Fresh, Solid, Calm, Free

This guided visualization and breath awareness practice is based on Thich Nhat Hanh's pebble meditation. We begin with grounding in the body and move on to cultivate the qualities of freshness, solidity, calm, and freedom.

Transcript

So I want to encourage us to call up certain states that are there all the time,

But that we don't often bring up into our waking mind.

But we can learn to do that on a regular basis.

So I'll be inviting us to touch four different states of mind.

And this comes from a Plum Village meditation,

But I'll be offering it to you in my own way.

But the first state is that of freshness.

So we all have that sense of aliveness and curiosity and freshness of a child.

But especially when we're stressed,

We can forget all about that.

But it doesn't mean it's not there.

And in fact,

It can come up quite immediately,

Even in a very difficult,

Challenging moment.

So we're just going to be in that.

We're going to be inviting that to be here,

And then we'll invite the energy of stability and solidity to be present in us.

That's the second energy.

And then the third is calm and stillness.

And the last one is freedom and space.

So I'll invite the sound of the bell.

And as I invite the bell,

I invite you to bring your awareness to the sound of the bell as much as possible to really hear the entire sound when it begins,

As it goes,

And as it fades to really listen for the full sound.

Allowing the bell to bring you back to yourself,

To your breath,

And to this moment.

So feeling your body,

Noticing where your body is making contact with whatever you're sitting or lying on.

And allowing your body to give its weight,

Really to release onto the support of the earth.

Really experience yourself as like a child,

Letting the earth just hold you,

And you don't have to do anything during this time of practice.

You can just be here and let your body rest.

Let your mind rest.

The earth is there for you,

Taking your weight,

And you can let go.

I invite you to be in touch with the energy of freshness in you.

The state of curiosity and interest.

The way you would look at something for the first time.

The child in you that is really lively and open to what might unfold right in this moment,

That is a new moment,

That has never come before and will never come again.

What is it that you might open to with fresh eyes right here,

Right now?

Maybe it's this breath.

Maybe it's sensations in your body.

Maybe it's sounds in the environment.

Allow this sense of energy,

Of creativity,

Of being a flower that is full of sweet fragrance and freshness.

Allow that to be alive in you.

Maybe there's a particular flower that you really love.

You could visualize that flower and see yourself as a flower.

Full of life,

Full of beauty.

Full of sweet fragrance.

Or perhaps what evokes the feeling of freshness in you is something that you do that makes you feel fresh and energized.

Maybe it's swimming or playing with a child or riding a horse or hiking or just taking a shower.

If it's helpful,

Bring to mind a situation in which you feel very alive and in touch with this freshness,

With this curious and lively energy.

And let it fill you.

Maybe you notice it in a particular part of your body.

Let it get more intense there.

Let it anchor in that part of your body.

If that energy of freshness in you wants to express itself,

Let it be there.

Express itself through a smile and allow that smile to spread across your face.

So we'll take a deep breath and release the energy of freshness for the time being.

And now we open to the energy of solidity,

The quality of a mountain that is there in each of us.

A real stability and strength that allows us to face hardships,

The storms of life without crumbling,

Without collapsing.

So feel the solidity of your own body,

The strength of your bones,

Your muscles,

All the solid parts of your body.

And just take in how strong you really are.

All the things that you have lived through and dealt with,

All the people you've been able to support and be there for.

All the challenges you've lived through and gotten stronger because of the strength of your own body that has healed itself numerous times from illness,

From injury.

Let yourself really experience your own strength in this moment.

Your physical strength,

Your emotional,

Mental strength.

You could see yourself as a mountain with your head being the peak and your shoulders,

Your legs,

Your torso being the body of the mountain,

Your feet,

The foot of the mountain.

Just sitting regally or lying regally with majesty.

Very reliable,

Very powerful.

Notice where you feel this solidity and stability most strongly in your body.

It may be all through your body or it may be in a particular area.

So let that experience grow more intense in that area,

Anchoring it in your body.

This trustworthiness,

This strength,

This unshakeability that is you.

So taking a few deep breaths and we'll release the energy of stability,

Solidity.

And now we open to the energy of calm and stillness that is in us.

You could visualize yourself as a lake,

Very still,

Very serene.

The surface of the lake is undisturbed and it reflects perfectly the trees around the lake,

The clouds in the sky.

Feel that sense of calm and stillness growing in you.

The way your body can manifest that stillness,

That peacefulness,

That not needing anything else,

Resting just like a lake.

And also how your mind can be clear and still,

Not distorting information because of the ripples on its surface,

But reflecting back things just the way they are.

So touching right in this moment,

This calm,

Serene,

Tranquil quality that is you,

Your mind and your body.

If it's helpful,

You can bring to mind a time when you felt very calm,

Very peaceful in your body or in your mind.

Just let that memory fill you now.

Or you can continue to visualize yourself as a still forest pool.

So notice if you feel this energy of calm,

Stillness in any particular area of your body.

And let it really fill you in that part of your body,

Anchoring as an energy that you can always bring up.

You can always call upon when you need it.

So take a few deep breaths now and we'll release our focus on calm and stillness.

And the last energy we'll be invoking is that of space and freedom.

So you could visualize yourself as a bird flying through the air.

So much space around you,

Feeling very free,

Very light.

You can go fast,

You can dive,

Or you can just soar on a air current,

Taking your time,

Not even moving your wings.

Being in touch with that energy of freedom,

Of spaciousness,

Vast space that exists in each of us,

A space of possibility,

Anything being possible.

A space of equanimity,

Being able to see all sides of something,

Not getting bogged down by it.

This freedom of loving and accepting ourselves just the way we are,

Saying yes to life just as it is.

Not needing anything to be different.

Maybe you like to visualize yourself as the full moon traveling through the night sky,

Immense space all around you,

Radiating the light of freedom.

Feel the space around you,

Feel the space inside of you,

Limitless space,

Unobstructed freedom.

Feeling if there's a particular area in your body where you feel this sense more strongly,

And letting it grow and intensify in that part of the body,

Anchoring this experience of freedom and spaciousness in that place.

And taking a few deep breaths as we release this focus.

And just spending the last moments of our practice celebrating and honoring these powerful energies of freshness,

Solidity,

Calm,

And space that are always there in us just waiting to be touched and woken up.

Taking your time to gently,

Slowly transition.

You can slowly open your eyes and stretch.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Reviews

Loved the emphasis on each feeling. Made me feel calm throughout the process.

Hi Kaira, much appreciation for this meditation. I’m grateful for your presence in the past at POA mentor calls.🙏🏼

All qualities that I needed to explore, develop, and embrace this morning. Beautiful guidance and visualizations. Thank you so much ❤️🔆🙏

Wow! Incredible guided meditation I will return to again and again. Thank you! 🙏🏼

This meditation was a great way to start off my morning! Thank you 🙏🏿

What a joy this meditation is! Thank you so very much. I will be adding this to my playlist of favorite meditations and will return to it often. 💕

Superb 🙏

I really loved it: so quietly powerful. I feel the qualities within me.

Such gentle guidance. Full of ease and tenderness. Thank you. 🙏

Excellent

Wonderful practice - thank you 🙏🏻

Beautiful guiding through Thich Nhat Hanh’s imagery. Thank you. I felt it throughout my body, mind, and heart.

So evocative of freshness, solidity, calm, and spaciousness, I didn't want to end the sitting.

Lovely, thank you, Kaira, for this beautiful practice.

Such a powerful meditation that helps us reconnect with precious qualities that are already present within us. It felt amazing both in my body and mind. Thank you!

Powerful. A beautiful journey inside. 🙏🏼

A beautiful interpretation of the meditation with the extra guidance. Thank you

Thank you 🙏🏼🙏🏾🙏🏿🌈☮️🌎❤️

Thank you for reminding me of freshness, solidity, calmness and space. Just so refreshing.