The Garden: A Story For Growing Stronger Personal Boundaries

A guided meditation for growing stronger personal boundaries. Step into a garden at dusk, where your boundary is only just beginning to grow... thin growth here, bare soil there, waiting. As you turn your attention to it, the garden grows in response, and you find that protection and softness grow from the same root. There is no rush... just attention, and patience. Nothing needs to be finished tonight. Return as often as you like, in your own time to tend and nurture. This track uses deep immersion. If you have an active or sensitive nervous system, you are always welcome to open your eyes, stretch, or alter the practice to stay comfortable. Perfect as a peaceful evening sleep story. Find a warm space where you won't be disturbed. Do not listen while driving. Written and voiced by Nicola Rosewarne, with original music by Jack Rosewarne-Hebb.

Transcript

So just take a moment now. To settle in. To a lazy. . . Easy relaxation. Where you have nowhere to go. And nothing to do except. To Relax. Taking a moment to make sure that you are warm. Comfortable. And undisturbed. Giving yourself this gift. Of space. This gift. This gift of relaxation. Time. And when you are ready, If it feels good for you today, I'd like to invite you now to close your eyes. And for a moment or two, To do nothing. Nothing at all. And you may notice that you have little thoughts that travel across the mirror of your mind. And you can let those thoughts go, Just let them go. As you settle deeper. And deeper. Into relaxation. And release. And I'd like to invite you now gently. . . And lazily. To place your focus on the breath. And specifically on your out-breath. Following the path of the out-breath all the way. All the way. All the way to the end of the breath. Where you will find that there is a space. A pause. Time to stop. And then you will notice that the in-breath starts to ask you to take notice. And so you yield to the in-breath. And follow the path of the in-breath all the way. All the way. All the way to the top of the breath, To the space at the top. Of the in-breath. Before the out-breath releases once more. And you follow the path of the out-breath. The lazy gentle out-breath. All the way to the end of the breath. To this space. A gentle space. Before once again yielding to the in-breath. Following the path of the in-breath all the way. To the space at the top of the breath. Before releasing once more onto the out-breath. And noticing with a lazy, Easy curiosity. That the out-breath can become longer than the in-breath. And that maybe this feels right. And this feels good. And as the out-breath lengthens away lazily. You may find that you feel more and more relaxed. More and more relaxed. And now, From this lazy, Easy, Relaxed place. I'd like you to really slowly. . . Place your focus at the top of your head. And begin to imagine the muscles of your scalp. Releasing. Relaxing. Letting go. And it's like a wave of relaxation that starts to flow. All the way down. Down your skull. Down your forehead. Softening and releasing. Melting. Like butter. Releasing in the eyes, Around the eye sockets. Down across your cheeks. Across the back of your head and down your neck. Letting go. Softening and melting. Feeling the wave of relaxation spread now. Down your neck, Letting go, Softening and melting. Feeling the wave of relaxation spread now down into your body, Down into your shoulders, Across your chest and down your arms, All the way to the ends of your fingers. Releasing, Softening and melting down your spine, Vertebra, Bifertebra. Down. Through your ribcage and into your belly. Down into your pelvis, Into your pelvic floor, Letting go, Softening and releasing. Softening and releasing. Into your hips and down, Down. Down your legs. Through your thigh muscles, Releasing, Melting, And letting go in your knees, Your shins, And your calves. Down, Down. Through your ankles, Into your heels. Through the arches of your feet. Through the balls of your feet. And all the way into the very tips of your toes. The whole of your body now. Lazy, Easy and relaxed. With this beautiful melting sensation. This beautiful melting sensation. And as your body settles now. Into deeper and even deeper levels of relaxation. You find. That your mind is able to drift freely. And easily. A beautiful, Calm and peaceful feeling. Following the path of the breath. All the way. All the way. As you continue to explore freely, Happily. Easily and confidently. Drifting. And as you drift, You become aware very gradually. Of a scent. Something green and soft. And faintly sweet. Folding around you before you've even decided to notice it. And slowly. Gently you become aware of where you are. You are standing at the centre of a garden. At dusk. That particular hour when the colour of things goes soft and gold and grey all at once. It might be a garden you know well. Or one that is arriving here now, Forming itself just for this moment, Just for you. Either way, It is entirely yours. And there? In front of you. And wrapping all around you is the beginning of something. A boundary. Just started. Here a stretch of green growing thin and low. There, A long bare gap where nothing has been planted at all. The soil is rich. And simply waiting. And unprotected. The air carries that faintest trace of something green and sweet. From the few small things that are already growing here. The promise of a scent that one day soon will fold around you. Completely. When there is enough here to hold it. And you turn your attention to one of the bare patches, Right where the soil shows through. And there, Slowly. . . The way things happen in a garden that has always been more magic than you knew. A small tendril begins to rise. Curling. Reaching Not because you are working for it. Not because you are pulling or forcing anything. But simply because you have turned your attention here. And that is all this garden has ever needed from you. You watch it climb. As high as you wish it to climb. No higher. And no thicker than you need it either, You find that you decide simply by attending to it. Exactly how much grows in this one gap. Enough and not too much. And precisely right for this part of you. And you understand watching this happen. Something that feels like it has always been true. And only now has room to be noticed. You were always able to grow this. You simply hadn't yet turned towards the bare places. And giving them your attention. Further along where you'd like there to be a way through, Not everywhere, Just here, Just this one place. You find that you can decide that too. You picture the gap you want. Exactly the width you need it. And there it is, Growing itself into shape around the space you imagined. The boundary hedge on either side rising just a little taller. To mark where the opening is and where it isn't. And you don't need to explain this gateway to anyone. You are the only one who decides who it opens for. And you find that you already know, Somewhere beneath knowing, That you are allowed to close it too, Whenever you need to. That was always yours to decide. It only needed somewhere to grow. And you take a moment now to be present in what you are making. And there where the hedge is filling in most richly. You notice a bud has formed, Small, Tightly furled, Silky, Promising red. You reach towards it and imagine, If you wish, A single thorn growing there to guard it. Focused. Precise. Not unkind. Just there. And you realise in this moment that the thorn and the bloom can grow together. One makes room for the other. The thorn simply telling the truth about how close is close enough. So that the flower gets to stay soft, Gets to stay open, Gets to keep its scent for those who are gentle enough. To deserve it. And you are learning here. That the sharp parts and the soft parts were not so much opposite. More. Balanced. They grow from the same roots. Whenever you choose to let them. And as more of the boundary fills in, A little thicker here, A little taller there, Weaving and winding with whatever you choose to place here. Gaps closing slowly in their own time. You notice something else beginning to happen. In the deepening green. The faintest rustle. Something small. Vulnerable. Deciding for the first time that this might be a safe enough place to rest. And above you as the light softens further. The first bats lift into the dusk. And somewhere in all this growing. You realise that there is now enough of it. For something to navigate safely along it in the dark. And nothing needed to be finished for this to begin. It only needed to be growing. And attended to. And you stand back. And you look at what is here so far. Some of it lush and full. Some of it still a little thin, Still waiting for your patient and careful attention. Another day. And that is exactly as it should be. In this moment. This work does not need to be finished now. You can come back here anytime you like and tend it a little further. Exactly as much as you need to. Whenever you are ready. You have everything you need to grow this and tend it. You always did. And now that you know how to turn your attention. To those thinner places. You can do this again and again for as long as it takes. In your own time. And as you prepare now to continue on your journey, You know that you can move forward. Refresh. And with a lightness of step. Traveling along your path. Calm. Peaceful. Peaceful in your mind. Centred in the knowledge that you are in control. You are in control of your emotions. In control of your feelings and emotions. In control of the thoughts to which you choose. To give your precious attention. Now. And into the future. So gently now. Bringing your focus lazily back to the breath. And specifically to the out-breath. Following the path of the out-breath all the way. To the end of the breath. To the space. The pause. Time to reflect. Before the easy in-breath comes in. Yielding to the in-breath now. Following the path of the in-breath. All the way to the top of the breath. To the space before the out-breath releases once more. This lazy gentle breath pattern. Which happens all by itself. And then placing your focus lazily at the top of your head. And finding that melting sensation once more, Sweeping down through the body, Softening, Melting, Releasing. Letting go of all that you want to let go of. Finding in its place calm, Peaceful, Settled space. And then finding your awareness in the very tips of your toes. Bringing physical sensation back to the body. So finding a wiggle and a stretch, A wiggle and a stretch that moves through your feet and up your shins and your calves. Through your knees and your thighs, Stretching and wiggling in your legs. And into the base of your spine now, On your pelvis, Up the spine, Through your belly, Through your rib cage, Up to your shoulders, Wiggling and stretching, Letting that movement travel down your arms all the way. All the way down your arms to the very tips of your fingers and the tips of your thumbs. And the wiggle and the stretch moving up your neck and around the back of the skull. And down to your face. So the whole of your body now physically present. And should you choose now to go to sleep? Then you sleep deep and peaceful. Feeling calm. Feeling subtle. And should you choose now to wait? Then gently, Lazily, Beginning to deepen the breath. Letting each in-breath bring you a little more presence. A little more aware. Feeling the breath fill you with a quiet, Settled awareness. A quiet, Settled aliveness. And with each out breath, Releasing the last of this deep relaxation, Softly. Easily in your own time. Becoming aware now of the sounds around you. The feeling of where you are, Your body warm and present and completely your own. And when you are ready. . . In your own time. Gently open your eyes. Thank you for practicing with me today.