Welcome to a meditation on nature's treasures.
Let's find ourselves comfortable chairs to sit in or places to lie down.
Stretch or wriggle a little before you settle down.
Your eyes can be closed if you're comfortable with that or relaxed and softened,
Gently unfocused to a spot in front of you.
Then if you're sitting,
Make sure your sitting bones are connected with the chair.
Your spine is straight but not stiff,
Like pebbles stacked on top of one another.
Feel your feet connected firmly to the floor or ground beneath you.
Relax your head on top of your spine.
Imagine a thread is keeping it upright and centered.
And now relax your jaw.
Rest the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth.
At our own pace we're going to take three deep long full breaths in and out,
Right down into our bellies,
In and out at your own speed.
Every out breath relax a little bit more,
Letting go of the thoughts and concerns of the day or any worries you've got for the future.
In and out.
And when you're ready allow the breath to gently return to its normal pace.
I'd like you to imagine or pretend we're walking down a path,
Away from the busyness of the town,
The busyness of our lives.
The day is fresh and warm.
You can smell that there's been rain,
Almost taste it in the air,
But now the skies are clear and blue.
The path becomes a track.
You can put your hands out to feel the soft long grasses that surround you.
Either side of the track are hedges.
The hedges are full of may blossom,
Cow parsley,
The bright pink of ragged robin that sings out against the green.
And now and then the last few forget-me-nots reflecting the blue of the sky peek out at you.
Ahead as you swing open the gate,
The field in front of you is full of sunshine yellow buttercups and delicate dandelion clocks.
It's such a beautiful day.
The temperature is just right and there's a gentle breeze.
Your legs feel strong and full of energy.
Your feet move in rhythm with your heart.
And as you walk you allow any tension you have to drop down into the earth beneath you.
And as you walk you breathe in the freshness of the day,
New energy and vitality.
Gradually the hedges give way to stone walls around this field.
You can see the beautiful patterns of the lichen that grows on the stones.
The wild flowers and grasses that shelter in the shadows.
You can hear the birds amongst them curlews and up high the swift swoop and dive.
Everywhere you look you see treasures,
Extraordinary beauty in the ordinary day.
And if you feel your mind wandering,
Because minds do,
Bring it back gently to the field.
The yellow buttercups,
The dandelion clocks.
Through the gap in the stone wall ahead the path continues down to a lake.
As you come closer to the lake you can hear the lapping of the waves on the shore.
See the sunlight sparkling on the water.
Hear a few birds singing in the trees.
It's very peaceful.
Spend a little time here watching the ripples on the surface of the water.
Watching the reflections of the trees and the sky above.
Feel the earth firm beneath you.
Listen to the soothing sound of the waves against the lake's edge.
Can you imagine your breath is in time with a gentle lapping of the waves?
Watching the water,
A fish leaps out sending ripples.
Watch as the last ripples fade away and you can just see the waves gently lapping at the shore again.
Enjoy the feeling of this day and once again take three deep long full breaths in right down into your belly and out at your own pace.
When you're ready allow the breath to return to its normal rhythm.
Connect again with your sitting bones on the chair.
Start to gently stretch or wriggle your fingers and toes then gently cup your hands and bring them up tenderly over your eyes opening your eyes into them.
Bring yourself back into the present moment and to our here and now.
