Hello,
My name is Jason Stevenson and welcome to this tranquil meditation that will gently guide you towards releasing,
Unknotting and softening both heart and mind.
As you slowly surrender into a deep and restful sleep,
I invite you to cultivate a sense of tenderness,
Gently turning inwards as we begin this gentle,
Compassionate journey.
As you settle in for the night,
Ensure that you are as comfortable as possible,
Supported by cushions and blankets you have with you.
Let your spine be straight,
Though relaxed,
And your heart space gently held open,
And when you are ready,
Gently closing your eyes.
Let's take a moment to settle into this practice with some basic breath awareness.
Spend a minute or so now just gently following the natural rhythm of your breath.
Without judging or actively shifting the breath in any way,
Just let this life force flow naturally and gracefully through you.
You might begin to notice the body softening,
Or the breath deepening on its own.
Let any changes occur naturally,
Just trusting that the breath knows what to do in this moment.
As you inhale,
Feel into a deeper truth that the universe is supporting you here,
And as you exhale,
Know that you are giving energy back to the earth.
So let's just spend a few more moments patiently tending to your breath's flow,
And allowing yourself to sink deeper into its simplicity.
As we tend to the breath in this way,
Just noting its movements into and out of the body,
And the racing mind begins to quiet.
The mind will likely still wander from time to time,
And this is normal,
But I invite you to observe that wandering when it occurs,
With the same softness.
When thoughts arise during this or any other meditation,
See if you might note them to be a phenomenon passing through you,
Just the way the breath does.
Now,
As we move further into this practice,
We will be using the power of visualization and mindful awareness to gently unravel,
Unknot,
And soften anything in heart or mind that doesn't serve you,
And as you do this,
Know that various emotions may rise to the surface of your awareness,
So,
If difficult emotions do rise for you,
Ensure that you are tending to yourself with patience,
Love and compassion,
There's no right or wrong way to experience this,
Simply practice embracing your experience with loving and open arms.
And just before we dive into our visualization,
Let's just take a few moments to prepare the heart space,
So come back to your breath for another few moments of awareness,
And then draw your attention to the centre of your chest,
To the heart.
If you'd like,
Feel free to rest a hand on your heart space,
Helping yourself to connect more deeply with this part of you.
And now as you breathe through the heart,
Envision that the energies held in this energy centre are growing,
Self-compassion,
Kindness,
Patience and strength all bloom as you inhale,
And as you exhale you witness the beginning of this gentle release,
With each breath out,
Something within you softens,
Unravels,
Surrenders.
So continue to breathe this way,
Letting self-compassion and kindness expand as you breathe in,
And a gentle release to occur as you breathe out.
As you imagine yourself surrendering,
Know that there is nothing you need to mentally understand about this process,
And nothing you need to push,
You don't need to forcefully release anything from your mind,
Just simply let your heart and mind soften.
Take one more full deep breath now,
Releasing a soft sigh if you'd like as you exhale.
And now draw your attention to the mind's eye,
Letting your capacity for visualisation lead you deeper through this journey now.
Imagine now that you are standing in an open valley,
Resting between a magnificent surrounding mountain range.
You sense you are somewhere in the Alps and it is summertime,
The warm healing sun shining down on you from the cosmos above.
The air is fresh and floral,
Cleansing your nostrils and lungs with each full breath that you take.
Behind you,
A small village rests,
Like something out of a fairy tale,
It enchants your heart and stirs a sense of wonder in you.
But the village is not where you are heading now,
Your heart longs to find peace in the surrounding nature,
Your mind too longs for peace,
To step away from the world of to-do lists and concerns,
And into a place where it can release what does not serve it.
Upon your back is a knapsack packed with a picnic blanket,
Some local raspberries and a sweater.
You pull the straps a little tighter towards your body and begin on your way.
As you begin to walk through the valley,
Following a narrow trail that leads through the lush green grass,
You feel your shoulders melt towards the earth,
Your chest opens as you raise your face gently towards the summer sun.
As the beaming rays permeate your forehead,
The muscles there relax,
And your mind quiets completely,
Even if only for a moment.
You come back to your senses now,
Feeling the earth beneath your feet and the soft wind against your skin.
You inhale the delicate dance of floral aromas in the air.
Tiny birds sing quietly as they soar through the air,
Their song calls you deeper into the beauty of this moment.
Your attention turns towards the majestic mountains that surround the land.
You revel in awe at their snow-capped peaks.
Even though it is well into summer now,
The highest altitudes still wear their frozen coats.
Here in the valley,
However,
The green grass glimmers without any fear of frost.
Now,
As you walk further through the valley,
You remember your intention for coming here,
To let unravel and to soften anything in the heart and mind that does not serve you,
To sink into deep tranquility.
You trust the land here to hold you unconditionally,
And so,
As you move through the valley,
You silently ask the earth and the universe for any support you might need.
You come back to your breath and let it ground you,
To continually guide you back into the present moment.
Your mind wanders to where you might be heading,
But as you invite your thoughts to come down into your heart,
You open up with trust for the journey ahead.
And as you let go of any yearning you might hold to figure it all out at once,
Your heart delights as you come over a peak in the valley.
Your sights land on the place you sensed you were destined to arrive at,
A multicolored,
But peaceful pastel field of flowers,
Lilac,
Periwinkle,
Mauve and rose-colored blossoms adorn the land in all directions,
Bursting from the sea of green grass,
They bring an extra lightness,
A joy and a radiance to the earth.
You pause where you are for just a moment,
Grounding through your feet and taking a few long,
Deep breaths.
As you breathe,
You gaze out across the landscape.
The valley descends slightly from where you are and then plateaus,
The field of flowers pervading as far as your eyes can see.
Further off in the distance,
A shimmering lake rests and all of it is surrounded by the mountains that shelter the valley in its place.
You begin your slow and steady descent towards the flat land of the valley,
All unused muscles begin to relax as you make your way towards the place in which you will rest.
Very soon,
The land levels out and you find yourself surrounded by all of the magnificent floral petals all around you,
Summer is in full bloom.
You decide to rest here for a while and so you find an open patch of low grass and lay your picnic blanket upon it.
You rest your bag as you take a few moments to take a closer look at the flowers in bloom.
The multi-hued petals are delicate and whimsical,
Very like and enchanting.
You let your fingertips softly graze the flowers and the grass that surrounds them.
Your heart and soul feel deeply aligned with the wonder and vitality of this landscape.
You return to your picnic blanket when you are finished,
Taking a seat and pulling up a small jar of raspberries from your bag.
You allow yourself to savour this local and seasonal candy,
Revelling in the sweetness that rushes through your taste buds and down into your heart.
You take a few silent moments just to be here,
To admire the landscape,
To savour the gifts of the local harvest and to let yourself widen with gratitude.
Time passes swiftly and gracefully and soon the sun dips behind the mountains to the north-west.
Without the direct rays of light upon your skin,
You feel a subtle drop in temperature and so you wrap yourself in your cosy sweater.
With all your raspberries having been savoured,
You let your back come to rest upon the land beneath you.
The earth is quiet but for the soft breeze and birdsong that move through the valley.
Now you come back to what called you here in the first place,
Your inner yearning for peace,
Release and tranquility.
And as the soft breeze moves across the earth,
You allow it to slowly and softly unknot all parts of you that yearn to be unravelled.
As the wind flows upon you,
It soothes and softens your forehead muscles,
Untying knotted thoughts that did not serve you any longer.
It brushes across your cheeks and your jaw,
Inviting soft release to any tension that may have been clenched here.
The next movement of air rushes across your shoulders,
Helping you to release the weight of the world,
Freeing anything you have been carrying that is not for you to bear.
And as it moves across your chest,
It helps to further soften any knots and ease discomfort that may be held within your heart.
Take a moment to come back to your sense of self-care and compassion,
As you let the earth's breeze gently free any stagnant or stuck energy from your heart space.
You might facilitate this release with a deep out-breath.
The wind rolls down your arms next,
Helping to soften any tendency you might have to grasp or to hold on to something.
You are reminded that there is nothing you need to hold on to in this moment.
And then the wind blows across your belly,
Further releasing any yearning to control the future.
As you let go further still,
You sink deeper into the simplicity of this present moment.
You notice the wind moving down your legs,
Inviting your lower limbs to relax completely.
There is nowhere they need to carry you now.
You are invited to let go of all activity or movement and tune in to your inner tranquility wholeheartedly.
The earth continues to rotate,
Creating the illusion that the sun is moving away from you.
As it does,
The sky deepens,
Moving through hues of pink and violet,
Before fading into a royal blue.
You long to fall asleep here,
Amidst the fresh air,
The fragrant earth and its blossoms and the surrounding mountains.
You feel safe,
Secure and steady,
Loved and supported by the universe.
And yet before you fall asleep,
You take a moment to come back to your heart.
Perhaps you rest a hand there or simply turn your inward attention towards this space.
And as you connect with this loving centre within your chest,
You take a moment to silently repeat the words.
I love,
I am peaceful,
I am at ease.
You silently whisper any final words of tenderness and tranquility to your inner world,
Before closing your eyes upon the night and reconnecting with the solid earth beneath you.
All visuals disappear,
But the tranquility of the valley remains in mind and heart.
And as you drift into sleep,
You let this energy carry you,
Sinking peacefully into slumber.
You rest,
Reset and restore with ease,
Knowing that your tranquil breath supports you unconditionally.
Goodnight my friend,
Goodnight.
