Welcome to this sacred and centered meditation practice,
One to ground and stabilize you.
Today we will begin our practice with setting the intention of balancing the subtle energies of the body and mind in order to create a deeper sense of embodiment and grounded awareness.
When we are energetically rooted in our bodies,
Our mind naturally drifts to a calmer,
A more peaceful place.
This meditation can be done whilst lying down,
Sitting on a chair with your feet firmly on the floor or whilst sitting on a meditation cushion.
Take a few moments to settle yourself,
Ensure you are comfortable and your back is supported if needed.
Relax your shoulders,
Allow your neck to be long,
Imagining you have a soft ball resting gently under your chin.
Place your hands in your lap or down by your sides,
Swaying your body gently side to side,
Inviting yourself to settle in your natural,
Balanced position.
Relax your jaw,
Let your eyes soften or close if you wish.
Breathing softly through your nose,
Become aware of the gentle in and out movement of your breath.
Notice in the lowest place in the body where you can feel the rising and sinking of your breathing.
You may notice this in your chest,
A little lower down in your upper abdomen or maybe as low as in your belly.
Wherever it may be in your body,
Take in very natural,
Relaxed breaths,
Just gently bring your awareness to this place.
Rest in your focus here,
Take a moment to tune in to how the breath feels.
Notice any sensations that may arise in the body from this place.
On the next inhalation,
Breathe a little more deeply and this time exhale through the mouth,
Allowing any tension to leave your body as you breathe out.
Inhale again through the nose and exhale through the mouth,
Allowing areas of tension or holding on to soften.
Now allow yourself to imagine that you are in a beautiful,
Vast forest and as you walk through the trees,
You come to notice a very tall and impressive tree standing in front of you.
Let the image come of a strong,
Wise,
Beautiful tree.
Somehow this space feels inviting,
Safe and relaxing.
So you decide to sit down or lay under the tree to continue your meditation practice.
You and the tree,
Meditating together in this space.
And as you rest gently,
Imagine that somehow you have roots growing from the places your body connects to the earth.
Roots that extend downwards into the grounding energy of the soil below you.
Roots to steady you,
To hold you,
To ground your energy with that of the earth beneath you.
The deeper your roots grow,
The more stable,
Strong and calm you feel.
You can sense the strength of the tree above you and the deeply grounding sensation of the roots beneath you.
With each breath,
The feeling of being completely secure and safe in this world strengthens.
Your thoughts slow down,
Your mind calms.
And as you sit or lay here,
Gently bring the attention to the crown of your head.
And with each gentle breath,
Let your awareness slowly scan your body downwards.
Noticing any areas of tension,
Thoughts,
Feelings or emotions that may benefit from the earth's grounding energy.
With each exhalation,
Allow these sensations or emotions to travel down into the soil below,
To be held by the earth with kindness.
Inhaling,
Noticing areas of tension.
Exhaling,
Allowing it all to release.
Inhaling,
Noticing.
Exhaling,
Letting go of restricting thoughts and emotions,
Everything releasing into the earth.
Just as the old,
Strong and beautiful tree has deep roots and a strong trunk,
So do you.
You can become so rooted in your energy,
So stable and strong,
It doesn't matter if stormy weather arrives.
Just like the tree,
You can withstand strong winds,
The heavy rain,
Snow or ice.
A change of seasons can come and go and yet you can remain steadfast,
Strong and stable.
Feeling the rooted and grounded energy within your being,
Deep within your own body.
And before you leave this sacred space of groundedness,
Gently repeat to yourself.
I am grounded.
I am stable.
I am strong.
I am grounded.
I am stable.
I am strong.
A wave of change can pass through the leaves of your own life and whilst you can sway with them gently,
Underneath there is always a sense of calm,
A sense of clarity,
And you can keep understanding that you can always return to this rooted and yet open space of stillness again and again.
As we come to the end of today's meditation practice,
Gently begin to bring your awareness to the edges of your body.
Bring your attention to your fingers and your toes.
Gently move in your fingers and your toes.
Sway your body side to side.
And when you feel ready,
You can slowly open your eyes and be open to the remainder of your day.
Thank you for your presence today.
Thank you for your practice.
Thank you for your presence today.
Thank you for your presence today.
