Welcome and thanks for joining me today for a short practice meant to help us pause as we transition from the colder winter season into the more active spring season.
So first I invite you to just take a nice deep cleansing breath,
Maybe the first one you've taken all day.
And just get comfortable in your chair or wherever you've chosen to meditate today.
The depth of your body.
Noticing the space around you and settling into the space.
Taking a few conscious deep breaths,
Breathing in through the nose down into the belly,
And extending the exhale.
So doing that a few times at your own pace,
Breathing in and extending the exhale.
If it feels comfortable for you right now you can close your eyes or simply look at a spot in front of you and soften the focus of your eyes.
Begin to bring awareness to the change in seasons.
Breathing in,
Exhaling.
You can start to imagine yourself standing in a park or a field as the winter begins to fade away.
See if you can notice the subtle shifts as the season is growing warmer.
Maybe you see the snow thawing or ice is melting.
Maybe the trees are beginning to bud.
Perhaps even a few flowers are beginning to bloom.
Feel the earth slowly starting to soften alive around you,
Allowing the chill of winter to be slowly melted away and taking in the freshness of spring.
Feeling the sunlight on your skin,
Bringing in its warmth and nourishment,
Listening to the birds singing in the clear blue sky,
Celebrating the start to this new season.
Take a few moments here to explore your senses.
Feel the texture of the land around you.
Smell the blooming flowers and taste the air that is so now full of life.
Noticing the sounds of spring on the horizon.
That subtle warmth.
Now inhaling deeply and again exhaling slowly.
Letting go of any worries or stress that you're carrying right now.
If you can,
Imagine yourself being filled with the energy of a new spring season.
Be mindful of how your thoughts shift and move.
Just observe them without attaching any judgment.
Breathing for just a few moments here.
Filling yourself with the energy of spring.
Letting that energy of spring fill your entire being.
The sun inside of you,
The thawing of winter,
Breath of life of spring.
Breathing.
And now on the next few breaths,
Shifting the focus now to gratitude.
Try to bring to mind someone or something that you're grateful for.
See if you can really bring that person or place or community to mind.
Bring that person or place or thing.
See if you can really bring it to your mind's eye.
Imagine the details of what you're grateful for.
Breathing and allowing yourself to really bask in the joy of the gratitude.
Really good.
So now when you're ready,
We'll start to slowly shift our attention back to the present moment and become aware of the space that we're in.
So noticing the shape of your body,
Where you're sitting or laying,
And start to deepen the breath.
Bringing it down into the belly and extending the exhale.
Very slowly,
As you're ready,
You can start to open the eyes if they've been closed.
Refocus your eyes back into the space that you're in.
Returning to the present moment.
Noticing any feelings of refreshment or relaxation,
Peace that's come over you.
Just these few moments of quiet space to take in this transition from winter to spring.
Now taking one last deep breath and bringing a nice gentle smile to your face.
Just gently smiling.
You've gifted yourself a short mindful practice to welcome in the spring season.
And I wish you a wonderful spring season.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
