Hello and welcome.
Thank you for taking time today for yourself.
We need to take time to look within ourselves,
To nurture ourselves and to find some peace in our busy lives.
Today we're going to be exploring a safe and nurturing space.
A space where you can retreat to whenever you feel the need.
Find a comfortable seated position.
Perhaps you'll be sitting in a chair or on a meditation cushion or on your mat.
Feel free to lie down if you prefer to be on your back.
And when you're comfortable,
Close your eyes.
Find the breath as it moves gently through the body,
As if breathing you and just settle in with the breath.
Let the day that you've had or the day ahead sink towards the back of your mind.
You can go back to those thoughts later.
But right now,
Find yourself standing barefoot on a path.
Notice the texture under your feet.
Is it hard,
Like a paved surface?
Is it rough,
Like a stony surface?
Or is the ground soft and warm,
Like sand in the sun?
Or perhaps it's soft and cushioned,
As if standing on the leaves fallen from the forest canopy,
Moist and cool.
Feel the texture under your feet.
Notice the sensation of the air on your body.
Is the air warm?
Can you feel the sun shining down on you?
Is it cool under a cloudy sky?
Can you feel the air moving through a soft breeze?
Perhaps the air is moist,
With a soft mist.
Start to walk along the path in front of you,
Noticing each step,
Feeling the texture under the feet,
Feeling the temperature of the air around you,
Hearing the sounds that you might be hearing.
Maybe the sound of the feet as you walk.
Maybe the movement of stones under the feet or leaves.
Ahead of you,
You see a gate.
What does that gate look like?
Is it a big gate,
More like a door,
Solid?
Is it a small,
Simple gate?
Is it made of wood,
Wire,
Metal?
Is there a handle or a latch?
Take your hand to the handle or the latch,
Or gently push your palm of the hand against the door or the gate and open it.
Once you open the gate,
Take a step inside,
Inside your garden.
Notice the gate behind you and pause for a moment.
As you look ahead,
Notice the size of your garden.
Is it a small,
Walled garden?
Or is it an expansive garden with no wall,
But perhaps a view?
Turn to the left and look to see what you find on the left and to the right.
Noticing any plants,
Shrubs,
Flowers,
Maybe some rocks.
What do you notice in your garden as you look left and you look right?
If you see flowers,
Are they all the same color flowers?
A beautiful display in one color?
Or is there a beautiful bouquet,
A variety of flowers?
Perhaps you see some bees or butterflies or other little bugs.
Happily moving through their home,
Your garden.
This garden is just for you.
You are the only person in this garden unless you choose to invite someone else in.
It's safe.
And you feel that.
You feel safe.
You feel embraced by the nature.
You feel a sense of calm and freedom.
This is your garden,
Your retreat.
You can fill your garden with whatever brings you joy.
Whatever brings you peace and makes you feel nurtured.
Explore the garden.
And as you start to move forward,
Keep looking to the left and then the right to notice what you see.
Perhaps you see fruit trees,
A small orchard.
Perhaps those trees have your favorite fruit on them,
Just perfectly ripe for you right now.
Perhaps in front of you,
There's a beautiful view.
Perhaps there's lawn,
Like a carpet of soft green,
Luring you to lie down.
Or perhaps your garden is much more wild,
With natural grasses growing tall and interesting paths weaving among the grasses.
This is your garden,
Safe and nurturing.
You're feeling that sense of calm and freedom to explore this garden.
Perhaps there's some big trees in your garden.
If there are trees in your garden,
Notice them.
How big are they?
Are they providing beautiful shade under which you can relax?
Perhaps they've got gorgeous branches,
Inviting you to get playful and climb the tree.
Perhaps there's even a swing from the tree.
Maybe you notice another place for you to sit,
To relax in your garden.
Perhaps there's a bench.
Or maybe just a comfortable rock.
Perhaps there's the swing.
Or maybe a hammock in the shade.
As you stand here in your garden,
Feeling safe,
Feeling held,
And feeling calm,
Notice any sounds you may hear.
Do you hear the sound of birds?
Birds chattering happily in the trees and the flowers.
Let that bird song fill your heart.
They're free,
And you feel that freedom.
And as you stay in this garden,
Just being present here in this garden,
Let the stresses of the day melt away.
You're free here.
You feel that childlike energy rising up in you.
You notice some rocks,
And you feel like you just need to climb those rocks.
As you move towards this beautiful wall of rocks,
It looks like there's a path made specially for you amongst the ferns and the greenery.
You clamber up the rocks,
Feeling that sense of joy,
That movement's coming so easy to you.
There's nothing sore.
There's no restraints.
You feel free as you climb.
And as you get higher up on that little rocky ledge,
You have a view over your garden.
You pause and breathe in the beautiful,
Sweet,
Pure air.
And as you exhale,
You're letting go any of the last stresses of the day.
Is that water perhaps that you hear?
Is there maybe a pond?
Perhaps there's a swimming pool,
Or maybe a stream.
Following the sound of the water,
You venture down the rocks back into your garden,
Noticing again the trees,
The flowers,
The life that fills this garden.
From the smallest little bee to the beautiful birds that you can see.
Perhaps there's even other little creatures in your garden.
Friendly creatures that you welcome into the space.
The safe,
Secure,
Nurturing space.
The space where you feel free.
You come across the source of the water.
Maybe it's a stream.
And next to the stream,
Beautiful,
Soft greenery.
Just calling for you to sit down and dip your feet into the crisp,
Clear water.
As you watch the water flowing down the stream,
It gently moves around the rocks in the little stream as if caressing them.
There's no resistance,
Just flows.
Everything working together.
The bubbling noise of the stream,
The trickling sounds.
As you sit softly,
Quietly next to the stream.
Your feet dipping into the cool,
Crisp water.
You feel calm,
At ease,
And willing to let go just for now,
Just for this time,
When you feel safe and free.
You feel the gentle breath in the body as you breathe in and out to the sounds of your garden.
As if that garden envelops you,
Embraces you,
Draws you in.
Fresh,
Revitalized,
And calm.
Feel free to rest here next to the stream for as long as you like,
Enjoying the sounds of the river,
The soft chatter of the frogs,
The birds in the trees,
Perhaps even the gentle breeze rustling the leaves,
The gentle hum of the insects,
And that most beautiful fragrance that fills the air.
As if that fragrance is made specially for you,
As a gift from the flowers in your garden.
Rest,
Be still,
Allow yourself to absorb this energy.
You can stay here in your garden for as long as you like,
And know that you can come back to this safe space,
This garden,
Whenever you like.
Each time you come back,
It could be exactly the same,
Or it could be different.
Each time you visit,
You could add more as you explore further into your garden.
But know that each time you come back,
Each time you choose to visit this garden,
Your garden,
You are safe,
You are held,
Nurtured,
And loved.
You don't need to leave the garden.
You can just slowly become aware of the sounds you can hear around you,
Back in the room.
You can slowly become aware of the parts of you touching down on the chair or the floor.
You can slowly become aware of the sensations in your physical body and your breath as you breathe in and out through the nose.
And whenever you're ready,
Whenever you choose to leave the garden for now,
For today,
For this visit,
Gently move the fingers and the toes,
Drop the chin towards the chest,
And gently open your eyes.
Welcome back.
I hope you enjoyed this beautiful garden of yours,
The safe and nurturing space,
A place for you to retreat to whenever you need to.
