Hello,
This is Dr.
Heidi Klein and this is a guided meditation visualization of walking along the trail.
On a mountain.
You are welcome and I invite you to find a comfortable position where your body can rest with ease perhaps a pillow underneath your head supporting your neck and a pillow underneath your knees or if you're seated,
Feet planted on the floor.
Or maybe you are driving and listening to this.
Take a slow breath.
And through your nose.
And slowly exhale.
This allows the body to settle.
And move from fight or flight into rest and digest.
Breath in again.
And exhale out.
As we move through the forest in our mind and climb to the ridge.
We will also pause beside a mountain spring.
And rest in a quiet meadow.
And eventually make our way home.
And journey through.
What the presence of a mountain can bring.
And its steadiness,
Its openness.
Its resilience,
Its generosity.
This is reflective of the journey I took with my family on a spring break this past year.
As we climbed and spent time on the Appalachian Trail.
And this meditation is.
.
.
Inspired by that.
So we'll take another slow breath in.
And we find ourselves.
At the trailhead in the cool morning air.
And the forest is beginning to awaken.
The sunlight filters softly through the trees.
The scent of pine.
Damp earth and fresh leaves fills the air.
Taking first steps on the trail,
Notice the rhythm of your feet.
Meeting the ground.
One step and then another.
Your breath naturally begins to match your pace.
And the awareness that the mountain has stood here through countless seasons.
Mornings and evenings,
When spring becomes winter and winter returned to spring.
And as you walk,
Allow yourself to settle into a rhythm.
With each step,
Release a little more.
Of any heaviness,
Stress of what you've been carrying.
Being on this walk.
With this breath.
And in this moment.
The trail gradually begins to climb.
Your legs awaken and your breath grows deeper.
Your heart pumping reminds you that you are wonderfully alive.
And the climb asks for your attention.
One step at a time.
And eventually the trees begin to thin.
And the trail opens.
You arrive on the ridge.
The morning stretches out before you and layer upon layer of mountains reach toward the horizon.
The first light of day begins to rise.
In the morning light on the mountain ridge.
Allow yourself to be illuminated.
Feel the warmth of the sun as it meets you,
Its radiance touching your face.
Your body,
Your breath.
And let yourself be fully seen in this light.
Not in pieces,
But in your wholeness.
Just as the mountain stands in its vastness.
Fully revealed.
Fully expressed.
You too are allowed to be here in your own vastness.
Supported by the ground beneath you.
Anchored in the steady presence of stone.
Even here.
High above it all.
You are held.
Allow yourself to receive the light of this new day.
When you're ready,
Continue along the trail.
The path gently descends through the forest.
And soon you hear soft sound of water moving over stone.
You follow the sound until you arrive at a mountain spring.
The water emerges clear cold from deep within the earth.
For centuries,
This spring has offered nourishment.
To moss and fern,
To towering trees,
To birds,
Deer,
To travelers who paused here before continuing their journey.
You kneel beside the water.
Fill your cup.
Filter it.
And drink slowly.
Noticing its coolness It's freshness.
And its clarity.
As the water moves through your body,
Imagine every cell receiving exactly what it needs.
Receive.
Notice how you feel when you allow yourself to be nourished and notice as the spring gives freely to everything that comes to it.
There are ways your own presence nourishes the lives of those around you.
Just by being.
Not because of how you do.
How much you do.
Simply because you are here.
Take another slow drink.
And receive.
And offer gratitude.
We will continue walking and the trail widens.
And the trees gently open and what lies ahead is a broad mountain meadow.
Nestled between two ridges.
A creek winds through.
Tall grasses.
And wildflowers sway with the breeze.
In the distance,
A few deer graze peacefully.
Everything here feels settled.
Gentle.
Welcoming.
You find a place to rest in the grass.
You feel the earth supporting you and notice how different the rest feels after the climb.
A place to pause.
Place to soften.
A place to breathe You allow your shoulders to relax.
And your jaw to soften.
And you notice.
With each breath,
The rise and fall.
Of your chest.
Held by the Earth.
Nourished by the water.
Warmed by the sun.
Rest here for a few breaths.
And as we journey home,
Notice what we're carrying with us.
The openness of the ridge.
The nourishment of the spring.
And the softness of the meadow.
Qualities we can return to.
Qualities we recognize in ourselves.
Steadiness.
Openness generosity.
And rest.
As the trail comes to an end,
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
Back to your body.
Notice the surface supporting you and notice the room around you.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
And offering these words of I allow myself to see the light in each new day.
I hold the depth and strength of the mountain,
Steady within each change the day brings.
I am both nourished and nourishing,
Simply by being present in each moment as it passes.
And we'll take one final slow breath.
And continue on the day carrying the qualities of the mountain.
Thank you for being here.
It was wonderful sharing this journey with you.
Inspired by a trip I took,
As I said.
And lovely being present in that space.
The mountain,
The nourishment of the water,
The meadow.
Take care.
