This is for when you're finding it hard to let things go.
For when the weight of your actions or intentions are weighing heavily on your mind and you're struggling with self-forgiveness.
You are welcome here.
This is a visualisation meditation to meet yourself in the nurturing expanse of the desert.
To allow yourself to be cleansed and relieved of heaviness,
Self-doubt and things you have not yet allowed yourself to forgive.
You can leave these experiences,
Thoughts and feelings in the desert,
Having scattered them to be dispersed and made distant like grains of sand blowing across the endless desert floor.
Let's begin by getting comfortable.
Close your eyes and make any adjustments you need to settle into comfort.
I invite you to take a long deep breath,
The longest breath that you've taken today.
That's it,
Smooth and even.
Now gently let the breath go.
Let's take three further rounds of breath together.
Draw each breath in to the count of four.
In through the nose,
Two,
Three,
Four and out through the nose,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Twice more.
In silence,
Breathe with me.
In,
Out,
In,
Out.
Allow your breath to return to its normal rhythm.
Your breath is your life force and constant companion,
Always there.
You can draw upon the steadying and grounding power of the breath whenever you feel unstable,
Fearful or uncertain.
Let us bring attention to your body.
Notice your feet on the floor and the sensations of your feet touching the floor.
How do they feel?
Light or heavy perhaps?
Do you notice a fizzy energy?
Are they hot or cold?
There is no right way to be.
Just notice.
Move your attention to where your legs meet the chair,
Floor or bed.
Is there a pressure?
A pulsing?
A heaviness?
A lightness?
Notice your back against the chair,
Floor or bed with the same open curiosity.
Bring your attention into your stomach area.
Are you holding tension there?
Is it tense or tight?
Allow release.
Notice your hands.
Are they open or closed?
Are they gripping?
See if you can allow them to soften.
Now bring your attention to your arms.
Follow any sensations that may be there.
Allow your shoulders to drop.
Notice your neck and throat.
Allow them to be soft.
Breathe.
Soften your jaw.
Let your face and facial muscles be soft.
Take a deep,
Steady breath.
Feel your body here.
Warm,
Relaxed,
Soft.
Imagine you're in a desert at sunset.
There is a great expanse of space,
A wealth of beauty.
The sun is setting over the dunes and the warm,
Rich light pours onto you,
Warming you,
Lighting your face and enveloping it.
You scan the landscape in front of you.
As your eyes look towards the horizon,
You catch a glimpse of something,
A figure alone and still at the far limits of your focus.
This figure is waiting for you.
You know this in your very being and instinctively trust that it is safe and right to meet the figure where it stands.
You begin your journey towards the figure,
Walking over the soft sand and the dry,
Rocky flats of the desert terrain.
Imagine the journey you take towards this figure.
The desert breeze catches your clothing and gently caresses your exposed skin.
Take your time to get there,
Noticing how the figure appears closer and closer.
You feel as if you're walking home.
You are your destination.
The figure standing,
Waiting for you is everything and everywhere you need to be right now.
As you get closer and your focus becomes clearer,
You recognise that this person is a version of you.
Take this figure as they are,
As the very purest,
Lightest version of you.
They are smiling warmly and holding out their hands to welcome you.
When you arrive to stand in front of yourself,
The sun is low and warm and red,
Casting dramatic shadows across the dunes and desert floor.
Stand before yourself and drink in the beauty.
Take in your own open,
Welcoming stance and gentle smile.
This is the place to meet yourself,
To allow the weight of sadness,
Self-judgment and guilt to fall away.
This version of you is not here to advise or judge.
Stay for a while.
Notice what you are wearing as you stand in front of yourself,
How the desert breeze catches your hair and clothing.
Allow this best version of yourself to hear your concerns,
To acknowledge your uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.
Allow the sensations of being seen and understood to wash over you.
Let these things go.
Release them and scatter them to the far corners of the desert as if they were grains of sand blowing gently in the wind.
Allow yourself to be bathed in your own love and compassion.
Stand as the glowing sun sinks over the horizon and casts a safe,
Nurturing light over the landscape.
Meet your own gaze and smile gently back.
Breathe.
Sit for a moment and allow this meditation experience to wash over you.
Allow any thoughts,
Feelings and emotions to run through you.
Take your time and when you are ready,
Take a few deep breaths in and gently open your eyes.
