Guided Forest Visualization

To begin practice we will connect with our surroundings, body, and breath. We'll then move through a chakra cleanse and create alignment with our star and earth lineages. The guided visualization takes you on a nature adventure to a waterfall where you have the opportunity to overcome your fears, surrender, and trust. Nature is our teacher and through this meditation, we learn to let go and let be. Trust the process yogi.

Transcript

My name is Samantha and I will be here to guide you into the unknown. Let's take a few moments to settle into our space. Getting comfortable in an upright seated position. If you are seated in a chair, Place your feet flat on the floor to ground your body. If you are seated on your cushion or on your yoga mat, Seated cross-legged is a beautiful place to begin. With your spine tall, Turn your palms upright on the legs. We'll take the left hand to our heart and the right hand over top. This is a gesture of love to self for showing up and for being here. Take a moment to embrace this love, To welcome it in with your whole being and to be present for any messages that may come your way. Take a few breaths into your heart space now. To deepen this connection from within, We'll find the mudra of the inner smile, Placing your first, Second, And third fingers to touch the thumb tip, Keeping your pinky fingers up to the sky, The mudra of the inner smile. As you hold this mudra, Allow your fingertips to face forward with your hands just in front of your shoulders. Feel the corners of your mouth begin to slightly turn up. This is the fourth and the third finger. Keep your first finger, Your index finger, And your thumb tip connected as you now place your hands and your gaia mudra on the legs, Increasing your awareness, Your focus, And your concentration. Finally close down the eyes if you haven't already and begin to surrender to your higher self to this moment and to the flow of life. Beginning here by just focusing on your breath, Recognizing the gentle inhale and exhale that comes in through the nose and out through the nose. Feel your body being breathed. Begin to recognize if there are any places in your body where you are holding tension, Perhaps maybe you are holding energy. Allow yourself to begin a body scan now. As you scan through the body here in this space, Recognize whether or not you are able to release this energy in this moment or whether it will require you to revisit later, Perhaps with a journal entry, More contemplation, Or even more stillness. Allow whatever comes up to be met with acceptance, Compassion, And kindness. Once you've completed your body scan, Just come back to the inhale and the exhale, Breathing the body, No attachment, Just pure awareness. You return back to your breath. Feel your breath. Calm and relax your whole body. And then feel your breath. Calm and relax your mind. And then feel your breath, Calm and relax your surroundings, The environment in which you occupy. Feeling each breath ripple farther and farther away from the center of your being so that you impact everything around you, Bringing calmness and relaxation. Let's feel our breath begin to cleanse and clear all of our energy centers, Our chakras, That run down the spine will begin at the crown of the head. Feeling as your breath enters the crown of the head, Inhaling down to the heart, Pausing, Feeling your breath swirl around your heart space, Collecting any debris, Any hurts, Any sadness and feeling it carry it with you and your breath down through your lower chakras and out the pelvic floor into the earth. All of the debris, All of the energy that's carried with your breath moving deeper and deeper into the earth, Allowing the earth to recycle your energy, To transform your energy and create new life. The next time you inhale, Feel your breath enter through the crown of the head and move through your third eye, Your throat and land in your heart and then as you exhale, Feel the breath continue moving downwards through your solar plexus, Sacral chakra and root chakra to leave the body moving into your earth star chakra into the earth below you, Moving deeper and deeper and deeper. Continue breathing in this way so that you feel the light enter, Washing away, Balancing your chakras and cleansing each one of your energy centers so that you may carry on with your day lighter, Cleansed and purified. After your next exhale, Feel your breath travel deep into the earth, Taking your roots along with you, Feeling yourself being planted here in this space in the present moment exactly as you are. Let's take a journey. Feel yourself walking through the forest surrounded by tall trees, Creating a canopy above you so that you are sheltered from the heat of the sun. Inside you to your right runs a stream, Twists and it turns but as you continue to walk deeper into the forest, The stream stays by your right side like a faithful companion. You tune in to your senses and perhaps hear the songs of the birds in the sky, In the trees or dancing around you. Now begin to hear the gentle ripple of the water, The rush of the water. This mindful stream alongside you. Feel the undulations of the earth, The unevenness and yet you always maintain your balance. One foot in front of the other, One step at a time is all you need to focus on. Feel the invisible air, Rustle the leaves in the trees, Creating a gentle whoosh. As you continue walking the path deeper into the forest, You meet a meadow, A large vast open space full of grass being blown in the wind as tall as your being. The sunlight beaming down on you, Receiving its codes, Receiving its warmth, Allowing your whole body to be cleansed and to be guided by this solar light. You continue to walk through the meadow, The stream still along the right side of your path but not as close anymore. You come into the meadow, You'll find a spot, Soft grass and you plant yourself there for just a moment. You take off your shoes and you feel the earth beneath your feet, The grass between your toes and the cool dewiness of the blades soothing your whole being. You look up to the sky to notice the only thing there is the sun. Beautiful blue skies, Birds off into the distance and the solar rays charging you for your day. Feel the sun beat down on your third eye chakra as you gently shift your gaze up towards the sun. Feeling its light connect with your light, Repairing any lost inner vision, Rewiring anything that may have become construed or disconnected. Repairing pathways, Rebuilding pathways to your higher vision and your higher knowing. For a moment you stand here in all of its beauty, Of its warmth and of its energy. Before you leave this moment you thank the sun. Thank you for sharing its warmth, Its light and its energy. Taking gratitude for the beautiful exchange in this meadow. You then refocus your eyes back to the path to which led you to this meadow. Returning to your path you begin to walk alongside the stream once again. As you follow the stream you notice that the stream turns into a low shallow entrance with a small pathway leading you towards the cleansing waters. You follow this path down the river edge, Shoes in hand as you now cleanse your feet in this earth's water. Feeling its sandy surface beneath your toes, Water brushing up against the ankles. Under the canopy of trees you feel connected, Nourished and completely at peace. As you look around you, You see new life blooming from the river's edge. You see the water rushing over rocks, Carrying on its way, Not minding or being stopped by what is in its path. You feel the water continue to rush around your whole body. As you look down, Down, Down the stream you see a waterfall. You make the decision to walk through the waters, Placing your shoes on the earth's edge, Leaving any of your belongings with the shoes that might weigh you down, Committed to whatever depths of water you may need to swim in. You walk to the edge of the waterfall, Water remaining at the ankles. You look down, There is this sense and this feeling that you've been here before. You've been at the edge of change, At the edge of the earth, Looking into a new earth, A new life, A new beginning. You feel fear wash over you. You accept it. You feel excitement wash over you. You accept it. You walk closer to the edge of the waterfall and you see that as the water drops down the edge of the earth, It leads you to this beautiful turquoise pool, Safe to jump, Safe to be received. You take a breath. You say a prayer, Setting an intention for growth, Setting an intention to overcome your fears, Setting an intention to fly even if just for a moment. You prepare for your descent, Lifting your heart up to the sky, Spreading your arms out wide, Ready to take flight, You breathe in and on the exhale, You jump, Feeling yourself parallel with the waterfall as you feel its sprinkles wash over your body before you eventually plummet into the depths of the turquoise waters. In your descent, You feel the pause and you open your eyes to see a beautiful underwater landscape, Knowing you are safe, Held, And secure. You begin to kick your feet, Swimming to the surface, Using your hands and your arms as propellers to help you up. You take the inhale once you breathe in the air, Head outside of the water, And then you begin to back float. You hear the water connecting from the fall to the surface. You feel at peace, You feel light, Feel held, And know you are secure and safe exactly as you are, Reminding yourself that in life we must do hard things in order sometimes to find this peace and security. Sometimes it takes a leap of faith in order for you to meet the version of you that is ready for a new beginning, A new earth. You dip your head back into the water, Coming up cleansed, And you swim to the surface. You find the water's edge and you see a path up the side of the waterfall. You exit the water, Following the path back up the mountainside. You find your belongings, You carry your shoes, And you find your path once again. This time as you walk your path, The stream is on your left. It's different now, As if you are walking upstream yet alongside of it, Completely unaffected by its rushes, Its ebbs, And its flows. Instead you feel like you are one with the water, One with the earth above, Below, And around you. You feel the supports of the trees. You acknowledge the sun peaking its rays of light through the canopy, And you continue your journey back home. Take in all the sights and sounds. You reach the portal that allows you to leave the forest. Before you completely let go, You turn around, You place one hand followed by the other on your heart. You thank the forest and the elements for their lessons and for their wisdom, Merging the beat of your heart with the beat of the earth. You bow your head in gratitude, And then you turn around and begin to walk away, Returning to your breath, Returning to this body, Returning to this moment. Take your first, Second, And third fingertips to connect with the thumb tip, Leaving your pinky finger upright, The gesture of the inner smile, Returning back to the beginning, Back to this place that is calm and relaxed. As within, So without. You break the mudra. You feel the corners of your mouth stay high, And then slowly begin to invite movement back to your physical body here and now in this space, In this reality, Rolling out through the shoulders, And gently rolling the head from side to side. When you're ready, You can let light filter back in, Opening up the eyes, Taking in the space and your surroundings, Feeling a sense of gratitude for being back here in your heart space, In your home space. When you feel a wave of gratitude wash over you, Place your hands in anjali mudra, Prayer position at your hearts. Gently bow the head in gratitude, Acknowledging all that it took to show up for yourself and your practice today. Take a breath in. Take a long breath out. Thank you for allowing me to guide you through your practice. Be well. Go in peace. Namaste. Welcome to tools and tools on how to spiders come into the world and get through a multitude of mental health challenges.