Find yourself a safe,
Comfortable,
Warm place to sit.
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 the spot in front of you.
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.
They're like pebbles stacked on top of one another.
Feel your feet connected to the ground beneath you.
Allow your hands to rest wherever they're comfortable.
Relax your head on top of your spine.
Imagine a thread is keeping it upright and centered.
Now relaxing our jaws,
We'll rest the tip of our tongues behind our front teeth.
At our own pace we're going to take three deep,
Long and full breaths in,
Right down into our bellies and at our own speed out.
And with every out breath we relax just that little bit more.
We're going to let go of the thoughts and concerns of the day or any worries for the future.
In and out.
And when you're ready let your breath return to its normal pace and I invite you to imagine,
Hold in your mind's eye,
A picture of yourself as a tree.
Where the soles of your feet are touching the ground,
Roots grow deep down into the earth.
Roots grow downwards and outwards through layers of fallen leaves,
Soft loamy soil.
Roots growing through into the dark earth.
Roots that grow round stones and bones,
Through homes for rabbits,
Moles and other underground animals.
Roots that grow down and down,
Thick and strong,
Reaching for all the water and nourishment that the earth can provide.
And these roots keep us strong and centered on this earth and these roots make us feel grounded and secure.
These roots help us to belong right where we are,
Right now.
From these roots as we breathe in we can breathe into ourselves all the goodness of the earth.
And on that next in breath imagine you are breathing up through the roots and through the soles of your feet,
Good stuff from the earth beneath us.
Now bring your attention up to your legs and torsos and as we breathe in we draw up the strength and energy from the roots that support us.
Here our bodies are like the trunk of a tree,
Stable,
Strong.
Now we're going to take all of our attention to our center right now,
Deep inside our bellies,
Somewhere behind our belly button,
Right in the middle of us and breathe into that space a deep long breath.
Relax into our center and just rest here a while,
Keeping attention to our breath right in the center of our bodies.
And if you find your mind wandering as minds do to the branches of our brain bring your attention back into your body right to that central spot with a slow deep full breath.
The wind may be blowing around the tree but the trunk is calm,
Strong and peaceful.
Center yourself in that calm.
On the next in breath take your attention to the crown of your head,
The crown of the tree.
Here the sunlight shines down upon this spot and as you breathe in,
Breathe in that light.
Allow that sunlight to spread down through your body,
Through your trunk,
Bringing deep relaxing warmth to all of you.
With each in breath bring in the light,
With each out breath allow that light to spread throughout your body.
And when your mind wanders as minds will do,
Bring it back to your breath breathing in light from the crown of your head,
The crown of your tree and let that light,
That sunlight spread throughout your body down through your trunk,
Down to your feet.
And when you are ready gently start to wriggle your fingers and toes.
Bring your hands up to tenderly cover your eyes and open your eyes gently into your hands.
Open your fingers gently to allow the light back in.
You may want to stretch your body a little as you come back to the present moment,
Back to the here and now,
Feeling the strength of the earth beneath you and the warmth of the sun above.
Thank you.
