Hello and welcome to this guided meditation that will help you to see your wellbeing and immune system strengthening as you drift off to sleep.
My name is Jason Stevenson and over the next short while I will guide you into a greater sense of peace,
Health and wellbeing through mindful awareness and the power of visualisation.
To settle into this practice,
Let yourself find a comfortable lying down position.
Whether on your back or on your side,
Ensure that the spine is straight and your heart space is as open as is comfortable.
Let your arms and legs soften into the surface beneath you and if you haven't already done so,
Just closing your eyes.
Just taking a moment here to feel into the bed or other surface that supports you and feeling a sense of gratitude for the comforts that you are provided with.
Eyes remaining closed,
Consider the roof over your head and the open air that surrounds you.
Now,
Visualise this open air as it becomes the breath entering into your nostrils as you inhale and being released from your body with each exhalation.
As you breathe mindfully,
Let yourself soften further into the earth beneath you,
Letting all unconscious and unnecessary tension begin to unravel.
As your body melts into a deeper state of relaxation,
The presence of stress hormones begin to decline and the immune system begins to strengthen naturally.
Reflecting the symbiotic relationship between mind and body,
Our physical wellbeing improves as we consciously and compassionately invite the mind into this present moment.
So,
Take a few more moments now to witness the breath as it flows through you and with each exhalation let your body surrender more completely.
You might witness and soften the muscles around your eyes,
Your jaw and tongue,
Your shoulders and arms and your belly or any other part of you that feels tense.
In the same way that relaxing the mind promotes physical wellbeing,
Relaxing the physical body encourages ease and release of the mind.
In a minute or two,
We will begin a visual journey of immune system strengthening,
But for now let's just take a few more moments to deepen the body's relaxation response.
First,
Allow all the air in your lungs gently to be released to the atmosphere around you.
And together,
Let's just take a deep full breath into the bottom of the belly.
And then slowly let it back out.
Another long deep breath in.
And when you're ready,
Let it back out.
One more full belly-reaching breath now,
Making it even longer this time.
And once you've reached the top,
Slowly release all the air back out to the world around you.
Let your breath come back to its natural rhythm now as you mindfully observe it for just a few more moments on your own.
Now,
As we slowly transition into our visualization,
Take a moment to draw your attention to the space before your closed eyes.
Though the mind might conjure up images and ideas when left unchecked,
An open space of unlimited creative potential exists before the mind's eye when we slow down,
Quiet down and tune in.
And it is upon this canvas now that I invite you to imagine yourself seated on a treehouse balcony overlooking a radiant,
Singing rainforest of Central America.
The sun glistens in the sky,
Casting its light upon the treetops above you.
The air is warm and humid,
Earthy and pure.
You take a long,
Deep breath in and out,
Feeling a strong but subtle wave of gratitude wash through you.
From where you sit,
All you can see is the untouched rainforest,
A sea of green spreading in every direction your gaze turns towards.
An intuitive understanding of the vitality and health of this rainforest rises to your awareness,
Inspiring you to venture through this ecosystem to experience its restorative and healing potential.
And yet,
You take a moment now to notice how you feel in this very moment,
In these moments before heading on your way.
Perhaps you feel tired,
Perhaps you feel well or unwell,
Perhaps you feel what you would call normal or average,
Maybe numbness or discomfort.
Whatever is the case for you now,
Here on your perch above the rainforest,
Simply notice it.
Without attaching yourself to the feelings and sensations moving through you,
Just notice what is here.
If there is any discomfort,
Tension or unease,
Send those sensations your love,
Your care and your patience as you prepare for a journey into greater health,
Vitality and immunity.
Now you've heard that somewhere,
Not far from the treehouse,
Lives a wise healer,
A mystical woman who knows all about the healing elements and herbs of this rainforest and who may be able to grant you with a greater sense of health and well-being.
And so,
Trusting your intuition to guide you in the right direction,
You pack a backpack with all the essentials you'll need for the day.
And then you begin your journey.
You start by climbing down from your treehouse,
Rung by rung,
Gently making your way onto the earth.
Feet firmly rooted in the soil beneath you,
You take a moment to mindfully inhale the fresh,
Nourishing rainforest air once again.
And as you exhale,
You take your first step down the footpath that leads you to the main road.
Not far from your private perch in those natural lands,
The main road is humble and unpaved.
Just a few meters wide,
It weaves its way quietly through the rainforest.
Mindful,
Step by step,
You make your way down it in the direction your heart guides you.
As you walk,
You note the silence between the forest's symphony.
The air is both quiet and lively,
Modest and confident.
Birds call to you from the overarching canopy,
As does the breeze,
The cicadas and the howler monkeys.
The orchestra awakens you,
Softening the rational and analytical mind as it guides you deeper into the beauty and mystery of the world.
You continue on for a short while,
Until a path appears on your right hand side.
As if silently calling you towards it,
You are drawn in its direction.
And so deciding to venture off the main road,
You take a leap of faith as you make your way down this narrow footpath into the unknown.
As you meander seemingly aimlessly,
You note that your body begins to shift.
Your shoulders begin to soften,
Releasing knots of tension they have held onto for quite some time now.
Your belly begins to relax,
Expanding and softening with each full,
Deep breath.
Your eyes begin to widen,
Taking in more of the surroundings than they are accustomed to absorbing.
And your jaw begins to unclench,
Sinking into greater comfort and ease.
Your feet tread lightly as if kissing the earth,
And you sense yourself coming into greater alignment with the natural world.
You continue on for some time,
Taking in the surroundings through open eyes,
Ears,
Mind and heart.
Great big,
Beautiful flowers in magenta,
Tangerine and lilac tones break up the pervading greenery of the forest.
Meanwhile,
Your ears continue to absorb the sounds of the nearby creatures,
Frogs now chiming in alongside the cicadas,
Birds and monkeys.
Your expanded state of mind takes in the wonder of this incredible,
Vibrant space,
Reflecting upon how healing these natural ecosystems are.
How can it be,
You wonder,
That we have yet to truly learn from the wisdom of these natural ecosystems?
And then your heart,
Fully expanded now,
Takes in the love and beauty of this rainforest.
You feel an immense wave of gratitude wash through this loving energy centre,
And so you silently offer a word of thanks to the natural lands you move across.
You thank them for providing you with just the sort of healing you had yearned for.
You continue on a little while further,
Until another path comes into view.
This time,
It is on your left hand side,
And is even narrower than the one you are on.
Your intuition tells you it is the path to take,
And so you turn down it with confidence and curiosity.
The path weaves in and out of the tropical trees,
Bringing you in to even a closer contact with its wonder.
The broad leaves are close enough that they nearly brush your cheeks,
Leaving you for a moment to question if you are going the right way.
And yet,
Just as you begin to doubt the path you have chosen,
Something opens up to you.
It is a small clearing in the forest.
In the centre of it,
An elderly woman stands,
Gazing up at the branches of the surrounding trees.
She is dressed in a long,
Burnt orange dress,
And is wrapped in a loosely knit shawl.
Her silver braided hair is wrapped in front of her left shoulder.
And as she stands there,
It seems as if she is whispering to the trees.
And then listening.
And whispering.
And then listening.
You cough quietly to let her know you are here.
Completely unstartled by your presence,
She turns to you slowly and welcomes you with a warm smile.
You make your way towards her and she invites you to sit down on a long bench in the centre of the clearing.
She sits next to you and asks what brings you here.
You begin to tell her that what you long for is a greater sense of health and wellbeing.
Particularly in the area of immunity.
You yearn for a system that is strong and resilient,
And you believe that perhaps this rainforest might hold what you need.
She embraces every word you speak and lets you know that it is possible to invite greater balance into your body through any and all acts of self-care,
Including through the words and images you hold in your mind.
She invites you to begin by taking a dip in the healing blue lagoon,
Just a short walk from her sacred circle.
And upon your return,
She will have concocted a herbal tea that will heal and balance your body and enhance its immunity.
You take her advice and follow the pathway she points you towards.
Veering down a small hill and around a few more bends in the path,
You soon arrive at a break in the treeline,
Where turquoise waters reflect back at you from a short distance.
A small set of stairs guides you down towards the water's edge.
And as you step off the final stair,
You take a moment to absorb the fullness of this landscape.
You have never seen water so bright,
So clear,
So radiant.
After preparing to head into these cool and cleansing waters,
You inch your way slowly into the lagoon.
The water moves gently up your body,
Until soon,
It has reached your waist.
You enter the water to as comfortable as you possibly can,
And if you choose to,
Dunking your head under the water and up again.
The sun is still high in the sky,
Beaming down on you from its steady place there.
You close your eyes and surrender to the lagoon,
Knowing that it will support you.
You take a full,
Deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
You envision all heaviness or constriction and all imbalances leaving your body.
You take another full breath in,
And exhaling once again,
You envision yourself releasing all the thoughts,
All the ideas,
And all the physical imbalances that inhibit you from experiencing radiant health.
And now that space has been created within you for the new,
You consciously let your next inhalation fill you with the sun's healing energy.
It enters your lungs as a warm,
Golden glow,
Cleansing this part of the body's defense system completely.
Then as the sun's golden light seeps further into your body,
It cleanses and brings balance to your lymphatic system,
Your spleen,
Your thymus,
Your white blood cells,
And all other parts of your body's immune system.
As it spreads through you from within,
It continues to penetrate you from the outside as the sun continues to beat down on your bare skin.
You spend a few more moments here,
Soaking up the healing energy of the sun,
Of the breath,
And of the water you rest in,
Knowing that only when all systems and elements are healthy can we experience true health and vitality.
When you are ready,
You slowly make your way back towards the shore,
Drying yourself off with a towel and preparing to head back.
Your entire body feels light and free,
Full to the brim with energy and vitality.
You take the small pathway back to where you encountered the wise woman before.
She awaits your return with a fresh cup of hot herbal tea.
The two of you hold silence as you bow your head and accept the mug she extends to you.
And as you let the warm,
Immune-boosting liquid flow through you,
You trust that you already have and continue to come back into balance,
To come back to your innate capacity for strength,
Vitality,
And resilience.
You pass back the empty mug and thank this woman for the blessings she has bestowed upon you.
And before you leave,
She reminds you to make sure that you prioritize your rest in the days and years to come.
Rest of both body and mind,
She says,
Is one of the most underrated and yet most important factors of a healthy internal defense system.
You smile,
Thanking her once more,
And then you slowly head back in the direction of your very own treehouse.
First,
You navigate your way down the narrow,
Rainforest-encroaching pathway towards the wider footpath.
Then you follow this wider path until you arrive at the main road.
And the main road guides you back to the pathway up to your hut.
And before you know it,
You are resting on the hammock that swings on your balcony.
Your entire body rests with ease and yet you can feel the awakened,
Empowered energy that flows through you.
You remember the healing light of the sun that entered your lungs as you floated in the turquoise lagoon.
And you sense its presence still within you,
Envisioning yourself glowing from within for just a few final moments.
And for just a few more final moments,
Imagine the golden light of the sun spreads through your entire being.
And as you slowly release the image of a healing glow within,
You also begin to dissolve the imagery of the rainforest.
Coming back to the surface that supports you in this reality,
Whether that be a bed,
A couch or something else,
You ground yourself affirmatively back into this present moment.
Notice the innate flow of your breath now,
Continuing to nourish and cleanse you with each cycle.
Follow its gently rhythm as you slowly let yourself drift into slumber.
Good night.
