Welcome to this Embracing Darkness meditation.
As days grow shorter and the darkness of winter settles in,
It's so easy to feel tired,
Depleted or disconnected even.
But I want you to remember that darkness has its own energy,
Its own power,
A quiet,
Nurturing energy.
Today we'll explore how to find healing and friendliness in the physical darkness of winter,
How to connect with its stillness and how to let it refuel us instead of draining us.
First find a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Close down your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Letting your belly rise.
Exhale slowly through your mouth,
Like a nice elongated sigh.
Let's do this two more times.
Deep breaths in,
Allowing yourself to fully arrive here in this moment.
Leaving behind any distractions,
Letting your body and your mind setting into stillness.
Now bring your awareness to the space around you.
Notice the temperature of air on your skin and sense the weight of your body being supported by the earth beneath you.
Feeling into the spaces between you and the supportive earth and feeling how those spaces start to become smaller as you find yourself going deeper into relaxation.
Feel your breath flowing in and out,
Steady and calm.
With each breath imagine that you're drawing in calmness,
Filling your body with peace and as you exhale let go of any tension,
Any stress or any resistance that you might be holding on to.
Now,
Even with your eyes closed,
Notice the darkness around you.
Whether it is evening or morning,
Where you are,
Or even in the middle of the day.
Feel the darkness behind your eyes and lean into it.
Allow yourself to feel the embrace of this darkness.
It is not something to fear,
But something to relax into,
Something to soften into.
Imagine the darkness as a friend,
Gently inviting you to rest,
To slow down.
It is not here to overwhelm you.
Now,
With the focus on the darkness behind your eyes,
Feel your toes and the soles of your feet,
The tops of your feet,
Your heels and your ankles,
Feel them relaxed down and feel them embedded in darkness.
Feel your calves and your knees,
Feel your thighs and your hips.
And notice that with your eyes closed,
They are all in darkness,
They are a feeling in your head,
But they're all wrapped in this comforting,
Soothing darkness.
Feel the rise and fall of your belly with each inhale and each exhale.
The gentle movements of your ribcage as it expands and deflates.
Feel your shoulders relaxing,
Melting down,
Down towards the supporting earth beneath you.
Relax your arms,
Your elbows,
Your forearms,
Your wrists and your hands.
Feel your palms.
Visualize how your palms are holding darkness.
How it's soothing like a soft embrace.
Relax your neck,
Your jaw,
The back of your skull.
Soften your lips and find a small distance between your ears.
Feel your upper row of teeth,
Lower row of teeth and return to the darkness behind your eyes.
Feeling fully supported,
Feeling fully embraced in darkness.
Now begin to imagine darkness as a friend,
Gently inviting you to rest,
To slow down.
It is not here to overwhelm you,
Instead it is here to hold space for you,
To offer you a moment of deep rest and reflection.
Now take a moment and picture yourself walking into this friendly darkness,
Like stepping into a warm cozy room on a winter night.
The air is still and warm,
The space is quiet and you feel completely safe.
You are wrapped in warmth and everything around you is calm.
There is nothing to do,
There is nowhere to be,
There is just this moment of stillness and care.
Take a nice deep breath in and with your exhale release any thoughts or feelings of depletion that might come with winter's darkness.
Instead invite the feeling of nourishment,
Like being enveloped in a thick woolen blanket that keeps you warm and warm.
That keeps you safe.
Let the darkness become something that fills you up rather than takes away.
Still imagining yourself in that cozy dark winter room.
As you continue to breathe,
Allow yourself to begin drawing energy from the darkness.
Each time you inhale,
Imagine that you are breathing in the calm,
Restorative energy of the night.
Each breath fills you with this quiet,
Comforting energy.
Allow it to seep into every part of your body,
Allow it to soothe your tired muscles,
Relaxing any tightness and warming you from the inside and out.
Feeling it spread into your limbs,
To your fingertips,
Your toes,
Your scalp.
Letting this darkness be a source of quiet strength and renewal.
And on the exhale release any remaining tension or exhaustion.
Letting the darkness absorb and dissolve it.
With each breath you are becoming lighter,
More at ease,
More recharged by the stillness.
Allow yourself to now let go of the idea that darkness drains you.
Instead embrace the idea that it is giving you space.
Space to slow down,
Space to rest.
Space to heal.
As we come to the close of this meditation,
Take a moment to thank yourself for this time of stillness.
Take a moment to thank yourself for turning something that you have found a source of depletion into something positive,
Into a source of energy.
One final time acknowledge the friendliness of the darkness and the peace that you have found within it and know that this energy is available to you whenever you need it.
Very gently begin to deepen your breath,
Feeling the air fill your lungs,
Feeling your inner eyes still in darkness.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes and bring small movements back into your body.
Whenever you feel ready open your eyes.
Returning to the space around you,
Feeling grounded,
Renewed and ready to face whatever comes next with a sense of calm and strength.
