Welcome everyone to this body relaxation meditation as we journey to a peaceful lake in the woods.
To begin,
Sit or lie down.
If you're lying down,
Extend your legs and let your arms rest alongside your body or maybe place your hands on your belly.
Close your eyes if that's comfortable for you and begin to notice the natural rhythm of your breath,
Letting it soothe and calm you.
We'll begin our journey walking along a well-trodden path through the forest.
The animals here are all safe and friendly.
The ground along the path is covered with pine needles that gently crunch underneath your feet as you walk.
There is a breeze blowing through the trees and the air smells like a Christmas tree,
Maybe like pine or fir or maybe it smells like a cedar chest.
Take a deep breath in and as you exhale,
Begin to let go of any tension you've been holding in your body.
It's early evening and in the distance you can hear the waves of a lake lapping along the shore.
Our thoughts are like waves on a lake.
Some days there are white caps and our thoughts are turbulent but other days our thoughts are like small gentle waves on a light breeze.
Walking along the path,
You'll come to a set of stairs leading down to the lake.
Pause at the top of the stairs and just breathe.
The stairs have been hewn out of the trees in the forest.
There are six stairs leading down to the lake and with each step you take,
You'll feel more and more relaxed.
Your body will begin to feel more at ease.
Stepping from six to five,
Relax your forehead,
Relax your eyes,
Let them be heavy in their socket,
Relax your nose and your ears,
Relax your mouth,
And your jaw.
We hold a lot of tension there.
Just let it go.
Stepping from five to four,
Relax your shoulders across the back and the front of them.
Relax your arms and your hands.
Maybe let your arms feel light as air like they're floating.
Stepping from four to three,
Just pausing for a moment and maybe as you look out through the trees you can see the lake.
Stopping here to relax and notice your breath,
Feeling the gentle rise and fall of your belly,
Maybe feeling your ribcage expand as you breathe in and out.
Stepping from three to two,
Relax your hips and your lower back.
Another place where we hold a lot of tension.
Just let everything go.
Stepping from two to one,
Relax your legs and your feet.
Again,
Maybe you let them feel light as air,
But knowing that your feet and your legs will still support you for the rest of the journey.
Just let everything go.
And finally,
Stepping off of the stairs and back on to the forest floor,
Looking out in front of you,
You'll find a dock that sits on the lake.
Go ahead and walk out onto the dock.
And take a seat.
As you sit on the dock,
The sun begins to lower in the sky.
The wind dies down and the lake becomes still and peaceful.
Your body is totally relaxed.
So for the next few moments,
Let that peace and stillness fill your mind.
Just breathe and let go.
And the sun is setting and it's time to leave the lake.
Begin to bring awareness back into your body with small movements,
Maybe in your fingers and your toes,
Maybe wiggling your eyebrows or bringing a smile to your lips.
And then maybe bringing some bigger movements to your arms and your legs,
Like you're stretching to wake up in the morning.
And then whenever you're ready,
If you're lying down,
Coming up into a comfortable seat.
And for one last time,
Just noticing your breath.
Thank you for joining me in this relaxing journey down to the lake.
Namaste.
