Find a comfortable seat,
Whatever feels best and right for you and your body right now.
May I suggest sitting upright with your spine long,
Elongated towards the sky,
Your feet touching the ground,
Touching the earth.
But please sit however feels best and right for you.
I invite you to close your eyes if that feels sufficiently safe and begin to tune in to yourself and connect with your breath.
Take three long,
Slow inhales through the nose and exhales through the mouth,
Filling up the back of your heart,
Your low back and your belly with breath.
Feeling your chest rise,
Your back expand,
Flushing your entire being with deep nourishing breath.
Continue breathing deep and slow in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And when you're ready,
Bring into your mind's eye a beautiful lush forest.
Envision tall,
Ancient old growth trees surrounding you,
In front of you,
Beside you,
Behind you,
All around you.
Tune yourself in this space,
In this forest.
Hear the sounds,
The trees crackling and creaking in the wind.
Perhaps you hear birds chirping.
Perhaps you hear a creek nearby.
Feeling all your senses to bring yourself into this beautiful,
Sacred space.
Noticing how it feels to arrive here.
Perhaps you can feel sunlight on your skin,
Warmth on your face.
Perhaps you can feel beautiful,
Rich ground beneath you.
Take a moment to fully arrive here.
Being in the fresh air,
Taking in the sight,
This beautiful lush forest,
The feelings,
The sensations of being right here,
Right now,
In this sacred space.
Imagine yourself walking through this forest,
Slowly,
Intentionally.
As you look around,
As you take in the sights and the sounds,
You come across the largest,
Most enchanting of trees in this forest.
It stands in front of you,
And you stand in front of it,
And it beckons to you.
Envision yourself sitting in front of this enchanting,
Sacred tree.
And then envision thick tree roots growing from the bottom of your sits bones,
Down through the thick layers of the earth.
And these roots connect with the ancient,
Wise roots of the tree before you.
You and the tree are connected.
You are one.
You are part of Mother Earth.
Mother Earth is a part of you.
And as you connect through your roots to this wise and ancient tree before you,
I want you to breathe in what it is you most need right now.
Breathe it in through your entire being.
Breathe it in through the roots in your sits bones.
Breathe it in through the air surrounding you.
Breathe it in through your skin and the warmth of the sun as it touches your skin.
Breathe in through every aspect and orifice of your being.
Breathe in what you need.
Maybe it's more love.
Perhaps it's more peace,
More support,
More rest.
Whatever it may be,
Breathe it in.
Know that Mother Earth can and wishes to support you.
Know that you are not separate from her.
She is not separate from you.
You are one.
And when you have completed breathing in whatever it is you need,
You can begin to exhale what it is you no longer need.
Taking long deep exhales through the mouth and envisioning whatever is no longer serving,
Breathing through the thick tree roots in your sits bones,
Pictured evaporating off your skin and being returned to Mother Earth,
To Mama Gaia,
So she can use and transmute it.
We are all connected.
We are one with Earth.
And this elder tree before you,
Amidst this vast sacred space of elder ancient trees,
They are our ancestors.
They have wisdom well beyond what we can fathom.
Take this opportunity to tap into that wisdom.
If it feels aligned,
Ask the elders,
Ask the ancient trees what it is they would have you know.
And notice what arises,
Notice what messages,
What feelings,
What sensations arise when you ask Mama Gaia,
When you ask the ancestors and the elders for support and for wisdom.
Continue long deep slow breaths for three more cycles.
Feeling what doesn't serve and inhaling what it is you need,
Including any messages Mother Earth may wish to share with you.
Expanding the belly,
Breathing into the back of the heart and slowly,
Softly exhaling whatever no longer serves.
Feeling the connection between you and this tree,
Between you and the Earth,
Between you and all beings.
Bow in deep gratitude to this ancient tree and this sacred space for their gifts,
Their wisdom and their grounding energy.
Bow in deep gratitude to Mother Earth for all she does to keep us alive.
And lastly,
Let us give thanks for the Indigenous wisdom that inspired this meditation and has been passed down to allow us to come together to practice in this way today.
Whenever you feel called,
Whenever you feel ready,
Saying thank you in your mind's eye.
Slowly coming back into the here and now,
Leaving the sacred forest space,
But knowing you can come back to return and receive the wisdom,
The nourishment,
The love,
The support whenever you need.
If it feels good to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Slowly coming back into this space,
Opening your eyes if they were closed.
Feeling yourself grounded again in the here and the now,
Carrying that grounding with you throughout your day.
I wish you rest.
I wish you peace.
I wish you ease.
Thank you so much for joining me.
