The Giving Garden Guided Journey

In today's calming mindfulness exercise, you will connect to the garden within. This is a safe imaginative space, your own inner garden. From this space, you can receive and let go of tensions and worries. You can visit this meditation regularly. Let go & enjoy.

Transcript

Welcome to today's mindfulness exercise where you'll be connecting to the garden within.

Closing down your eyes,

Getting comfortable in a seated or lying down position.

Making any final adjustments,

Getting yourself as comfortable as possible.

As you're doing this,

Finally coming to a rest,

Take a moment to acknowledge yourself for showing up for today's practice.

From here let's start by listening to the sounds that are furthest away.

See if you can really stretch your listening.

As you're stretching your listening,

Being aware that the fact where you're stretching is your awareness.

See if you can allow the sounds occurring in real time to help you inform your presence in the present moment.

Allowing the sounds to help you geolocate yourself in the here and the now.

See now if you can contract your awareness and focus on the sounds in your space,

Perhaps the room that you're in.

There's the sound of my voice,

The sound of the music,

And the sounds in the space.

See if you can bring in to focus the sounds in the space that you're in.

As you're learning to focus your listening,

In fact what we're focusing is our attention and our awareness.

From here now,

See if you can focus your listening further still to your personal space,

Your immediate space.

See if you can go from listening to the sounds to listening to the sensations of the body.

See if you can listen and feel the rising and the falling of the body as it breathes.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And as you continue to breathe,

Begin to imagine that you're in a beautiful garden.

This is your garden and you can create this garden to look however you want to too.

You might want to imagine what trees,

What flowers,

What plants are there.

Maybe there is grass,

A blanket or a bench to sit on.

Allow yourself to create a space that is both beautiful and safe.

Take a moment to look around this place that you have created.

You might be noticing the feeling of the sun on your skin.

Maybe you can hear the wind in the trees or the call of the birds.

Maybe you can smell the scent of the flowers in the air or the freshly cut grass.

Allow all of your senses to engage as you take in your garden.

And when you feel ready,

Start to imagine someone who you care about sitting in the garden with you.

It might be a loved one,

A friend,

A pet,

A mentor or a teacher.

Someone really easy for you to feel good willed towards.

You don't need to find the perfect person.

Just go with whoever arises in the moment.

Imagine this person's face as you sit looking at one another in your garden.

Give yourself a moment to take them in.

And then slowly rise up from where you are sitting and begin to walk around your garden.

You are looking for some item to give to this person as a symbol of your goodwill for them.

Maybe a flower,

A leaf,

Maybe even a piece of fruit,

Something that reminds you of them.

When you find the item,

Take a moment to pause and look at it,

Turning it over in your hands,

Taking in the colour,

Texture.

And lifting it to your nose and smelling it.

Walking back through your garden now,

Find the place where the other person is sitting.

As you sit down with them,

Hand them this token of your kindness.

And then slowly rise up from where you are sitting and begin to walk around your garden.

And then slowly rise up from where you are sitting and begin to walk around your garden.

When you feel ready,

Imagine that this person gently fades from your garden.

Take a moment,

Stand in your garden again and look around.

Noticing the sound of the wind,

Birds,

Perhaps feeling the sun on your face and the skin.

Look around your garden and take in all the vibrant colours.

Imagine now that someone comes into the garden and that someone cares about you a great deal.

Maybe a friend,

A mentor or a partner.

Imagine this person now sitting in the garden with you,

You are sitting face to face,

Taking each other in.

This person now slowly stands up and begins to walk around the garden.

They are looking for something to give to you that symbolises they care for you.

Maybe they find your favourite flower or your favourite fruit.

Imagine that they find this object and walk back to where you are sitting.

The other person then sits back down and gently gifts you this item.

As you receive this,

Notice how you feel.

Taking a moment and looking at the item they have just given you.

Turn it over in your hands,

Take in the colour,

Texture.

Allow yourself to receive this person's care and kindness as they offer you their goodwill.

Allow yourself to take a moment and look around your garden.

Remember that whenever you need it,

You can return to this place.

This beautiful place of safety is always within you.

As you return to your breath,

Breathe in and breathe out.

Bring some movement back into your hands,

Toes,

Feet.

Inviting in a light stretch as you take a moment to acknowledge yourself for showing up for today's practice.

In your own time,

Opening your eyes and returning to your day,

Energised and revitalised.

Reviews

Peaceful

Another fantastic visualization with a peaceful practice in a garden of your mind. Great guidance and music throughout with gentle sounds of the outdoors.

Immensely calming and peaceful. Thank you! Namaste
🌺🙏🌺

Great way to bring long departed ones into peaceful and colorful practice

Just delightful. Thank you.

Excellent meditation, very calming and relaxing and uplifting!

Thank you 🙏That was so beautiful. I chose this meditation because the picture of you showed such a beautiful, kind, open face and such a lovely smile and I said to myself that this will be good. I was wrong. It was better than good. It was wonderful. I feel so peaceful now. Thank you. 🥰🙏💝

That was so special so beautiful thank you Namaste 🙏🏻

This was profoundly beautiful-Thank you!

Such a lovely meditation 🧘‍♀️. I found it so easy to relax, let go and follow along. My garden was gorgeous, full of beautiful trees 🌲, flowers 🌸, fountains ⛲️ and delicious smells. I will be coming back to this often 🙏🏻✨ namaste! ☺️

Lovely, was mot aware of time. Just in the garden. Thank you

That was beautiful
So easy to picture my garden
Thank you

Beautiful meditation. Nameste

A relaxing contemplative prayer to all that is beautiful and to all that has passed through your life.

🙏🏻 It was lovely to be in the garden I am currently creating and visualizing the sanctuary it will become.

Just beautiful. Thank you

Very nice. Thank you.

A beautiful experience, thank you! 🙏