Hello and welcome to this Falling Leaves meditation.
Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
Allow the body to rest and let your eyes gently close.
Allow the shoulders to relax and the jaw to release.
When you feel ready,
Take a slow deep breath in and release it,
Perhaps with a sigh.
And once again,
Fully breathing in and breathing out completely.
And with each exhale,
Just inviting your body to soften just that little bit more.
Now imagine that you're standing at the edge of a quiet forest.
The air is crisp and fresh,
Carrying the earthy scent of the trees.
You hear a faint rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Picture yourself walking slowly into this forest.
Each step is gentle,
Steady,
Grounding.
You feel supported by the solid earth beneath you.
Ahead you notice a tall,
Strong tree.
Its trunk is wide and steady,
Its branches reaching up and outward.
This tree has stood through many seasons,
Through storms,
Through sunshine,
Through change.
Find a place to sit near or under this tree.
And allow yourself to feel its presence,
Calm and wise.
With your next inhale,
Imagine drawing in fresh air the way the tree does through its leaves.
With your exhale,
Imagine releasing what no longer serves you,
Just as the tree releases oxygen into the world.
Breathing in,
Calm and renewal.
Breathing out,
Release and letting go.
Breathing in,
Calm and renewal.
Breathing out,
Release and letting go.
And settle into this rhythm,
Breathing with the tree.
Now bring your attention gently back to the branches above you.
It is autumn and the leaves are turning shades of gold,
Amber and deep red.
As you watch the leaves,
One of them loosens its hold.
The breeze catches it and it drifts slowly,
Gracefully down to the earth.
Notice how effortlessly the tree lets go,
Without clinging,
Without regret.
This is the way of nature.
Another leaf loosens its hold and you gently watch it swirl to the forest floor,
Slowly releasing.
As you breathe,
Imagine that with each exhale,
You too release something you've been holding on to.
Perhaps a worry,
Perhaps a memory or an old story that no longer supports you.
Like the tree,
You do not need to push.
Let it fall away gently,
Naturally in its own time.
You can continue to do this for as long as you need to.
Each exhale,
Release,
Let go,
Naturally and gently.
Notice that the tree does not become less itself by letting go of its leaves.
It remains whole,
Alive,
Strong.
The letting go simply makes space for rest,
For renewal,
For the next season to come.
See yourself releasing and letting go of your troubles.
Your worries,
Old stories.
Knowing that you are also whole,
Alive and strong.
And that this releasing process makes time for your rest,
For your renewal and for your next season to come.
Allow yourself to trust in this rhythm.
What you release now makes space for what is waiting to arrive.
When you feel ready,
Allow your awareness to come back to the breath.
The coolness of the air coming in at the nostrils and the warmth flowing out.
Feel the rise and fall of your chest.
Feel the ground supporting you.
Steady,
Solid,
Like the earth beneath the tree.
Take a moment of gratitude for the wisdom of the trees.
For the gift of letting go.
For the space being created within you.
When it's right for you to do so,
Gently start to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Bringing some movement back in to your beautiful body.
Slowly open your eyes,
Carrying with you the calm and the clarity of this practice.
