A Practice For Depression: As Above, So Below

This practice is inspired by the tantric tradition of meditation and is powerful for addressing, honoring, and supporting depression, particularly during pregnancy and postpartum. It raises your energy and mood and facilitates a rush of natural endorphins and hormones in the body. Essentially, meditation is a natural antidote to depression. It helps you feel stable and grounded, while simultaneously helping your spirit to soar sky high. It will help to balance hormones, yoke masculine and feminine energies, and bring heart-centered stability to your emotions.

Transcript

Music Bring your full awareness to your breath,

Which in turn guides your body into the optimal alignment.

Your spine is tall and straight.

Your heart is lifted.

Your chin is gently tucked so that the back of your neck lengthens and extends.

Sit with your palms face up,

Resting on your knees.

Maintain a strong focus on your breath,

Following every inhale and every exhale.

Music Visualize that in the middle of your spine is a hollow tube extending from the very base of your spine at the tailbone and up to the tip of your atlas,

Where the spine meets the base of your skull.

Visualize that within this hollow tube,

There runs a slender silver thread.

Bring your full awareness to this thread.

See it begin to pulse and vibrate with energy,

To radiate with light.

Visualize that thread at the base of your spine.

Feel it in your tailbone.

Feel the warmth of this thread spread into your hips and your pelvis,

Releasing any tension or resistance.

Feel yourself settle into the floor,

Your chair,

Or your cushion more fully.

As you relax,

That slender thread begins to lengthen downward,

Sending roots down into the floor,

Down into the earth beneath you.

An intricate and vast root system spreads out,

Holding you lovingly and securely in the rich soil of Mother Earth.

As your awareness travels up this silver thread,

You begin to feel its warmth at the base of your skull.

It spreads into the neck and shoulders,

Releasing tension and resistance.

It also spreads up into the head,

Releasing pressure and anxiety.

As you relax,

That slender thread begins to lengthen upward,

And the top of your head is pulled higher,

Lengthening your whole spine.

That slender thread begins to expand and grow into big,

Beautiful branches,

Reaching higher and higher into the sun.

Those branches are enveloped in sunlight,

Embraced by the wind,

And connected to Father Sky.

Bring your hands and rest them on the crown of your head,

Filling warmth and energy gather in your palms.

Hold them here for several moments,

Sensing the balance and peace you've created within your body.

You are grounded and rooted to Mother Earth.

And at the same time,

You are free to grow and expand toward Father Sky.

Just as your branches reach ever higher above you,

So too do your roots expand deeper and stronger below you.

With your hands now charged with the vibrant energy of that silver thread,

Cup your hands over your heart and rest here in the center of your energy tree.

This is the place where earth and sky connect,

Where feminine and masculine meet,

Where true balance and peace reside.

Hold your hands here,

Continuing your whole body breathing until your meditation feels complete.

Music

Reviews

That was amazing and I love the music at the end. Thank you 🙏🙏

What a helpful and lovely meditation 🌸 Thank you! 💗

Very calming and centering! I couldn’t decide if I liked the background noises overall or felt overwhelmed by them, but some in particular (e.g., the wind/air sound when we envisioned our branches extending upward) worked very well. Thank you!

Very effective, thank you!

Really cheering-up, thank you!

This helped distract me from my suicidal thoughts for a few moments. Thank you for this brief period of peace. 🙌❤️

Lovely, thank you 🙏