Welcome.
This meditation will help you gently set down the mental weight you've been carrying,
Whether it's visible or not,
Spoken or unspoken.
Begin by sitting or lying somewhere comfortable.
Let your body settle into stillness.
Feel the support beneath you,
Safe,
Steady and holding you completely.
Allow your eyes to close.
Allow your hands to rest loosely in your lap or by your sides.
Let your breath arrive softly.
No need to change anything yet.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in and release it gently.
Imagine with each exhalation,
You're letting go of just a little tension you didn't know that you were holding.
Now picture yourself walking along a quiet,
Winding path.
It's peaceful here.
The sun is warm,
But not too bright.
The air carries a gentle breeze.
You can hear soft sounds of nature around you,
Birds calling,
Leaves brushing against each other.
It's just you here.
There's no rush.
No one to please.
Just this calm walk forward.
As you walk,
You notice you're carrying something heavy,
A bag or a basket,
Perhaps a backpack slung over your shoulders.
And inside,
You realize it's full of stones,
Each stone carrying a weight you know well.
Perhaps a worry,
A regret,
An expectation,
Perhaps even old stories you've been holding on to for far too long.
Feel the heaviness of this bag.
Notice how it pulls on your shoulders,
How it tires your arms,
How it slows every step.
This is the weight of everything you've been carrying,
Sometimes without even realizing it.
You stop walking now,
Standing in a quiet clearing,
And one by one,
You begin to set the stones down.
The first stone is the pressure to always be strong,
To never show struggle or vulnerability.
You feel its weight in your hand,
And you gently place it on the ground.
Gone.
The next stone holds the worries about what others think of you,
Old judgments,
Expectations that were never truly yours.
You let your fingers loosen,
And the stone drops softly at your feet.
Gone.
Now,
You reach for a stone that holds guilt,
Even the kind that's hard to name,
The kind that lingers in the background of your mind.
You hold it,
Acknowledging its presence,
And as you set it down,
You feel a wave of relief.
With each stone you release,
Your body feels lighter,
Your breath deeper,
The air around you softening.
You keep going,
Stone after stone,
Old responsibilities you no longer need to carry,
Mistakes you've already learned from,
Fears that don't belong to you anymore.
One by one,
You lay them gently on the earth,
Knowing that you can leave them here.
Now imagine looking at the bag or backpack,
It's nearly empty,
Perhaps completely so.
Notice how your shoulders feel,
How much easier it is to stand tall,
How your chest feels more open,
Your breath flowing freely again.
You take a step forward now,
Moving forward without the bag,
No burden pulling you down,
Just your body,
Light and free,
Your breath moving easily,
Your mind clear.
As you continue walking,
Notice how beautiful this path is,
How much more you can see and hear.
Notice the weight has been lifted from you,
The trees sway gently,
The ground feels soft and supportive beneath your feet,
You can feel the warmth of sunlight on your skin,
You are completely safe,
Completely free.
You've just remembered what it's like to move without heaviness,
To live without carrying everything alone,
Now this feeling,
This freedom is always available to you,
You only need to pause and remember that you can set the stones down anytime.
Take a deep,
Soothing breath in,
And as you exhale,
Feel a wave of spaciousness moving through your body,
No pressure,
No burdens,
Just you,
Your presence,
Your natural state of lightness and ease.
And when you're ready,
Very slowly bringing your attention back to where you're sitting or lying,
Feel the support beneath you again,
Give your fingers and toes a gentle wiggle,
And slowly open your eyes,
Carrying the sense of lightness with you as you move forward in your day,
Free,
Unburdened,
And fully yourself.
Be gentle with yourself.
