Today,
I want to share with you a meditation I curated and wrote,
Especially for these times we are in,
When so much is changing by the minute all around us.
My hope in this meditation is that it will allow you to afford yourself the grace and self-compassion you deserve for doing such incredible work to care for others and yourself in times such as these.
This meditation will be based on a technique called visualization.
I will guide you through it so there is nothing you need to do other than find a comfortable position of your choice wherever you are at.
To begin,
I would like us all to reach a soft gaze just looking ahead of where you are.
No need to focus intently on anything in particular in your field of vision.
Now,
I would like you to take three deep breaths in counting for three seconds on the inhale and three seconds on the exhale while slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
Let's do that together.
Take a big deep breath in.
Hold for three and exhale out.
Again,
Breathe in and exhale out.
And one last one.
In this breathing exercise,
You are bringing oxygen to where it is needed in your body.
It is nourishing the places where we have all held tension.
On this next set of breaths,
I want you to slowly close your eyes on the exhale and then resume your normal breathing pattern and I will set the scene for our visualization meditation.
This visualization is based on a practice I call CARE.
CARE in this case stands for creative,
Accountable,
Responsive,
And empathetic.
Inside every one of us is a boundless creative.
We are all accountable for our own mental wellness and the wellness of those around us.
Our bodies are responsive and tell us where we hurt,
How we heal,
And how to love.
And empathy is our greatest gift of understanding and knowing one another.
It is with this CARE that we take a journey together.
So now,
I want you to imagine in this moment,
You've been on a long hike up a mountain on a perfect Pacific Northwest summer day.
Imagine the sensation of the incline under your feet,
The gravel breaking away on the trail as you find your footing,
The pack on your back,
The crisp breeze cooling your forehead as you consistently break a sweat,
A reminder of the hard work you have done to get here.
You stop to catch your breath and looking ahead you see just beyond your gaze a pristine alpine lake.
The sun reflects off her waters,
Almost a welcome beacon to your aching muscles.
Can you see it?
Now,
Really take this moment to paint the picture and the landscape in your mind's eye.
The glistening surface of the alpine lake lies undisturbed.
Your mind too can reach the state of stillness if you let it.
As you follow the image in your mind's eye,
Let us walk closer to the shore of the lake where you will drop your pack,
Remove your cap and let the breeze hold you.
There is nothing you must do in this moment.
Your breathing is done for you.
So let the winds above the glacial peaks sing to you.
Now,
You reach down to see some stones at your feet.
Can you envision them?
What do they look like?
Are they smooth from the millennia of journeys from the earth and back to the earth?
What is their sacred story?
What energy do they hold?
Yes,
Even things that appear still to our human senses hold energy.
Now,
I want you to imagine and try to feel in your hand,
Leaning down to pick up a rock,
Whichever one calls to you.
Can you feel it ever so slightly in your hand?
The weight of the world can even exist in the mass of a rock in your grasp.
Now,
Glance out again at the inviting waters before you.
They call to hold whatever weight you need to release.
So let's release.
In just a moment,
We're going to take another series of deep breaths in and deep breaths out.
And on your exhale,
I want you to envision with your mind's eye,
Releasing that rock from your grip and throwing it as far as you can to reach the center of the alpine lake.
Are you ready?
Which hand will you throw with?
Okay.
Together now,
Let's take a big deep breath in.
And exhale and release.
Your exhale can lift the weight off of you as the stone finds its place in the center of the pool of stillness.
How long before it plunges and causes the first orbit of ripples.
Now,
I want you to again practice using your mind's eye and this time really focus on those ripples echoing out from the center of the alpine lake.
They are working their way back to where you stand on the shore.
Let's count silently in our heads,
How long they take to reach our shores.
I will breathe with you while you count silently to yourself and listen to the ripples.
And just like that,
The give and take of our journey nears completion.
Before we come back to where we are sitting and back into our reality,
I want you to take one last envisioning exercise with me.
With your mind's eye,
Look down to where the little lapping waves are crashing just at your feet.
And imagine reaching down and cupping a few fistfuls of water and bringing it to your face to refresh and awaken your senses.
How does that feel?
Now,
As you feel the glacial waters on your skin,
Let us take one more deep breath in and a long exhale out.
And let us open our eyes and join back to where we met this time today.
Take your time if you need to.
As like descending the mountain trail,
It can take time.
So go easy on yourself.
And as we come back together,
I will say thank you for allowing me to help you transition from your week to your weekend.
It was an honor to share this experience in creativity,
Accountability,
Responsiveness,
And empathy.
Namaste.
You
