Mother Earth Guided Relaxation

Joe guides listeners in a mindfulness practice of relaxation that encourages awareness of the body and of our interconnections with Mother Earth and with all beings. Joe uses the sound of the bell and of his voice and guitar as he speaks and sings, gently guiding participants into rest and relaxation. This is Joe's version of the practice of Deep Relaxation taught by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community.

Transcript

So find a comfortable position either seated or laying down where you feel supported,

Where your back can be straight,

Where you can breathe easily and normally.

If you're laying down you may find a place on the floor or on a cushion or a couch or a bed as long as you feel supported.

And you may want to find a blanket or a jacket to cover yourself with.

And just start to bring your attention to your breath.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

And we'll listen to a sound of the bell as a gentle reminder to come back to our breath as our mind wanders,

Bringing our attention back to the present moment,

Back to our body in the here and the now.

So bring your attention to your belly as you breathe in,

Noticing your belly rising,

As you breathe out,

Noticing your belly falling.

Just getting in touch with that breathing in,

Breathing out rhythm.

It's a rhythm that connects us to all living beings in the breath.

Breathing in the oxygen from the trees and the plants,

Breathing out the carbon dioxide that the trees and plants are breathing in.

We know we are deeply connected with all life,

With all beings.

We can rest in this connection knowing that we are not alone,

That we are part of this wonderful family of humans and non-humans here on Mother Earth.

Breathing in,

We bring our attention to our whole body.

Breathing out,

We relax our whole body,

Allowing our body to rest heavy on the earth,

Feeling supported by Mother Earth in this moment,

Feeling her holding us gently,

Lovingly.

Feeling the breath move through us,

Feeling our heartbeat as the heartbeat of Mother Earth,

Knowing that we are children of our Mother Earth.

We smile to all of our relations,

Breathing in.

I know I am safe in this moment.

Breathing out,

I know I can trust my breath in this moment.

Safety.

Trust.

Breathing in,

We bring our attention to our face.

Breathing out,

We relax all the muscles in our face,

Letting our forehead be smooth,

Smiling gently to relax the muscles around our mouth and our cheeks,

Releasing any tension in our jaw,

Letting go of any desire to be in control in this moment,

Trusting ourselves to Mother Earth,

To the community of all beings,

And to this breath that moves through us,

Connecting us with our larger family.

Breathing in,

We bring our attention to our neck and our shoulders.

Breathing out,

We release any tightness or tension that we're holding in our neck and our shoulders,

Allowing our neck and shoulders to rest heavily on the earth,

Releasing anything we may be carrying,

Remembering that this time is just for us to relax.

We don't need to carry any burdens.

We can lay these burdens down,

Entrusting them to Mother Earth as she helps us to hold them,

As she helps us to transform our difficulties,

Our suffering,

As she helps us to heal,

Knowing that we are children of our Mother Earth and that the earth is part of us.

We remember that this healing is part of us too,

Allowing the compost to happen and the nutrients from that compost to nurture all the good seeds that are in us,

Seeds of love,

Of peace,

Seeds of happiness and joy.

All are being nurtured by the compost from Mother Earth within us and around us.

Breathing in,

We bring our attention to our heart.

Breathing out,

We smile in gratitude to our heart.

Our heart is always beating,

Keeping us alive,

Helping to circulate our blood and the oxygen in our blood from our breath.

Our heart is giving us a rhythm,

Our own personal drumbeat,

Helping us to remember and hear the songs of our ancestors,

Singing with us in this moment.

Breathing in,

I am so grateful to my heart.

Breathing out,

I listen to the song of my heart,

The songs of those who have gone before me.

Breathing in,

I am aware of my body in this moment.

Breathing out,

I relax my whole body in this moment.

Breathing in,

I know I am a child of Mother Earth.

Breathing out,

I know that because I am a child of Mother Earth,

That wherever I am on the earth,

I am home.

I belong.

I'm connected,

And I can trust my Mother Earth.

Breathing in,

I know our Mother Earth is healing.

Breathing out,

I know that this healing is happening within me too,

As I allow my body and mind to relax,

To release stress and tension,

To make space and time for transformation and healing,

Relaxation,

Letting go,

Trusting each breath,

This moment.

Breathing in,

I bring my attention to my legs,

My feet,

My knees and the backs of my knees,

My ankles,

The bottoms of my feet.

Our legs and feet have been working hard,

Keeping us upright,

Helping us to take each step as we walk or run,

Jump and play throughout our day.

But now we can rest our legs and our feet,

Letting them be still and heavy on our Mother Earth,

Feeling supported,

Letting go of any stress or tension that we may be holding in our feet or ankles,

Our legs or our knees,

Giving this to Mother Earth to help us hold,

To help us heal and transfer,

To heal and transform.

Breathing in,

I am aware of my body.

Breathing out,

I relax my whole body,

Sinking deeper into the earth,

Becoming one with the womb of Mother Earth,

Resting safely,

Relaxing,

Connected to all my relatives,

Human,

Non-human,

Connected to the water,

To the land,

To the ancient,

Wise rocks,

The grandfathers and grandmothers who have gone before,

Connected to the air in each breath.

Each breath is healing.

Each breath is peace.

Each breath is letting go.

Each breath is trusting.

I am breathing in.

My body is at ease.

I am breathing out.

And I feel peace.

My peace grows from my head down to my toes,

And it flows from my heart to the stars and cosmos.

I am breathing in.

My body is at ease.

I am breathing out.

And I feel peace.

Breathing in,

I know I am alive in this moment.

Breathing out,

I smile to life in this moment,

To all of the joys,

All of the challenges,

The difficulties,

And the beauty,

The wonders,

And the mystery of this life.

Breathing in,

I know I am alive.

Breathing out,

I feel deep gratitude for the gift of this life from all of my ancestors who have gone before.

I know they are alive with me in this moment,

And I thank them for supporting me.

I know I am determined to live in a good way,

To make each step,

Each breath,

Each word,

And each action in peace,

In love,

With compassion and understanding.

And I know I need the support of my Mother Earth,

The community of all beings,

In order to do this,

In order to learn from my mistakes,

And to help turn the difficulties into rich compost,

Organic fertilizer,

For beautiful flowers to grow,

Flowers of peace,

Of love,

Of joy and happiness.

Breathing in,

I know I am a gardener with Mother Earth.

Breathing out,

I smile in humble gratitude for this role that I play,

For the gift of this life in this day,

For this breath right here,

Right now.

Breathing in,

I am aware of my body resting on Mother Earth.

Breathing out,

I relax my body,

Feeling the support and love of Mother Earth,

And all of the ancestors.

I am breathing in,

My body is at ease.

I am breathing out,

And I feel peace.

My peace grows from my head down to my toes,

And it flows from my heart to the stars and cosmos.

Breathing in,

I know this breath connects me with all living beings.

Breathing out,

I relax knowing I am deeply connected to all my relations.

Breathing in,

I know I can trust this present moment,

This moment that contains the past and the future.

Taking good care of myself in this moment,

I know that I'm helping to make a beautiful future possible for those who will follow me.

Continuing to follow our in-breath and out-breath,

Allowing our bodies to stay relaxed,

To be still,

Resting on our Mother Earth.

We will listen to a sound of the bell,

The voice of love calling us back to our true home,

In the present moment.

The sound of the bell,

The voice of love calling us back to our true home.

Delivering to practice awareness of breathing,

We can bring movement,

Gentle movement into our fingers and toes,

Wiggling them,

Waking them up with mindfulness.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

We can slowly,

Gradually bring ourselves to a seated position,

Remembering we don't have to rush,

We can take our time,

We can practice relaxation any time of the day.

Whenever we pause to remember to bring our attention back to our breath,

Back to the present moment,

We can relax and release,

And feel ourselves supported on our Mother Earth.

Thank you,

Dear friends,

For practicing relaxation together.

May you be at ease.

May you be connected to your spiritual resources.

May you be safe,

Healthy,

And protected.

May you be peaceful,

Happy,

And free in this present moment.

The sound of the bell,

The voice of love calling us back to our true home.

The sound of the bell,

The voice of love calling us back to our true home.

The sound of the bell,

The voice of love calling us back to our true home.

The sound of the bell,

The voice of love calling us back to our true home.

Reviews

This is a beautiful practice. Thank you

Thankk you Joe 🙏🏼
May you and Alison be well 🌞💚🌻

Thank you, Joe, for this offering. Your singing and the guitar rhythms are so relaxing. Your words help me connect to the earth and my ancestors in a way that I haven’t experienced with other guided meditations. Thanks again.

This was like a lullaby for my soul! Beautiful and soothing. However, the bell was so much louder than the voice or guitar that it was jarring.

Lovely and relaxing meditation. So calming. Love the 🔔✌️🙏

🌳🌿🌱💚🙏💚🌱🌿🌳

That was really beautiful. I so appreciate the loving music, your calm delivery, and holding space with you. Thank you so much.

This has always been one of my favorite meditations with Thich Nhat Hanh. Thanks for sharing it with us.