Find a place where you won't be disturbed and make sure you have at least 10 minutes to yourself.
Make yourself comfortable.
Take a seat on a meditation cushion on a chair or on the ground.
Imagine you're a puppet on a string.
There's a thread at the top of your skull that pulls you upward.
Your shoulders flow downwards.
Your shoulder blades converge just a little.
Your arms hang loosely by your sides.
And your hands rest lightly on your thighs or in your lap.
If you want to,
You can close your eyes now.
Focus on your breath as it flows in and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Don't observe it too closely.
Let your attention rest lightly on it.
Do not identify with your breath.
You are not your breath.
You are simply breathing.
And your breath is breathing you.
Now visualize yourself as a tree.
They are roots sprouting from your pelvis into the earth.
Downwards and sideways they sprout.
At first,
They are thick roots,
Strong and firm.
Let your attention wander along your roots.
The further you get,
The smaller and more delicate they become.
Until you reach a point where you cannot distinguish anymore between your roots and the surrounding earth.
You're connected to the earth and the earth and you are one.
Come back along your roots toward the surface of the earth and move up your spine.
Your spine is your trunk.
It is straight and strong,
Yet flexible.
Move on further along your branches.
From a few strong and broad branches to smaller ones,
Becoming ever more flexible and delicate.
And finally,
Feel your leaves.
Feel the green multitude and feel them moving in a soft breeze.
Maybe you can even hear them whispering in the wind.
Your leaves are marvels of biological engineering.
They are capable of absorbing and transforming energy.
They take in carbon dioxide and they breathe out oxygen to nourish all living beings.
You are that tree and you are a miracle.
Now imagine yourself surrounded by a mist.
The mist is dark.
See and accept what color appears for you.
Maybe it's black,
Maybe it's gray,
Maybe it's greenish or some other color.
Let your leaves breathe in that mist.
It's what they need.
It's what you need in order to grow.
Take in that mist with your in-breath.
Let it pour into you through every pore of every leaf.
Let it flow through your entire being until it reaches your core.
And here,
Let your compassion transform it into light.
Breathe out that light.
Let the light flow back along your branches to your leaves and let the light mingle with the mist surrounding you.
Keep at it for a couple of breaths.
There is a person sitting at your roots.
She has a back against your trunk and she seems to be sad.
Can you feel her energy?
Maybe there is a heaviness,
Maybe a coarseness or a stickiness.
Breathe in that energy.
Breathe it in,
Shine the light of your compassion on it and let it transform.
And then send your healing light back to her.
Now imagine more people who are sad right now for whatever reason.
Instead of attacks yourself,
You needn't save the whole world right away.
Imagine as many people as feels comfortable.
Feel their energy.
Take it in.
Let it course through you.
And let it be transformed by your boundless capacity for compassion.
Let the breath of your leaves heal their sadness and their grief.
Stay with it for a couple of more breaths.
Maybe you notice that the mist surrounding you does not diminish.
That's perfectly alright.
Just as your tree needs carbon dioxide to produce oxygen,
It is you who needs the mist of suffering to produce healing.
There will always be carbon dioxide just as there will always be suffering.
Now slowly let go of the image of your tree.
Let it fade gradually and return to your breathing.
Again,
Let it flow in and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Don't focus on it too closely.
And watch your breath.
Be your breath.
And finally,
Take a very conscious breath in.
Interlace your fingers and push your palms outwards.
Stretch yourself.
Yawn if it feels right.
And then slowly open your eyes again.
