I invite you to find a comfortable seat.
What is comfortable today may be different than what was comfortable yesterday.
Find a place that feels grounded,
Relaxing,
And safe.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath through your nose.
Hold for a moment and exhale deeply through your mouth.
If you feel the need,
Sigh as you exhale.
Inhale,
Exhale and sigh.
Relax your jaw,
Part your lips slightly,
Smile.
Relax the muscles in your face.
Continue breathing deeply.
In through your nose and out through your mouth gently.
In this safe space,
I invite you to go on a little journey.
A journey that may lead to resilience and growth.
A journey that may give restoration.
A journey for life.
Imagine that you are standing at the entrance to a beautiful,
Grand forest.
Looking left and right,
You see trees lining your view.
Dotted here and there are green ferns,
Tall grasses,
And wildflowers.
You hear birds chirping,
Squirrels running about,
And stillness.
The kind of stillness that a wonderful space such as this provides.
A peaceful quiet.
A peaceful still.
You approach a trail leading into the trees.
As you take this path,
You feel comforted with the trees around.
You feel amazed and grateful for the beauty of the trees.
As you gaze up,
You notice sunlight coming through the leaves.
This light makes each leaf look a different shade of green.
It catches you in awe.
Not far down the path,
You find yourself at a gate.
Trees stand at either side.
There is no way around,
Only through.
You try opening it.
It feels wedged and doesn't seem to move with ease.
But that's okay.
A little bit of a challenge can be fun.
You push yourself into the gate.
You find it moving,
Widening the gap between the post holding it closed.
Eventually the gate opens and you are able to walk through.
You feel pride in pushing through and being able to move forward.
You feel the peace of the forest.
You notice the colors surrounding you.
The textures of the plants and fauna.
The shapes of the flowers and leaves.
You hear crunching beneath your feet as you step on fallen leaves and twigs.
You notice how fresh the air feels.
How fresh the air smells.
You notice other smells.
Lavender,
Honeysuckle,
Earth.
You take a couple of deep breaths as you continue walking.
Smiling,
Feeling grateful for being on this journey.
It brings a great sense of calm.
You feel capable and able.
This forest provides you with strength.
You see another gate in the path.
An obstacle standing in your way.
Remembering the first gate,
You feel prepared to open this one and continue on your way.
This gate is taller,
Wider,
And seems a little tougher than the last.
You try to open.
You try to push.
It doesn't seem to work.
You try once more with no result.
You take a deep breath and consider other options that may help.
You notice that the wood pattern of the gate creates a type of ladder.
You decide quickly to climb up and over.
As you do,
You giggle at the excitement that such an action provides.
This gate was harder than the first,
But still conquerable.
Now on the other side,
You take a minute to pat yourself on the back.
What would you say right now?
How would you motivate yourself to keep going?
Continuing on the path,
You feel stronger.
This gate took more effort,
More thinking.
But you were prepared.
You were ready.
And now,
You feel more resilient.
You embrace the opportunity for another challenge.
The treetops gently sway in a breeze.
It seems as if they are dancing in celebration for you.
You smile again,
Inhale,
Smelling the beauty of the forest,
And exhaling out anything not serving you any longer.
But for too long,
This beautiful forest holds one more obstacle in your way.
Another gate.
Larger,
Bigger,
Almost built of steel.
How will you navigate this one?
It does not budge.
It cannot be climbed over.
It seems to stop you in your tracks.
As you look around and navigate the situation,
You notice a small hole in the bushes along the side of the gate,
A way through to the other side.
You recognize the solution to this gate is unlike the others.
As you come through to the other side,
You feel pride in knowing that you created a new way.
You didn't give up.
You didn't have to push.
You only had to look.
You take another deep breath and continue on with your walk,
Joyfully,
More resilient.
Become aware of the environment of your space.
Begin to notice your surroundings,
The sounds,
The smells,
The textures.
Feel the floor under your body or under your feet.
Find small,
Simple movements in your feet and in your hands.
Allow yourself to feel gratitude for this time.
Continue breathing in through your nose,
Gently out through your mouth.
Feel the resilience that has been cultivated on this journey,
This journey created for you,
By you.
Stay in your comfortable place for as long as needed or begin to slowly open your eyes,
Knowing that you can return to this meditation as often as necessary.
