
You are releasing the weight of your worries into the earth,
Letting it go,
And supporting you.
If it feels okay,
You can softly close the eyes as you take a breath in,
Filling up the whole body from front to back,
Side to side,
And then opening the mouth to exhale to release everything out,
Maybe with a ha sound,
And just start by shifting into awareness with each full,
Easy breath in,
And an audible sigh out of the mouth,
Letting your body continue to soften with each exhale.
Let the shoulders just rest comfortably on top of the torso,
Maybe opening up through the chest,
And then sitting just a little taller,
Firming up the spine and extending through the crown of the head,
Rooting down through the sits bones,
Or connecting to the point where the floor is supporting under you.
As you breathe,
Picturing yourself from a bird's-eye view,
Standing at the edge of a calm,
Beautiful lake.
The sun is shining,
And the water is still,
Mirroring the image of the sky above.
This is a deep place of peace,
Your own personal sanctuary.
Now,
If you can imagine holding a small,
Smooth stone in one of your hands,
Maybe just rubbing it in your fingers,
Feeling the smooth texture and density of this small stone,
And then imagining that this stone represents all of the stress,
The thoughts,
And emotions that feel just too heavy right now.
As you breathe in,
Notice the weight in your hand,
And acknowledging what you carry without judgment.
It's neither good or bad,
There's no label,
It just is.
When you feel ready,
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Toss the stone gently into the water,
Watching it sink into the clear surface of the water,
Ripples on the surface extending outward.
Each ripple carries away a bit of your overwhelm,
And then eventually dissolves into the vastness of the water.
Breathe in deeply again this time,
Feeling a little lighter without the stone in your hand,
And then maybe you pick up another,
There's something else that feels like it's calling your attention.
If there are any other stones that catch your attention that you'd like to gently toss into the water.
As you toss the stone into the lake,
Watching the ripples extend outward until they disappear.
Reimagining this process stone by stone until your hands feel empty and open.
Now we'll step a little closer to the water's edge and kneel down,
Looking at the lake's reflection as you stare back peacefully through this radiant version of yourself.
You are not your stress.
You are something deeper,
Faster,
And much more expansive.
With each inhale,
Draw in the stillness of the lake.
Let it fill your heart,
Mind,
And whole body.
With each exhale,
Letting go of any lingering tension still floating around in the body.
With each exhale,
Letting go of any residual tension.
As you prepare to leave this sanctuary,
Just know that this place is always within you and always for you.
And whenever you're feeling this sense of overwhelm,
You can return here to this lake,
Releasing what no longer serves you,
And reconnecting with that reflection of your inner sense of calm and peace.
And slowly bring your awareness back to your breath,
Taking in a full belly breath here through the nose.
And exhale,
Sigh it out through the mouth.
And start to just observe any subtle or major differences from roughly 8 minutes ago.
Has anything changed?
Are there any notes you'd like to take?
And when you're ready,
You can take your hands to heart center,
Placing the right hand over top of the left,
Feeling that beating of the heart in your chest,
And acknowledging your efforts today.
And gently open your eyes when you're ready and carry this sense of peace with you.
And perhaps affirm these three things quietly or maybe just a soft whisper.
I am safe.
I am supported.
I am enough.
And thank you so much for sharing your practice with me.
Until we meet again,
Namaste.
