Welcome to this mindful meditation.
I invite you to find a comfortable seat in whatever space or surface you choose.
This may be seated in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your spine supported,
Or this may be on the floor on a cushion or a blanket with your legs crossed underneath you or outstretched.
Wherever you are,
I invite you to find a way to be 10% more comfortable right now in this moment.
Maybe shifting or moving or stretching in whatever ways help you to arrive.
And as you arrive,
Orient yourself to your space,
Letting your eyes wander around the room to pleasurable or interesting colors,
Shapes,
Or light,
Maybe objects that you find interesting or that bring you joy.
And as you look around and you find those things,
You might let your gaze linger on one that's particularly interesting for a little longer and just pause.
As you take that image in,
Just notice when the body starts to recognize and maybe downshift,
Allowing a spontaneous deep breath or swallowing or some other signal to you that you're dropping in,
You're arriving here.
And you can allow your gaze to stay on that object or one spot,
Or you might let your gaze become blurry down the bridge of your nose or even closing your eyes completely,
Going into the internal landscape of your own body.
As you begin to check in on the inside,
Just notice that there's an unconscious rhythm of breath flowing through you.
Begin to bring that rhythm of your breath into your conscious awareness,
Noticing the inhale and the exhale.
This is not an effort to change the breath in any way,
But just as a noticing that as you sit here in stillness,
Your body has a rhythm,
The same rhythm that the earth has,
That's moving through you,
Keeping you alive.
Maybe noticing that it's like the breath is breathing you as you follow this rhythm of the inhale and the exhale.
And now let's take a moment to think about an earth element that you feel connected to or that you want to feel more connected to.
This could be an earth element,
Something in nature that is very familiar to you,
That you know,
That you've been with,
Or maybe it's something in your imagination.
But just bring this image up in your mind,
Noticing all the colors,
Textures,
Maybe even imagining the smells that would be there.
And as you do this,
Notice the sensations that you begin to feel in your body as you think about this element or any type of natural image.
And what is the felt experience in the here and now?
What's happening in your arms,
In your face,
Your chest and your belly?
Is there a temperature,
A pulsing,
A tingling,
Maybe a pressure or a tension?
And not resisting or moving away from any of those sensations,
But also not clinging to them and needing more,
Just noticing what happens and then see what comes next.
Maybe notice what emotions show up for you as you stay connected to your earth element.
Maybe noticing how this might be meaningful to you.
And how does this element help you to engage or wake up to the resonance of your own life?
As you continue to take a moment more,
Just experiencing,
Reflecting,
Noticing.
You may allow yourself to release the image of the earth element and just connect more with the space around you.
Maybe once again,
Just feeling the surfaces underneath you,
The air on your skin.
Maybe you even notice the sounds around you,
Connecting more to your space.
If you so choose,
You might take a longer,
Deeper breath in.
And a slow,
Long,
Cleansing breath out.
Maybe again,
A slow,
Easy breath in.
And a long,
Deep breath out.
Just spending a few more moments lingering in the space.
Knowing you have all the time in the world in this moment.
And there's no need to rush or move away.
You can even allow yourself time to orient visually to your room.
If the eyes were closed,
You can let the eyes start to flutter open and let the eyes move around the room once again.
Connecting with those colors,
Shapes,
Objects,
Lights that were there before.
And you might just notice if anything shifted.
Are you noticing things differently?
Are colors different or tones?
And just reminding yourself,
You can return here anytime you need for as long as you need.
Because you can connect with this earth element and the rhythm of your breath anytime you want.
If it's helpful for you to take a few more moments,
You might want to journal your experience.
And when you feel ready,
Move on with your day and be well.
