Welcome,
Dear friend.
Find a quiet space where you can take this time out to relax.
Lie down on a bed or couch in a comfortable position with your head slightly elevated,
Maintaining a lengthened spine to facilitate the flow of energy in your body.
As you relax into stillness,
Softly close your eyes and begin to draw your awareness to your breath.
Notice the air flowing into your nostrils,
Filling your lungs,
Expanding your belly,
Ribcage and chest as you inhale.
Notice the contraction in these spaces as you exhale,
The sensation of the old energy flowing out of your nostrils.
Allow your mind to follow the breath.
Now begin to count the length of your breath.
Notice its natural rhythm.
Maybe it will be 1,
2,
3,
4 on the inhale and 1,
2,
3,
4 on the exhale.
Just let it happen naturally.
Now that you've done a few breath cycles,
Try to consciously lengthen out the number of counts for the exhale.
Maybe it will be just one count longer.
It can be as much as twice as long as the inhale if it's comfortable.
Now return to your natural breathing rhythm and check in with your body.
How does it feel?
Check in with your mind.
Are you closer to calm?
Now draw your awareness to the space in front of your closed eyelids,
That screen of your mind.
You may now see colors and shapes there.
And now open up your imagination and allow yourself to take a journey with me away from the heat of summer to a cool sanctuary where you can replenish.
You are resting on a cool,
Flat,
Black volcanic boulder just behind a tumbling waterfall.
You are safe here.
You are grateful to be cool and comfortable.
Your back is supported by the expanse of basaltic rock underneath you.
Your senses are alive.
You feel the occasional splash of crystal clear water on your skin.
You hear the thundering sound of the waterfall.
You taste a drop of cool water that lands on your lips.
You breathe in the cool,
Clean mountain air.
You smell the refreshing scent of water and earth and the pine trees and the forest surrounding you.
The cool air and water around you revive your being.
You sit up and slowly walk around the curtain of water where a pool of cool,
Blue-green water awaits.
You jump into the deep pool of water and shout with glee.
It's so refreshing and cool.
Your mind feels sharp and alert.
Your skin tingles with aliveness.
You push your wet hair from your face and gaze up at this amazing waterfall created by snow melting from the mountains.
As far as you can see,
There is only water and towering trees and dark earth.
You swim a slow breaststroke across the pool,
Savoring the sensation of the cool water cocooning your body.
You say a quiet thank you to the earth for all its beauty and splendor.
You vow to be more mindful on how you can live in a way that shows love and respect for the earth by recycling,
Taking reusable bags to the grocery store,
Walking or biking whenever possible instead of using your car,
Picking up trash others have left behind,
Turning off lights in your house and unplugging appliances and devices you're not using.
You wade out of the pool and walk slowly back to your safe space behind the waterfall.
You sit down and then allow yourself to rest again on your back on the cool bed of basalt.
Once again,
You feel grateful to feel cool.
The excessive fire in your body quenched.
You savor the sense of contentment you feel out alone in nature.
Nature has brought you back into balance again,
The way it always does.
Now allow these images to descend into the recesses of your mind so you can bring them back whenever you need them.
And bring your awareness back to present moment,
Space and time.
Noticing your body relaxed in the room where you're resting,
Be aware of the rise and fall of your breath.
Just let it flow with ease and comfort.
And begin to bring slow movements into your fingers and toes.
And when you feel ready,
Roll over onto your right side,
Just pausing with your eyes closed for a couple of slow,
Deep breaths before slowly making your way back up to seated.
The divine light in me honors the divine light in you.
Namaste.
