Rooted In Release: A Visual Practice In Letting Go

In this meditation, you can expect a unique and introspective experience that draws inspiration from the wisdom of trees. Through focused attention on your body, breath, and mind, you will be guided to tap into your inner wisdom and let go of what no longer serves you. This practice aims to create a gentle and relaxing atmosphere, reminding you of the guiding light that resides within you. Join me for an experience in self-discovery and as you embrace the power of letting go.

Transcript

This is Julie with Soul Science and welcome to your guided meditation.

Alright let's begin this meditation with your eyes slightly open and to help you land here in this moment you can take a deep breath in and really feel the air filling up your lungs and when you're ready release it and let's do it again but this time take an even deeper breath and bring it all the way down into your belly and as you exhale allow the breath to release some tension from your day and let's take a few more deep breaths like this and as you do you might notice how your inner organs naturally move the air through your body and shift your focus now to the back of your eyes and instead of looking out at what's in front of you I'd like you to practice letting the light come in so there's no need for any action here just relax your eye muscles feel a sense of laziness sweep over your eyelids and notice how the outside world becomes a bit blurry as you start to turn your attention inward and keep your focus on the back of your eyes and just watch with gentle curiosity as the light enters travels all the way back and touches the back of your eyes and you can deepen this experience by contemplating how do I experience sight and there's no answer here instead let the open-ended nature of the question spark your observation and on your next exhale you can softly blink your eyes closed and feel the gentle change in sensation at the back of your eyes as we move from light to darkness and while your eyes are closed just spend a moment sensing the shape of your eyeballs notice if they feel round or oval whether you can sense if they're moist or dry or if they're moving around or staying still and explore the space where your eyeballs meet the back of your eyelids and as you connect deeper with this moment evoke the feeling of coming home similar to how your shoulders drop when you get home at the end of a long day just see if you can bring on this feeling as you enter your inner world and shift your focus to the parts of your body that are touching the chair or the floor and with each exhale consciously let go of about 10% more of your body weight just allowing gravity to take it and repeat this process exhaling and releasing more weight you can sense the gentle pull of the earth cradling and supporting you and shift your focus to your toes and your feet inviting a sense of relaxation and release the muscles of the legs and any held tension in the hips and bring softness into the sides of your torso your arms your shoulders and your neck and bring your attention to the base of the skull releasing any tightness or stiffness that's being held here and allow the temples to soften and relax the top of your head and take a moment to gently scan these areas just noticing any sensations that may be present if anything sticks out to you just gently touch it with your awareness and then let it melt into a natural state of ease and moving to the mind I'd like you to use your imagination here to picture a big mighty tree and as you look at this big tree in front of you just reflect on what's happening below the ground to maintain its stability you might start to see the intricate network of roots spreading deep into the earth and let your body become curious about how it would feel to be so deeply rooted and take a closer look at the tree now pay attention to its weight its texture its circumference and see if you can even imagine the temperature in the ground that it grows from and using your imagination try running your hands along the rough surface of the trees bark and feel for any stories that are etched into its skin expressed through beautiful imperfections wrinkles and scars and now imagine placing your hand over your own heart and allow this awareness to flow through you and gently recognize how your experiences shape you with all of your beautiful quirks lines and marks both seen and unseen and imagine standing with your back pressed against the sturdy tree behind you feel it support you as you lean your body weight into it experiencing the solidness of the tree against your back and as you do this establish a connection between your spine and the trees spine and start to feel your spine elongate just like the tall and confident tree from your hips to your shoulder blades and up your neck let your body naturally align with balance and strength and experience the powerful sensation spreading throughout your entire body as this alignment occurs and again using your imagination start to extend your arms outwards just like the branches of a tree visualize yourself opening up your arms wide as if you were getting ready for a loving hug from Mother Nature herself and imagine your fingers extending outwards resembling delicate twigs that grow from the branches of a tree and sense the subtle movement and flexibility as they reach out into space and now imagine small leaves sprouting from these twigs sprouting from your branches and visualize the leaves growing abundantly making a lush canopy that drapes not only your arms but also your neck and your head and feel the subtle movement of the leaves as they sway gently think about the deep connection between a tree and its leaves just as nature experiences cycles of growth and letting go our lives follow similar patterns and just take a moment here to consider the leaves that are gently hanging from your upper body representing the many experiences you've had each leaf represents a special moment so take a second here to examine the leaves hanging from your body and as we embody the feeling of the tree let's bring in the breath and take a deep refreshing breath in allowing the air to fill your stomach and exhale fully through your nose releasing the breath completely and keep breathing like this and find a relaxed rhythm that feels right for you and on your next inhale imagine connecting with a gentle breeze coming from the east and feel the coolness of the wind as it enters your body revitalizing you from within and as you exhale visualize the wind shifting its direction now carrying warmth towards the West and just observe how your breath effortlessly mirrors the movement of the wind and stay focused on the gentle flow of air moving with your breath and fully embrace the feeling of the wind passing through you and bring your focus back to the lovely leaves that adorn your upper body and imagine them delicately swaying in the breeze that moves through your breath and now tune in and see if any of those leaves feel like they're ready to be released simply feel for their willingness to detach from your branches your only role in this process is to relax your upper body your branches so that the leaves that are destined to go can do so effortlessly and take a moment to relax your fingers your palms your wrists and feel that softness spread to your lower arms your elbows your biceps and your shoulders and picture any tension melting away as you release the muscles in your neck your jaw your temples and just like a tree knows when to let go of the old open yourself to your own inner wisdom you can embrace the lessons the memories and the growth that came from each leaf while also understanding that those things are not within the leaf and as the leaves fall from your body just remember that you're not defined by your experiences you're actually the essence of them and just like a tree gives birth to leaves it's your inner being that gives rise to your experiences you are the source from which your experiences emerge and connect with the inner light that resides in you and as you shift your awareness towards this unchanging and mysterious part of yourself just feel the gentle winds picking up shaking loose any remaining leaves that are ready to go and again relax your body letting go of any attachment to past experiences that are now ready to fade away and just allow the winds to blow freely freeing any lingering leaves and then watch as the wind gradually settles bringing you back to a deep sense of stillness and when you feel ready take a moment to familiarize yourself with your surroundings once again and with your eyes still closed focus back on the breath and appreciate the impact of this practice of letting go embrace the lightness and freedom that comes from shedding these metaphorical leaves and take a deep breath and just savor the freshness of this moment and let's welcome ourselves back by becoming aware of our physical bodies and feel into the space where your body ends and the room begins and listen to the sound of your breath as it enters and exits your nostrils and start to imagine the room that you're in the colors and the items that make up your surroundings and when you're ready you can very gently blink your eyes open and welcome yourself back and thank you so much for meditating with me today