Every year on April 22nd,
Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
It's a day to celebrate,
To honour the Earth,
Perhaps making a pledge to protecting her in your own way.
To start,
See if you can find a place to sit where you can physically connect with the Earth.
If you can do this meditation outdoors,
That would be ideal.
If you're indoors,
Visualise the bare ground underneath the foundation that supports you and connect with the Earth in your mind.
Inviting your physical body to just drop into the Earth now,
No matter where you are right now.
Coming to this present moment,
Feeling your connection to Earth.
Notice how the Earth supports you and has always been here to support you.
Sense the wisdom in allowing yourself to surrender.
See if you can give over your impulse to control anything now and release to gravity.
Perhaps allowing the eyes to close if they haven't already.
Finding a comfortable sitting position with one hand on your heart and one hand on the ground.
Take a few deep,
Grounding breaths.
Now bringing your awareness to your senses.
Can you notice the sounds,
The smells,
Any sensations coming from the environment around you?
As best you can,
Without judgement,
Simply noticing the sensory input your body is experiencing.
Continue to breathe deeply and slowly.
Perhaps feeling the movement of the chest,
The rise and fall as you breathe in and out.
Bringing your awareness to your heart,
To the heart centre and the centre of the chest.
As you breathe in,
Imagine you're filling your heart with love.
And imagine that sense of love spreading throughout your body.
With each breath,
Feeling the love in your heart expanding outward to fill the space around you.
Continuing to grow with each breath.
And as you fill your heart with a sense of overflowing love,
Bring to your mind the many things you feel grateful for.
Perhaps you're thinking of your own healthy body,
People you love,
Nourishing food,
Clean water and air.
Perhaps a comfortable home.
See if you can tune into that sense of gratitude,
Amplifying the love radiating from your heart.
Filling your body,
Filling the space around you.
Filling the space around that,
Eventually encompassing the entire planet.
Using the power of your imagination to connect a little deeper now.
Knowing that some people visualise in images,
Some with words,
Some with just a sense.
There's no right or wrong here.
Just imagining yourself standing in a beautiful meadow filled with flowers.
The sun is shining down on you,
You feel its warmth on your face.
You become aware of the contrast of the cool moist earth below your bare feet.
And as you look around,
You see a forest across the meadow.
You walk towards the forest and you can sense its energy.
With each step you connect more deeply with the earth below.
The plants and flowers that surround you.
Even with the air that you breathe.
With each breath you feel at one and in harmony with nature.
As you reach the forest,
You see a trail that leads deeper into the forest and you follow it.
The earth beneath you is more moist and cooler than the sun filled meadow.
But even though the forest is shaded,
You still feel warm,
Peaceful and connected.
Glancing along the trail you see a large tree that seems to stand out from the others.
It almost seems to be calling you.
And walking up to the tree you place a hand on its bark and you feel an immediate sense of connection.
Like being home.
You notice a doorway in the trunk of the tree just big enough for you to open and step inside.
And as soon as you step into the tree you begin to merge with it.
You relax into it knowing that you can return to your body at any time.
Your arms lift up and reach into the branches of the tree.
Into each twig and leaf up above.
Your body merges with the trunk and you feel the sap and its life force energy running through the tree.
Your legs and feet merge with the roots of the tree and you feel how it's connected to and part of the earth.
You sense the wisdom,
The beauty of the tree.
A sense of belonging and of just being.
Being an individual tree in the forest but also part of the forest.
The earth,
The air,
The animals,
Insects and birds that live there.
You feel the tree breathing and as it breathes in through its every leaf it then exhales air into the forest and beyond.
You sense the pulse,
The heart beat of the forest.
The earth,
The air and the energy from all the life forms within but amidst all that is happening.
The palpable energy of the forest.
The sense of peace is omnipresent.
And when you're ready you thank the tree for sharing this experience.
You feel yourself returning to your body whilst also remaining connected to the tree,
The earth and the forest.
And as you step outside the tree you once again place a hand on its bark and pause for a moment before you return to the meadow and the sunshine.
As you sit comfortably in the meadow placing your hands lightly in your lap.
As you take some time now in this place of deep peace that you have created.
It's time to consider that everything you experience,
Everything you love and feel grateful for is made possible by the incredible planet that sustains you.
The air you breathe,
The water you drink,
The food you eat,
The materials that build your home and clothing all come from the life giving planet you call home.
And thankful for this moment you take the opportunity to silently thank the earth for all that you appreciate in your life.
With a deep breath in and out you expand your appreciation to all that exists simultaneously and harmoniously on the planet.
Gently drawing your awareness back to your body supported by the surface below.
A reconnection to your breath,
The life force of the air you breathe as you return to this present moment.
Taking the words of the Persian poet Rumi into today.
If we surrendered to earth's intelligence we could rise up rooted like trees.
Gently allowing your eyes to open.
Taking in all that's around you.
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