Guided Meditation Through The Seasons

Enjoy this calming, centering, guided meditation that will take you through a visualization of the seasons. Dive into deep relaxation and an oasis of peace while hearing about the plants, animals, colors, smells, feelings, and emotions that arise through spring, summer, fall, and winter. Feel connected to the vibrancy of the natural world around you as you rest in its healing energy. The sound of a bell will mark the beginning and end of this meditation.

Transcript

Welcome to a meditation through meditation.

Through the seasons.

Before we begin,

I invite you to bring an offering to this space if you haven't already.

Something that sets the tone for your time here and creates a sacred space for yourself to inhabit.

You can light a candle if you have one.

Put on some essential oil.

Warm up a hot pack.

Place a photo of a loved one in front of you.

Hold a holy item in your hand or lap.

Or simply allow yourself to rest in a space that feels cozy and nourishing.

Get comfortable whether you're seated on the floor,

On a chair,

Or laying down.

Any position is welcome as long as you are comfortable and able to enjoy stillness.

Feel free to pause the recording if you need a moment to gather your space.

We will start and finish our meditation with the sound of a gentle bell.

Prepare your body to begin the meditation.

Find stillness.

Get all the wiggles out.

And remember that from time to time,

Your voice,

Your inner voice,

May take you away from my voice.

This is normal and expected.

Whenever you notice your attention has been taken away from the meditation,

Just gently with a light heart and a smile on your face,

Bring yourself back to the sound of my voice.

Take notice of your body in this moment.

Take note of your posture.

Come to recognize your normal breathing.

Perhaps breathing in and out through your nose or mouth or both.

And as you just begin to simply notice,

You can start to elongate your breath,

Sipping in a little extra air on the inhale,

And engaging the muscles of your abdominals slightly on the exhale,

Releasing all the stale air out of your lungs.

Continue like this,

Visualizing the air filling up every corner and crevice of your lungs.

On the inhale and on the exhale,

Allowing each of those corners and crevices to push out the air.

Going at your own pace with no rush,

Nowhere to be,

No end goal.

Just filling your body with smooth,

Calm,

Full breaths.

Notice how your body feels now as you settle into this subtle shift in your energy.

If you haven't already,

Close your eyes if it feels safe and open your eyes to your inner world.

Bring your awareness now to the rise and the fall of your chest.

The movement that breath makes from within your body.

Notice the expansion and contraction of your ribcage.

Notice the inflating of your lower belly on the inhale.

And a gentle deflating of your lower belly on the exhale.

If it helps,

You can rest one hand at your upper chest and another hand just beneath your belly button.

As you inhale,

Feel the hand at your chest rise and the hand at your belly rise.

And on the exhale,

Belly deflates and chest gently sinks down.

Take a few more breaths here,

Allowing your awareness to rest on the physical sensations of breath as it illuminates your being.

Next,

Notice the beating of your heart.

Perhaps you can feel it in your chest or your face or your hands.

Now notice your breath and your heartbeat together.

This is your physical rhythm.

Your own unique life force pulsing through you.

Release the need to stay perfectly still and allow your body to gently sway or pulse alongside its own steady natural rhythm.

Let the chattering in your mind settle like dirt settling at the bottom of a clean pool of water.

As the dust settles,

Visualize your mind becoming that clear pool of water,

Perfectly still and peaceful.

As the thought enters,

Imagine it like a pebble being tossed into the water.

As you notice the thought,

It creates small ripples that slowly fade as the pebble drifts down to the bottom of the pool.

The water becomes still and clear once again.

As we move through this meditation,

Allow your attention to fade in and out as it does naturally.

Whenever you drift off,

You can imagine the ripples from the pebble of your thought fading away and the pool of water becoming clear yet again.

Recognize now that this inner awareness is always present,

Always available to you.

Cultivate now a sense of light filling your being from the inside out as if you are glowing from your heart space.

With this sense of awareness and light,

We are going to take a walk through the seasons of the past year together.

Imagine you are in a peaceful place in nature,

The most beautiful outdoor space you have ever seen.

Among lots of trees and plants and sky.

You visualize a path ahead and you feel warm and safe.

As you begin walking down your path,

The sun is just rising over the horizon.

It is the season of spring.

All around you,

Plants and trees are budding with new life.

Every shade of green is displayed.

Dark green damp moss grows on the rocks.

All over the forest floor,

You see tips of bright green grass reaching through the Earth's crust towards the sun.

You feel the gentle and steady wind blowing between your fingers and through your hair.

You see a doe up ahead and her brand new fawn with its fuzzy coat wobbling along behind her.

Breathe in and embrace the feeling of spring and new life.

As you continue down this path,

You look up and see the clouds break and disappear.

The sun is high and the sky and is hot and red.

It is summer.

Your body feels warm and energized,

Full of your life force energy,

Which seems to match the vitality of the animals around you.

Birds humming their sweet songs.

Bees and insects buzzing.

Squirrels squeaking as they chase each other around.

Inhale and embrace the feeling of summer and its fiery energy.

As you continue walking,

The sun starts to set.

The colors of burnt orange and pink fill the sky.

The leaves turn shades of yellows,

Reds,

And then browns.

As you watch the leaves falling off the trees,

You are reminded of the great beauty that comes from releasing what no longer serves you to make room for the new.

It smells crisp and clean.

A flock of geese flies by overhead,

Which brings you a sense of peace in this transitional time,

Knowing they will return in the spring.

Inhale into your lungs fully and embrace autumn,

The season of letting go.

Now,

We step into winter.

It is nighttime now.

The sky is a dark purple,

Almost black.

Winter is the season of cold and dark,

But the light within you keeps your body warm now as you continue to walk.

The trees are heavy with snow,

Icy branches droop down over the path in front of you.

Snow falls gently and silently.

The only thing you hear is the crunch of snow with each slow step you take.

You see an owl at the top of a pine tree.

You assume her to be old and wise in the way she rests and watches you walk past.

As you turn a corner on your path.

There is an opening in the trees.

And you see a field of snow,

Untouched and glistening.

There are people sitting around a warm fire.

And as you approach.

You see it as the people you love the most in life.

One of them hands you a warm beverage,

Or a bowl of hot soup that smells like cinnamon or ginger or roasted pine nuts.

The fire warms your face.

And as you take a sip of your hot cup.

It warms your whole body.

Breathe in and embrace the winter.

This season of rest restoration and renewal.

From darkness to light.

You have walked the past year through each season.

And from darkness to light,

You will walk again.

Life is not about waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel,

But rather tending to the light within.

Use this season to stoke your inner fire,

Becoming introspective and tending to your own inner light.

Keeping your eyes closed.

Let go of the visualization now and return to your body.

Experience your mind as a calm pool of water once again.

Continue to breathe slowly in the reality of this peaceful moment.

Each of us have different memories and experiences from the past year.

The seasons are marked by different events,

Some that may have changed lives forever.

For some,

This may have been the best year of their life,

And for others,

The most challenging.

What we all have in common is that we have lived through the past year and find ourselves here,

Together,

In this moment.

Let gratitude fill your heart as you appreciate this opportunity to be truly alive.

In the spirit of giving,

I invite you now to imagine your radiant inner light spreading to a person or a group of people or an animal or any being that comes to mind that might benefit from receiving this tender love.

And warm light from your heart.

With a smile on your face,

Inhale and feel your light becoming full,

Bright and strong.

With every exhale you breathe,

Breathe this light out to each and every person who comes to your mind at this time.

A few more breaths like this,

Allowing your light to beam in all directions.

Breathing kindness and peace that spreads like a warm blanket comforting those who need it.

With each inhale and exhale your light pulses and shines.

Now we shift our energy to that of receiving.

Your palms rotate upward informing your body to be in a state to receive.

You don't have to carry your suffering alone.

Allow yourself to be held by a larger circle of support that can be from the human living realm,

From the non-human realm,

From the piece of nature.

You are supported.

Your work is important.

You have an important place in the circle of beings.

Allow your heart to open and to receive the love and light that you have cultivated here today.

Perhaps it has been a while since you've allowed yourself to relax and fully receive.

So take a few last slow deep breaths here,

Allowing your body to surrender into the love that it deserves.

Feel your heartbeat once again by placing your hands at heart center or over your heart itself.

Feel your life force,

The power that you have to say no to the things that do not serve you,

And to say yes to the things that feel good and true in your soul.

You are held.

You are whole.

You are loved.

And you are love in human form.

One last breath here.

Exhale completely all of the air out.

Inhale fully all of the air your lungs can muster and hold your breath for a moment.

Relax your face,

Relax your shoulders,

Then exhale slowly.

May peace be with you and a happy year ahead.

Reviews

One of may favorites! Great for days when I’m feeling ungrounded and want to connect to the beauty of change through the seasons.

Calming, relaxed and soothing. I’m new to meditation and have a hard time staying still and focused. Ariels meditation was just the thing for me! Really well done and I look forward to more from her. Thanks