Lying down on your back or sitting in a comfortable seat,
Close your eyes.
Let your body relax.
Recognize that you are in control of this moment.
Allow yourself to find calm.
Take a deep breath through your nose.
Hold for a moment and exhale deeply through your mouth.
Let's do two more breaths,
Just like that.
Inhale,
Hold,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Hold,
Exhale.
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.
Feeling relaxed and comfortable,
I invite you to go on a journey with me.
Imagine that you are standing on a path,
Feeling the warmth of the sun and an inviting breeze on your skin.
There is a forest just ahead.
The breeze is lightly shaking the leaves of the trees.
The path is clear,
Easy to follow.
You decide to go,
To step into this beautiful forest.
You hear birds calling to one another,
Almost as if they are excited to see you.
Their call is gentle and sweet,
As if they are encouraging you to take more steps into their home.
So you do,
Feeling the leaves under your feet as you enter the shade of the trees.
Small twigs on the ground provide a crunching sound as you pass over them.
You feel the peace of the forest.
You sense,
Feel,
Hear small animals all around you.
Squirrels running and playing up and down trees.
You can hear the sounds of more birds higher in the lovely green canopy.
A small rabbit scampers across the path in front of you.
You continue walking down the path,
Through the forest,
With amazement and intrigue guiding you.
You begin to hear the sound of running water.
The water sounds gentle,
Not rushing,
But slow.
You turn toward the sound,
Letting the sound of water call to you,
To join you on this journey.
You see a little clearing through the trees.
This clearing has a small pond,
Fed from a stream,
Cascading down a small rocky slope.
You see a small stream coming out of the pond,
The water continuing its journey through the forest.
You find a rock to sit on near the pond.
The rock feels warm from the sun as its rays make their way down from the opening in the treetops.
This rock feels as though it was made just for you to sit on.
It holds you and comforts you.
You sit here for a few minutes,
Allowing silence to enter your mind.
You hear the sounds of the forest and the water all around you.
Your eyes are closed and your heart is full of joy.
You take a moment to sit in gratitude.
You feel restful and happy.
You begin to sense the gentle presence of another being in front of you.
You open your eyes to see a beautiful doe,
Her big brown eyes are resting on you.
She is completely at ease,
And so are you.
You stare with amazement at this creature and begin to feel the love she has for you.
She is so calm and assured with being in your presence,
Even her ears remain still.
You are in awe of her presence,
Your gaze cannot leave hers.
In this peaceful moment,
It seems there is a message for you.
Somehow you have become aware of this message and you feel ready to receive it.
You close your eyes,
Open your heart,
And you let yourself receive all you need to hear in your mind,
Your heart,
And soul.
You are filled to overflowing with the love that is pouring into you.
You open your eyes to see the doe.
She stands there for a few moments longer.
She gently closes her eyes,
Opens them again for one last look at you,
Turns and slowly walks back into the forest.
You sit a little longer pondering in awe the message you received,
Feeling what you brought with you to the forest,
And amazed at how this special message helped renew your hope and joy.
It is time to move again.
You gently rise from your sacred rock,
Move back onto the path,
And walk slowly back to the edge of the forest with a great calm upon you.
You walk back to the edge of the forest where you had first entered.
With each step you take,
You find yourself coming back into your conscious awareness of the room around you.
You begin to notice your surroundings,
Smells,
The sounds,
The textures.
You feel the floor under your body or under your feet.
You find small,
Simple movements in your feet and in your hands.
Take one last moment to embrace the message,
The feelings that you had.
Let go of tension.
Allow any emotion to rise and be felt.
Relax your face.
Smile gently.
Continue breathing in through your nose,
Out through your mouth.
Sigh on an exhale if it feels right to do so.
Feel the gratitude that has been cultivated because of this moment,
This moment you chose,
This moment you are still in control of.
Stay in your comfortable position for as long as is needed,
Or begin to bat your eyes open,
Knowing you can return to this meditation as often as necessary.
