Unfold & Unwind

This guided meditation highlights our connection with nature. Listening, feeling, and breathing into the seasonal shifts within nature creates space to surrender into physical sensation and the emotion of gratitude. This reconnection practice will unfold tightness and tension in your body and unwind your busy mind. The intention of this meditation is to ease and honor the transition as fall fades into winter.

Transcript

Welcome to this guided meditation practice.

This journey through time and space highlights our connection to nature.

The idea that we are separate from nature creates imbalance and detachment in the mind and body.

Taking the time to surrender into physical sensation,

Breath and the emotion of gratitude helps to let go of what is no longer needed and to focus on what is.

This reconnection practice will unfold tightness and tension in your body and unwind your busy mind.

The intention is to ease and honor the transition as fall fades into winter.

Slowly shift and move the body.

Adjust yourself until you are comfortable and then welcome yourself to the space.

Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out relax your whole body.

In this moment you have no responsibilities,

Nowhere to go,

Nothing to do.

And comfort,

Breathe and be.

You have given yourself the gift of time and space.

Be here now.

Sense your body feeling,

Breathing and listening.

Your mind will wander.

It is okay if you do not hear everything I say.

It is natural to flow in and out of conscious hearing.

There is no way to do this wrong.

Simply listen without trying too hard.

The deepest part of you,

Your core self is always listening.

Find stillness and remain still for deep rest and relaxation.

As you inhale scan your body and expand into any residual tension that you find.

As you exhale allow for more comfort and relaxation to wash over your body.

This is a process of letting go of doing in body and mind,

Releasing stress and strain.

Become aware of your relaxed body and space.

As we initiate this practice we will go on a journey beyond our immediate external world.

If it feels safe and comfortable close your eyes.

Relax your face,

Soften your brow,

Your forehead,

Unclench your jaw and teeth.

If you are lying down feel the back of your head sink into the floor.

If you are sitting feel your pelvis,

Legs and feet pressing into the floor.

Know that the floor supporting you is supported by another floor.

Let your awareness reveal the layers of foundation made of clay,

Rock,

Roots and soil.

The earth is your grounded support.

It is your bed to lie down on for rest and provides nourishment for you to thrive and grow.

Feel the connectedness of your body on earth.

Feel its strength,

Its softness.

Feel the earth yield to the weight of your body and support you completely.

Feel the energy of the living breathing earth.

Feel the energy that is alive in you.

Breathe in wide and full and breathe out long and slow.

With your awake mind create an intention of gratitude based on your heart's deepest longing.

Think of a positive statement in the present tense for something or someone you are grateful for.

It can be as simple as,

I am grateful for this moment.

I am grateful for friends and family.

Or I am grateful to be loved and supported.

Think of your gratitude intention now,

Your heart's deepest longing.

State it three times silently to yourself as though it is already happening.

It is your truth.

Allow your awareness to travel through your body on a journey of sensation.

Simply feel each region of your body as it is mentioned.

Breathe naturally and without moving your body,

Welcome all sensation just as it is.

Begin to feel both your hands.

Feel your right and left thumbs.

Feel all fingers on each hand.

Now feel just the tips of your fingers and thumbs.

Travel down the bones of your fingers into the palm of each hand.

Feel the back of your right hand,

Your wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm and shoulder.

Feel your whole right arm.

Feel the back of your left hand,

Your left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm and shoulder.

Feel your whole left arm.

Feel into the right and left sides of your neck,

Your upper chest and rib cage.

Feel the movement of your breath within your rib cage.

Breathe easefully and effortlessly into sensation.

Feel the inflation and deflation within your lungs.

Feel into your heart space,

The rhythm of your pulse,

Strong,

Regular and healthy.

Feel your upper abdomen and lower abdomen.

Right hip,

Left hip.

Lower pelvis and sacrum.

Feel your right thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg and ankle.

Feel into your left thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg and ankle.

Feel both of your feet and your toes on each foot.

Now feel just the tips of your toes,

Feel the top of each foot and soles of both your feet.

Feel the right heel and the left heel.

Feel the backs of your legs,

The sides of your legs.

Other leg and outer leg.

Now feel the right side of your body and breathe into the right side of your body.

Feel the left side of your body and breathe into the left side of your body.

Inhale followed by exhale,

Keep a steady rhythm to your breath as you feel into the back of your body.

Follow the curves of your spine,

Lower spine,

Middle spine,

Upper spine.

Feel your whole spine as it extends towards your neck and throat.

Feel the right side of your neck,

Feel the left side of your neck.

Feel your chin,

Your mouth,

Lips,

Teeth and tongue.

Breathe into your nose,

Your right nostril and your left nostril.

Exhale through both nostrils long and slow.

Feel both your ears,

Right ear,

Left ear.

Notice your ears receiving sound.

Feel your ears hearing,

Feel the right side of your face and the left side of your face.

Feel your whole face.

Feel your right eye and eyebrow,

Feel your left eye and eyebrow.

Bring your awareness to the center of your forehead,

Settle into the knowledge that you have the ability to trust your inner wisdom,

Your intuition and know you have the power within you to guide your own healing.

Feel the weight of your body supported by the floor,

Feel the space beneath the floor.

Let your awareness reveal the layers of soil,

Clay,

Rock and roots supporting you.

Feel the connectedness of your body on earth,

Feel its strength,

Its softness.

Feel into the energy of the living,

Breathing earth.

This guided meditation practice is a pathway lined with tall trees,

Dense brush and low bushes.

As you continue to sink into the soft ground where grass and moss meet,

Your mind's eye pursues the wooded path.

Your ears take in the crunching,

Crackling sounds of sticks and leaves underfoot.

Your eyes focus on the evergreens shifting and swaying in the breeze.

Your nose and mouth take in the clear scent of cedar,

Pine,

Balsam fir and spruce.

Your skin feels and absorbs the sensation of the forest floor.

Look deeper into your imagined surroundings.

Look closer at the patterns of the pine cone,

The leaf and the extending tree limbs.

See the smaller shapes that repeat over and over again,

Creating the whole shape.

Notice the beauty of these fractals that are found everywhere in nature.

Fractals exist in all living things.

There are fractals inside of you.

Allow the earth-body connection to create a sense of unity and peace in your mind.

Breathe into the back of your heart and feel a sense of appreciation for the strength and the softness of your body,

How it supports you and protects you.

Just like the earth,

Your body is your home.

Feel the physical and emotional sensation of gratitude for your breath and the beating of your strong heart.

Give thanks for our planet earth with all its layers,

Dimensions,

Resources and life.

Hold the connection of earth and your body,

Heart and mind as one.

Feel into its dark depths.

Look closely for the cracks of light.

Keep reaching.

Keep going.

Keep growing.

Know that the roots you create with nature become a part of you and carry you through your days and nights.

Begin to deepen your breath.

Feel your natural breath as it flows through you.

Feel its gentle rhythm and pace.

Feel the expansive quality of inhale followed by exhale.

Bring awareness back into your body,

Heart and mind.

Feel your whole body complete and balanced,

Connected to earth.

Fear your heart's deepest longing,

Your intention of gratitude for someone or something.

Stay the three times silently to yourself as though it is already happening.

Seal it in as your truth with three deep breaths.

As you reawaken your body from this guided meditation practice,

Gently breathe into fingers and toes.

Circle out your wrists and ankles.

Bend your knees and elbows.

Stretch through your hips and shoulders.

Extend arms and legs.

If it feels safe and comfortable,

Keep your eyes closed and your energy internal.

If lying down,

Slowly roll onto one side.

Right or left,

It doesn't matter.

If you are seated,

Press your feet into the floor that supports you.

Pause in this moment of unwinding distractions and unfold into the feeling of peace and gratefulness for all you have and all you are.

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