Welcome to this garden meditation.
So this meditation is designed to be conducted in a beautiful garden space,
Whatever that is for you.
So once you're in your beautiful garden space,
Find a comfortable spot for yourself.
This might be seated in a garden chair.
You could be lying on the grass,
Or you might simply be standing amongst the beautiful plants of your garden.
If you choose to,
You could lower your eyes to the ground to begin with,
Or even close your eyes gently.
So to begin,
I want you to focus on your breath,
Simply feeling that beautiful garden air coming in through your nostrils or your gently parted lips,
Letting that air come into and out of your lungs.
You're not forcing the breath here,
Just let it gently flow evenly and easily with your regular breath.
Letting that breath focus clear your mind as you come into your physical body.
And as you bring that focus into your physical body,
Feel yourself beginning to relax.
Allow each of your joints to soften so that you feel relaxed and comfortable in whatever position you're taking right now.
Feel any tension in your shoulders release,
Coming into that head where you soften your face and your jaw.
Feel relaxation spread across your scalp,
Down across your face and the back of your neck.
It spreads its relaxation across your shoulders,
Down each of your arms,
Down your back and your belly,
Feeling your abdomen into your hips.
Feel this relaxation soften your legs all the way down to the ends of your toes and to each of your fingers as you come into this beautiful,
Relaxing place.
And while we're in this wonderful garden space,
We can allow our senses to bring us into this present moment.
You might like to listen for the sounds in the garden.
Are there birds or insects making their chirrups?
You might hear distant noises from traffic or buildings,
Other people.
Allow those sounds to gently enter your ears without disturbing this little mindful moment.
You might like to gently inhale again that beautiful garden air.
And as you do so,
Notice any smells that come to you from the garden.
The fragrant plants,
Aromatic flowers,
From the gentle breeze.
Perhaps you're even your own perfume.
You might like to use your sense of touch,
Reaching out to nearby plants and feeling their soft leaves,
Gently touching petals of flowers,
Or even simply stroking your eyes or feeling the softness of your clothing.
And finally,
If you wish to open your eyes,
You can gaze around the garden,
Take in the beautiful sights,
All the colors of the plants,
Noticing any fauna,
Any bugs flying across the garden,
Any bugs flying or crawling around,
Also enjoying this wonderful space with you.
And as we use our senses,
It brings us into this moment.
We're safe here and now,
Relaxed in the present moment.
And if at any time your mind begins to drift away into busy thoughts,
Simply and gently bring it back to any of these senses that you would like to focus on.
Or you might like to just bring it back to the breath again,
Breathing in and out,
Every exhale,
Every inhale,
Every exhale,
Every inhale,
Bringing in that beautiful relaxing,
Feeling that life force of that breath moving in and out of you.
Send a bit of gratitude for this beautiful space that you find yourself in,
And even thankfulness to yourself for making this little space in time a priority,
This beautiful moment just for you.
Feel free to sit here as long as you wish and know that at any time,
At any moment,
You can come back to this space,
Either in physical reality by revisiting the garden or in your mind's eye,
Imagining yourself back in this space where you find relaxation and peace.
May you take it with you for the rest of your day.
