Hello and welcome.
My name is Abby and I'm so glad you're here.
This guided meditation is intended to help you to relax and to focus on meeting yourself with courage and compassion.
Now find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
And when you're ready,
Gently close your eyes.
And let's begin.
Allow yourself to come into stillness.
Let gravity take over.
Let it hold you.
Let it carry your weight.
Rest your body in complete support from the ground beneath you.
There is nothing for you to do right now.
You can simply be.
Begin to draw your attention inwards,
Starting at the crown of the head.
Soften your scalp.
Let the forehead smooth.
Let the eyes rest gently in their sockets,
Heavy and relaxed.
Unclench the jaw.
Soften the tongue.
Let your awareness move down to your neck,
Releasing any tension at the base of the skull,
Softening the throat,
Allowing space for the breath to flow freely.
Relax your shoulders and let them drop away from the ears,
Heavy and loose.
Feel that softness travel down into your arms,
Through the elbows,
The wrists,
And down into each fingertip.
Bring attention to your chest,
The gentle rise and fall with every breath.
Feel the spaciousness around your heart.
Move down to the belly next,
Noticing if you're holding or bracing,
And let it soften.
Let it expand naturally with every inhale and release with every exhale.
Now feel into your hips,
Grounded and supported,
Connected to the earth beneath you.
Let the weight of your pelvis fully settle.
Relax through the thighs.
Allow the knees to soften.
Feel your lower legs,
The shins,
The calves,
Releasing,
Relaxing.
And finally bring your attention to your feet.
Feel the heels and the arches and the toes.
Notice your whole body here at rest,
From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet.
And know that you are safe,
You are grounded,
And you are held.
Now imagine that you are standing at the edge of a forest,
Tall trees rise before you.
They're wild and alive and quiet.
This forest represents the wilderness within you,
Your inner world full of memories and ideas,
Hopes and fears.
Not everything here is mapped.
Not everything needs to be.
You take a step forwards into your forest.
There is no path carved here,
Only instinct and trust.
This is the journey of knowing yourself,
Not rushing towards answers,
But walking with presence,
Walking with openness.
As you move deeper into this forest,
You notice things begin to emerge.
The voices that tell you to stay small,
The stories you've carried about who you should be,
The fears that rise when you try to grow.
You don't have to push these things away here,
Just notice them,
Breathe with them.
Know that these are not roadblocks,
They are signposts,
Clues about where your bravery is most needed.
Spend a moment noticing what comes up as you move even deeper into this forest.
Now bring your attention to your heart.
Notice if you can feel its quiet presence,
Not just as a physical beat,
But as your centre,
The place where your truth lives.
As you inhale,
Imagine a warm steady glow building at the centre of your chest.
This is your courage.
Not the loud and bold kind,
But the quiet kind,
The kind that keeps going,
The kind that keeps showing up.
The kind that knows it's okay to not have all the answers.
With every inhale,
Feed this inner glow.
With every exhale,
Really soften into it.
And feel how safe it is to be here with yourself.
No performance,
No mask,
Just you,
Exploring your own wildness,
Your own softness,
Your own strength.
You are brave,
Not because you never feel fear,
But because you are willing to meet yourself anyway.
You are brave because you return to yourself again and again,
Even when it's uncomfortable,
Even when it's hard.
Let yourself rest here in this place of knowing.
And let yourself feel what it means to trust your own becoming.
You are not a problem to solve.
You are a world to explore.
Now gently begin to bring your awareness back to the body.
Feel the weight of your bones.
The softness of your breath.
The steadiness that you've cultivated.
Let this stillness remind you of your strength.
And let this breath remind you of your resilience.
We'll take our two breaths together to set an intention,
A steady guide that you can carry with you into your day,
To meet yourself with courage and compassion.
Emptying your lungs,
Ready for the breaths.
We'll take a nice deep inhale in through the nose.
And exhale out through the mouth.
One more time,
Inhale,
Draw in your courage.
And exhale,
Releasing any doubts.
We're turning back to your natural rhythm of breath.
And begin to invite your awareness back to your body.
Invite some small movements back into the body.
Maybe some wiggles in the fingers and the toes.
A slow roll of the head.
Whatever feels right for you in this moment.
When you feel ready,
Gently blink your eyes open again.
And know that that inner wilderness is always there.
And you are always brave enough to meet it.
Thank you so much for meditating with me.
If you'd like to hear more,
You can follow me here on Insight Timer.
And I hope the rest of your day or evening is gentle.
