Hello and welcome to this guided meditation and gentle breathwork practice.
Whenever you're ready,
You can find a comfortable position,
Whether you're lying down or seated.
And take a moment to allow your body to settle and become relaxed,
Bringing a gentle awareness to your breath,
Your quality of mind and quality of presence for a moment,
Without judging or criticizing anything.
Just take a moment to witness what's here and where you're at.
We'll begin this practice with a gentle step breathing,
Used to break the flow,
Calm the nervous system and even strengthen the lungs.
The way this works is we'll take an inhale for a count of four and exhale as a count of eight,
But after every inhale,
We pause.
So we inhale,
Pause,
Inhale,
Pause,
Inhale,
Pause,
Inhale and pause,
And then exhale for a count of eight.
You can breathe in through your nose and out through your nose,
Or if you want a deeper experience,
Breathe in and out through the mouth.
So whenever you're ready,
Let's take a big breath in and exhale.
Take another deep,
Full,
Expansive breath in,
Inviting in this moment and what is meant to arise in this body and in this heart.
And then exhale and allow yourself to fully trust and surrender for the next few moments here.
And now exhaling out all of the air from the body and holding empty for a moment,
We'll begin our step breathing,
Just five breaths here in three,
Two,
And one.
Take a breath in and pause,
Breathe in,
Pause,
Another breath in and pause,
And one more breath in and pause,
And big exhale out for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
And now take a breath in and pause,
Another breath and pause,
In and pause,
In and hold it at the top,
And then exhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Big breath in and pause,
In and pause,
In and pause,
In and hold it at the top here,
And then exhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Two more times,
Big breath in and pause,
In and pause,
In and pause,
In,
Hold it at the top in this heart space,
And then exhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Last one,
Big breath in and pause,
In and pause,
In and pause,
Last full breath in and pause,
Hold it at the top in this heart space,
And then big exhale out for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
And eight.
And now just take a full breath in and big exhale out.
And now notice how the body is feeling,
How your quality of mind has changed since the start of this practice,
In just five breaths of breaking the flow,
Step breathing.
Notice what wants to be seen and what wants to be felt in this body.
Resting in a gentle awareness of this moment,
Without judgment,
Without criticism,
Without opposing anything,
And without any attachment to thoughts,
Just letting the thoughts and feelings come and letting them go.
Like you're watching clouds above you in the sky,
Your thoughts are these clouds each with a different shape,
Different size,
And a different story that we're not attaching to,
Not trying to control the outcome,
We're just witnessing from an observer perspective.
Settling into this easy rhythm of deeper breathing,
And witnessing the power of your breath creating this space to look at what's here with some compassion and a kind curiosity for yourself.
This is your time to be still,
To be nourished,
And to return to yourself.
Allow the surface beneath you to hold you gently,
Feel the soft breath in,
And the slow breath out.
With each exhale,
Imagine the noise of the day or the past few days gently fading into the background,
Until all that remains is your breath and this presence.
And now bringing your imagination to the forefront here,
In your mind's eye,
I want you to begin to imagine a garden,
A private garden,
One that belongs only to you,
A place that lives deep within,
Always here,
Even whenever we forget.
You can paint the setting here,
360 degrees around you,
Whatever way that resonates most with you,
Picture yourself arriving at the edge of this garden,
Feeling the gentle breeze,
Maybe it's a sunset or maybe it's a bright and sunny day,
And maybe here there's a soft path beneath your feet,
Or a stone gate,
Where you can feel the air warm and embracing on your skin,
And you can hear the sweet bird song nearby.
Take a moment to sense this beauty around you,
Feeling the earth beneath your feet and smelling that sweet scent of nature.
See yourself stepping inside,
And as you step inside,
Notice what this garden looks like,
What's growing here,
What colors do you see,
What scents fill the air.
There is no right way for it to look,
This is your own sacred space,
And you are the painter here.
So begin to walk slowly through this garden,
Feel the calmness in the air around you,
And notice how the nature here softens and welcomes your presence.
Notice now how your breath begins to match the rhythm of this place,
Slower,
Deeper,
And a little more free.
This is a place of stillness,
Where nothing outside of your own energy can enter,
A space where nothing is asked of you,
No one needs anything,
There are no expectations,
No narratives,
And no roles to play.
You are simply you in your purest raw form.
So as you see yourself walking down this path in this garden,
Let yourself find a spot in the garden where you feel drawn to rest.
Maybe it's under a tree,
Or maybe you just lie back in the soft grass,
Or even sit beside a pool of water that is still and clear.
Wherever you land,
Feel yourself supported here,
Sitting or lying just as you are right now,
Letting your weight drop,
Let your shoulders soften,
And let the breath be gentle and easy.
Here in this stillness,
Take a breath in,
Inviting in this nature and this nourishment,
And as you exhale,
Imagine that anything heavy that you've been carrying begins to melt away and out of the body.
Let it fall into the earth beneath you,
And let this garden absorb it.
You don't have to hold it anymore.
Take another breath in,
And notice how you begin to feel a little lighter,
This body is softer,
The mind isn't rushing,
And the space around you now radiates this peace.
And as you rest here in this state of receptiveness and openness,
Feeling your heart expand,
I want you to imagine this garden giving something back to you,
A feeling,
A sensation,
A blessing,
Something that you need right now.
Without thinking too hard,
Just feel yourself being receptive and open to what it is that you're meant to receive right now from this garden.
Maybe it's peace,
Maybe it's clarity,
Lightness,
Abundance,
Safety,
Security,
Or maybe it's simply a quiet sense of being okay.
Whatever it is,
Breathe it into your body,
Let it move through your chest,
Your belly,
And all of your limbs,
And let it settle into your heart.
Recognize that you are allowed to feel good,
You are allowed to feel safe,
You are allowed to let go and surrender,
And you are absolutely capable of letting life be easy and unfold with grace.
So rest here for a few more moments in the stillness of your garden,
Feel it holding you,
Feel it reminding you that this space is always within you,
And you can return here anytime you need to come back to yourself.
I want you to feel this sensation,
This feeling,
This blessing,
And this offering expanding beyond the body,
Wrapping around you like a cocoon of quiet light.
This is the light of divine support,
The light of possibility,
The light of abundance,
Feel it slowly soaking into your skin,
Filling up every aspect of yourself,
And then trickling outwards into the garden around you,
And into all of the spaces in your life.
Know that you are supported and you are divinely guided,
And at any point you can come right back here into this garden,
Into your own inner sanctuary,
Where you can be held,
Protected,
And supported by this divine nourishment.
Carry this stillness with you,
This light that is wrapped around you,
And let it ripple through the rest of your week.
May you walk forward feeling rested,
Rooted,
And renewed.
You are your own sanctuary,
Whole,
Enough,
And already complete exactly as you are right now in this moment.
You are the painter of your garden and the creator of your life,
And now this offering from this garden is set and carried in your cells,
Woven into your breath,
Your steps,
And your voice.
So take the next step forward,
Knowing that you don't need to force anything in your life,
You only need to be.
And from this space,
All of your worries,
All of your desires,
All of your fears,
They are already taken care of.
You already are this.
It is not outside of you,
It is you.
Take another full breath in,
And hold this feeling in your heart space,
And then exhale,
And begin to invite in small movements into the fingers and toes,
As we stretch out your body.
And take your time opening your eyes as if you're carrying this feeling this energy of your inner garden back with you.
Blessings for your life.
Blessings for your journey,
My friend.
The light in me honors the light in you.
Dhanyavad.
Namaste,
My friend.
Namaste.
