Hello,
My name is Ashe.
Thank you for being with me here today.
I am grateful for your presence as we take this meditative journey together.
I invite you to settle into your own cocoon of comfort.
This practice is best done in a seated position,
But if lying down feels more resonant for you,
You are welcome to do so.
I invite you to take a moment to settle into wherever you are,
Wherever it is that you are arriving into this space or this meditative practice.
Together we are going to begin with three deep breaths to bring us into our bodies.
I invite you to take a deep inhale from the tips of your toes all the way to the top of your head,
Pausing there for a moment,
Allowing your inhale to hang.
And then release your exhale from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes.
Please take two more breaths like this.
We are mirrors of the natural world that exists around us.
The seasons that we see outside of us are often reflected within us.
And although we may be moving through one season in our life,
That doesn't always directly reflect the season that's happening outside of us.
We are always carrying the energy,
The sensation of the season that is happening around us.
But as we emerge into this season of spring,
There may still be some remnants of winter that are still lingering within us.
Winter by its very nature is dark,
Desolate,
Cold,
Heavy.
And it is during this season that we can feel that same experience reflected within our bodies.
Our own inner winter lingers inside of us.
I want you to take a moment to feel within your body the sensation of an inner winter.
What parts of you feel as though they are heavy and weighted down?
What parts of you feel as though there is something blocking,
Something stuck,
A stagnant kind of energy,
As if a part of you is living beneath the blanket of snow?
What part of you feels that sense of dormancy,
Of a darkness,
Almost as if there is a hollowed cave somewhere within you that is dark and cold,
Waiting dormant?
I invite you to notice what parts of your body are speaking to you here that are reflecting the remnants of a winter that is still lingering within you.
Now that you've identified the sensation of an inner winter,
We're going to come together again for three deep breaths.
This time with an emphasis on the exhale.
I invite you to take a deep breath in from your toes all the way up to the top of your head again.
Inhale.
And on the exhale,
Let out a loud sigh.
I invite you to take two more breaths like that.
A long,
Slow and steady inhale,
And allowing your whole body to participate in a loud exhale.
As you allow this exhale to breathe out of you,
I want you to imagine that sensation of inner winter,
The heavy energy,
The fatigue,
The restlessness,
The darkness.
Allow it to fall away.
Allow it to be released through each exhale.
Once you've settled back into yourself,
Feeling a bit lighter after releasing any remnants of winter that are still lingering within you,
I want you to imagine an orb of light above your head.
You can think of this light as your own personal sun,
Shining and shimmering above you.
Allow yourself to feel its warmth,
Wrapping every part of your body into a soft and loving blanket of light.
And as you sit here basking in the warmth of its light,
I want you to imagine your body becoming warmer as beads of water begin to rise to the surface of your skin.
Imagine that these beads of water are beginning to become visible around the temples of your face,
Slowly dripping down your cheeks,
Creating this sensation of melting,
Allowing any hardness in your face to soften.
Now I want you to imagine these beads of water dripping down to your shoulders.
Feel your shoulders soften as these beads of water drip down every part of your arms,
Noticing how each bead of water finds its way to the tips of each of your fingers,
Your thumb,
Your index finger,
Your middle finger,
Your ring finger,
And your pinky.
Imagine that these beads of water are now dripping off the edges of your fingertips.
Now begin to feel these beads of water slowly making their way down across your chest,
Softening any parts here that may feel heavy or hardened,
And allowing those beads of water to drip down to your belly,
Softening your belly.
These beads of water are now dripping down your legs,
One by one,
Slowly dripping down your thighs,
Your knees,
Your shins,
And finding their way once again to each toe,
Dripping off the edges of each one.
I want you to feel the softness in all parts of your body that is present now,
The sensation of warmth,
Of melting,
Of allowing the hardness of winter to unthaw itself from every part of your body.
And now I want you to imagine that all of those drops of water have formed a pool beneath your feet.
I invite you now to imagine taking your hands and cupping them into this water,
Allowing a small pond to form in between your palms,
Holding it there in your hands for a moment before taking them up towards your heart,
As if you are nourishing your heart,
Allowing it to drink up the remnants of the winter that has melted off of you,
Replenishing the soil that lives within your heart.
I invite you to turn your attention towards the heart,
To sit with it,
To feel this nourishment that you have just given it seep into each vein,
Each pathway that leads to this garden of your heart.
And I want you to imagine that there is a seed there now,
A seed that is resting,
That is waiting,
That is carrying the seed of new life.
What is within that seed?
What part of you is now emerging into spring?
What part of you is asking to come alive again?
Now that the remnants of winter have melted away,
That you have felt each part of your body soften into this state of being.
Allow yourself to just sit here for a few moments,
Imagining that seed,
Feeling what new life it holds.
And when you're ready,
Ask that seed,
What is it that is ready to come alive within me now?
Allow your body to sit into the presence of that question,
The sensation of that seed.
And hold yourself here in the warmth of your personal sun shining brightly above you as you slowly open your eyes and emerge into your own season of spring.
