Find yourself a safe,
Comfortable,
Warm place,
Seated with your feet on the floor.
You may be more comfortable in this meditation if you take any glasses off.
Our eyes can be closed if you're okay with that,
Or relaxed and softened,
Gently looking towards a spot in front of you.
Take a moment to think about your body as you sit here.
Is there anything that would make it just that little bit more comfortable?
Stretch or wriggle a little before we settle down completely.
Then sitting,
Make sure the sitting bones are connected with whatever surface you're sitting on.
Our spines are straight,
But not stiff,
Like pebbles stacked on top of one another.
And feel your feet connected to the ground beneath you.
Relax your head on top of your spine.
Imagine a thread is keeping it upright and centered.
And now we'll relax our jaws.
We'll rest the tip of our tongues behind the top front teeth.
And allow your hands to rest wherever they're comfortable too.
In our own time,
At our own pace,
We're going to take three deep,
Long,
Full breaths.
In,
Right down into our bellies.
In and out at our own speed.
And with every out breath,
We relax that little bit more.
We're letting go of the thoughts and concerns of the day.
Any worries for the future?
In and out.
When you're ready,
As breath returns to its normal pace,
I invite you to imagine a small seed.
When you place in your mind's eye,
Imagine or pretend that you are that seed.
Small and rounded,
You're nestled in dark,
Soft,
Warm earth.
It's not the frightening kind of dark,
But more like the kind of dark you'd find under a heavy,
Familiar blanket.
You've been here before and you know the darkness won't last forever.
It's comfortable,
Safe and peaceful here.
The darkness has protected and nurtured you.
But now it's beginning to be time to reach out towards the light.
Feel the sun warming you,
Making you want to stretch out.
It's time for us to grow a little,
Change,
Embrace all the possibilities we carry within us.
Can you imagine feeling the nurturing rain falling upon the earth that supports us?
Now we can stretch out a small,
Tender root into the ground beneath,
Securing ourselves into the earth.
Can you imagine one root and maybe another growing into that soft,
Dark earth from your feet perhaps,
Spreading out around pebbles,
Roots that we can draw into ourselves all the goodness the earth can offer us.
Above us,
The sun shines down upon us.
Can you feel yourself unfurling towards the sun,
Putting out a small green shoot from the kernel of the seed,
Feeling the breeze,
The sun,
The rain and growing and growing towards the light.
And with every passing moment you get stronger.
And when your mind wanders,
As minds do,
Bring your attention gently back to the image of a seedling,
Absorbing all the nourishment from the earth,
Air and sun.
A seedling that's strong and flexible,
Rooted in the earth,
Breathing in the light.
This time is for growth and light.
On the next in-breath,
Breathe in the feeling of hope.
Breathe out courage.
Take your mind to the roots that grow deep in the earth,
Your resilience,
Your strength.
Take your mind to the seedling that grows up towards the light,
Strong,
Flexible.
As we begin to return to the room,
Take three deep,
Slow,
Full breaths.
Breathe in the light of hope.
Breathe out courage.
Strengthen your resolve to grow from the seed of possibilities that we all have within us.
Be resilient to the weather that surrounds us.
Breathing in light,
Setting our resolve to grow towards us.
Breathing in deeply and out at your own pace.
When you are ready,
Let your breath return to normal.
Gently wriggle your fingers and your toes.
Bring your hands up to tenderly cup your eyes.
And if you've had your eyes closed,
Open them into the darkness of your palms.
And slowly bring yourselves back into the room,
Into this present moment,
Into the here and now with the resilience and strength and commitment to growth that a seedling has.
Thank you.
