Just begin by finding a comfortable position,
Whether that's upright sitting in a chair with your feet firmly on the ground,
Or lying flat on the floor on a mat,
Or in your own bed.
Just find somewhere that makes you feel comfortable,
And if you need to move throughout this meditation,
Then please do slowly and mindfully.
And then we'll start by taking some deep breaths,
In and out.
Just letting go of what's already gone on for you today,
And not thinking about what's yet to come.
Just being here in the present.
And if you find that your mind wanders during this meditation,
Then just bring it back to the breath and to my voice.
And I want you to imagine that you're standing in front of a field.
It could be a field that you're very familiar with.
It could be a field from a picture.
Or just one in your imagination.
But I want you to imagine that this field is surrounded by trees.
Trees of all varieties,
Of all shapes and sizes.
Some tall,
Some smaller.
And as you stand at the edge of the field and step in,
You see right in the very middle of the field,
A beautiful hot air balloon.
Just stand and notice for a moment what your hot air balloon is like.
You notice a strong basket underneath it.
And strong ropes leading up to it.
Then perhaps notice what colour your balloon is.
Is it just one colour?
Is it multicoloured,
Almost like a patchwork?
Does it have spots or stripes?
And as you watch it,
You feel drawn to walk towards it.
So slowly,
Feeling the ground beneath your feet,
You begin to walk towards the centre of the field where the balloon is.
And as you get closer,
You can see more details on the balloon.
You can see that there's a door on the basket.
And as you get closer still,
You can look up into the top of the balloon.
And when you get to the door in the basket,
You open it gently and step inside,
Locking it firmly behind you.
And then choosing to either sit or stand.
Again,
Noticing the colours.
And as you sit,
The balloon gently lifts from the ground.
Just a few feet at first.
And then slowly,
A little higher.
And then a little higher still,
Until you're at the top of some of the tallest trees.
You're feeling safe and secure.
And you look out at the trees,
Looking at them from a different perspective.
You can see birds' nests,
Perhaps,
And the birds flying backwards and forwards.
Some with food to feed their young.
Some with twigs to build their nest.
And the balloon hovers gently while you look at it.
If you look closely,
You might even see some eggs or some tiny chicks.
And then the balloon goes up a little bit further,
And you look up towards the sky.
Beautiful blue sky.
The sun shining down.
You can feel it on your skin.
And the balloon gently starts to move out of the field.
And you notice a small stream underneath you.
And it seems like the balloon is going to follow the stream.
You look down,
You can see it bubbling gently.
You can see how it meanders.
And you can see a path at each side of the stream,
And trees and flowers.
And gradually,
The stream becomes a river.
And it takes you through fields.
And as you look down on the fields,
You see a beautiful array of things growing.
A field of bright yellow sunflowers.
Fields of barley and corn.
And the balloon takes you along the riverbank.
You notice people below.
Someone fishing quietly.
Someone else out for a walk with a dog.
You can feel the quietness.
Just the gentle breeze as the balloon takes you along your way.
And as you look down,
You can see the distance.
You then see the sea.
And the balloon takes you further out.
Over a beach.
And as you look down,
Either your beach is a sandy beach,
Or a rocky craggy beach full of rock pools.
Just notice the colour of the sea.
Is it a deep blue?
Or turquoise?
And the balloon gently takes you across the sea.
And as you look down,
You see a boat.
Just bobbing gently in the water.
Really notice what kind of boat yours is.
Is it a small fishing boat?
Is it a beautiful ocean liner?
Just notice how gently and how slowly it seems to be moving.
And then if you look really closely down at the water,
You might be lucky enough to see dolphins or porpoise swimming and playing.
Jumping out of the water.
Chasing each other.
You can still feel the warm sun,
But there's a gentle breeze now too.
And then your balloon sweeps round in a circle.
And you can see where you've come from.
You can perhaps see the cliff edge.
As your balloon slowly takes you back towards the beach.
You can see a different beach this time.
Perhaps you can hear sounds from below.
Children laughing.
A dog barking in the distance.
And your balloon continues slowly.
Taking you back across the beach.
And picking up the river again.
This time you notice your journey from a different perspective.
Noticing fields.
Growing different things.
Tulips,
Cornflowers.
Notice their vibrant colours.
You might be lucky to see birds flying past.
To hear the sound of their wings.
And the balloon follows the river now.
Meandering as it does.
Past the places you came through before.
Until in the distance you can see the field where you started.
And slowly.
It gets closer and closer.
Until you're hovering just over the centre of it.
And take a good look round.
A 360 degree look round.
It's not often that we see the world from this perspective.
Enjoy the sights.
And the sounds.
Listen to the birds.
And the gentle breeze.
And then slowly and gently.
The balloon begins to make its descent.
Until it reaches the ground right in the centre of the field.
With the smallest of bumps.
And just take a few breaths here.
Before you leave your balloon adventure behind.
Feeling the ground now firmly beneath your feet.
And unlocking the basket.
Stepping out onto the ground.
And feeling how good that is too.
Noticing how grounded you feel.
And then slowly walking across the field.
Back to where you started.
Turning around.
And having one last look.
At the hot air balloon before it melts away.
And again taking a long deep breath.
And gently moving your fingers and toes.
And coming back into the room that you're in.
