So when you're ready,
Let's just take a moment just to settle in,
Make sure you are comfortable,
That you don't have any distractions around,
And just give yourself permission to be here,
Taking this time for you to meditate,
To care for yourself,
And just unwind.
So when you're ready,
Take a big deep breath in and a long breath out.
Go ahead and do that again.
And one more time,
But this time as you breathe out,
Soften your shoulders,
Unclench your jaw,
Just let your body begin to soften,
Just allowing the weight of the day to melt from your body as you come into this moment right here,
Exactly as you are.
We'll begin to release the tension from our bodies by doing a tense and release exercise.
This is where we intentionally put tension in our bodies so when we relax,
We can really relax the muscles and let go of any pent-up tension our body might be holding on to.
So bring your awareness to your feet,
Clench your feet,
Curl the toes,
Create tension here,
Inhale filling up with air,
And exhale completely release and relax the feet.
Then moving up to your legs,
Squeezing,
Clenching the muscles,
The legs,
The calves,
The thighs,
Around the knees,
Squeeze,
Clench all the way up to the glutes,
Inhale filling up with that tension,
And exhale completely release,
Letting the legs melt and soften.
Moving up now to the abdomen and the back,
Squeezing,
Clenching,
Firing up your abdomen,
Putting tension in all those muscles in the back just for a moment,
Inhale filling up,
And exhale let it all go and melt.
Moving up now to your chest,
Your shoulders,
Your upper back,
Squeeze,
Clench,
Bring your shoulders up towards your ears,
As much tension as you can,
Inhale filling up,
Exhale let it all go.
Moving now to the arms and the hands,
Make little fists,
Squeeze,
Clench,
Fire up the muscles in your arms,
Inhale filling all the way up,
Creating that tension,
Exhale arms become soft and heavy,
Moving now to the neck,
Throat,
And the face,
Clenching everything up here,
Scrunching up the face,
Creating that tension,
Inhale filling up,
And exhale let it all go,
Completely release.
Now the whole body at once,
Squeeze,
Clench,
Fire up all of those muscles as much as you can,
Inhale filling up here,
Exhale let it all go,
Everything releases,
Body is soft and heavy,
The muscles are relaxed,
The whole body surrenders as it softens.
And now in your mind's eye,
Picture yourself at the edge of a winding trail that goes along the edge of a beautiful untouched and wild lake.
It's morning,
It's quiet,
The air is blanketed in a soft light foggy mist that hovers over the ground and gently floats through the trees.
The air is fresh and cool,
It's carrying the scent of that rain-damp earth,
Wild heather,
And moss-covered stone.
The sun is rising and it's beginning to shine on the ground,
Illuminating the dewdrops on the blades of grass.
And in the distance,
You can hear the chirp and calls of birds.
And this place just feels so special,
Untouched,
Ancient,
And in a way,
Wise.
You look out across the lake,
It's as still as glass,
The water is clear,
And you decide to take the path around the lake.
And so you begin to walk.
The trail beneath your feet is soft and a little springy with the peat-rich soil and moss.
To one side,
There's tall pine trees and birch trees.
Their trunks are strong and weathered and thick.
And you can hear the faint trickle of water weaving its way down the hillside.
The breeze moves softly and carries the scent of faint wood smoke and wet grass.
And as you continue your walk,
The land begins to open up a bit.
You can see in the distance low rolling hills,
Covered in soft patchwork of different greens and some purple with the heather blooming rich.
There's lichen covered stones that line the edge of the trail,
Their shapes softened by centuries of wind and rain.
And then to the other side,
You see the clear and calm lake,
Resting at the bottom of the hills.
Its surface is calm,
Reflecting the sunlight off of it.
And you walk just a little bit further and you see a small beach made of large round smooth stones.
And so you make your way to the shoreline.
It's so quiet and peaceful.
It feels magical here.
So you decide that you're ready for a swim.
So you set your boots and jacket and everything off to the side and you step into the water.
It's cool,
Clear and smooth.
It feels refreshing and cool and gentle,
Not cold.
And as you glide forward in the shallows,
Your body feels lighter.
You feel free.
Like the water is washing away any stress or worries.
You just lay back and float easily,
Effortlessly,
Completely held by the lake.
There's nothing you need to do here.
There's no one that you need to be.
It's just this stillness.
Just this freedom and peace within you and all around you.
And so you stay and you float,
Just absorbing that calming,
Nurturing energy of the water for a few moments.
And then you decide to swim back to shore.
And waiting for you is a towel and a soft woolen blanket spread out on the sun warmed grass.
So you wrap yourself up in your towel and you lie back,
Feeling the sunlight return warmth to your skin.
A scent of warm earth is rising all around you and the sun is getting higher above.
The fog has begun to lift.
And the water still lingers on your skin.
It's cool and grounding as you rest beneath the open sky.
You feel clear,
Unburdened,
Deeply at peace.
Just simply being and breathing,
Allowing yourself some time just to be here,
Soaking in the peace and quiet,
The beautiful nature all around you and the energy of the land that you're resting on.
And you begin to slowly return to your body,
Your breath,
And the room around you.
Taking a big,
Deep breath as you open your eyes and close your meditation.
Thank you so much for being here today.
