Settle in.
Take some relaxed breaths.
Get comfy.
And get ready to take a journey together.
I want you to think of a time in your life when you had no stress.
Maybe it was just an afternoon.
Maybe it was an entire period of your lifetime.
But think of a particular memory if you can.
Swinging on a swing.
On a camping trip.
Maybe stargazing.
See if you can come up with one of your most stress-free memories.
And I want you to feel how your body receives that memory.
Take note of how your muscles feel.
How your breathing is happening.
Even your thoughts.
And now I want you to think about your life right now.
Your current situation.
And if you have been feeling stressed,
Anxious,
Overwhelmed.
And feel that in your body.
So what we're going to do is shift your body into a state of peace.
Calm.
Relaxation.
You may be seated.
Or laying down.
Whatever way you are most comfortable.
I want you to see yourself in a beautiful,
Beautiful scene.
Right next to the water.
This could be a beach.
Or it may be next to a river.
Or a lake.
You choose.
Now I want you to visualize as best as you can,
A rock.
A perfectly round,
Really large rock.
That you can see yourself walking towards and getting comfy on.
It's almost like it's built like a chair.
And as you climb on top of this rock and get settled in,
You notice the warmth.
The warmth emanating up through the rock into your entire body.
You look out in front of you and notice that it is the water.
Whatever way you envisioned it.
Whether it's an ocean,
A lake,
A river.
It could even be a marsh.
Feeling that warmth underneath your body and looking at the beauty in front of you.
I want you to take note of the water.
Is there movement?
Or is it completely still?
Is it gentle and slow?
Or maybe it's more rapid or crashing?
Just observe the water.
Feel the warmth for the next couple of moments.
Feeling connected,
Completely relaxed,
And ready for the next part of our adventure together.
In your mind's eye,
You stand and start walking.
There's a path that has presented itself.
It's sandy,
But it has tall grass lining the sides.
And it runs right along the water.
As you start walking,
You feel a gentle breeze on your face.
You notice the sun and the warmth coming from above now.
You continue to walk,
Thinking about any of the stress that you may have been carrying that may have led you to this track.
And you put it down just on the grass to the left side of the path.
You put it down with the agreement that you can pick it up later if you would like.
You continue walking,
Feeling lighter,
More free,
Happier,
A little bit curious.
As you continue walking,
You think about some of the things in life that have brought you joy.
It could be things that you currently do.
Maybe it's playing a team sport,
Or belonging to a club.
Maybe it's spending time with family and playing games.
So I want you to think of even the self care routines that bring you joy,
Or perhaps you haven't had time for those,
But the self care things that you know would bring you joy.
The simplicity of reading a book.
Maybe walking in nature.
Could be getting a massage or any other self care treatment.
Maybe it's attending workshops,
Trainings on personal growth.
So I want you to just identify some things that you truly love doing.
Maybe it's listening to music and dancing.
Maybe it's painting,
Writing poetry,
Singing.
Maybe it's something you've entirely forgotten.
Maybe hiking.
So take a moment to think about one or two of those favorite things that bring you so much joy.
Continuing to walk along this beautiful path next to the water.
Just observing the scenery.
Looking out at the water whenever you feel like it.
Looking at the tall grass.
Keeping an eye out for any birds or small creatures that may visit.
And if you had a chance to think of some things that bring you joy,
I want you to ask yourself if you have done those things in a while.
And if you have,
Have you done those things as much as you would like?
Continuing to walk along and thinking about these items as an antidote to stress.
Almost as a balance.
If you see one of those old fashioned scales.
And sometimes this represents the Libra.
And you picture your stress,
Overwhelm,
Your worries on one of the sides.
And then on the other side,
You picture the things that bring you joy.
I believe one of the keys of life is to fill the side of the scale with so much joy,
That there's barely any room for stress.
We live in a society where perhaps that isn't as simple as it may seem.
However,
I encourage you to think about adding just one more item of joy onto that side of the scale.
And just see if there are any shifts over the next couple of weeks.
And continue to find pockets where you can add more sparks of joy.
Remembering that these are a way of balancing and maybe even eliminating the stress and anxiety that you may feel.
And so as we continue walking along the water on our pathway,
We notice up ahead,
A little package.
And as we approach it,
We realize that it is actually the stress and the worry that we left at the beginning of our walk.
And now you have a choice.
You can pick that up,
Start carrying it again.
Or you can leave it there.
Start fresh.
See if you can shift your perspective and move forward in a different way.
It's totally up to you.
Once you have made your decision,
You can continue walking.
Taking another look at the body of water.
Taking a pause.
Just staring outward once again.
Taking note of the water.
Taking note of how you're feeling.
Thinking about any small changes that you may be able to implement in your waking life.
And holding those in your heart for a moment.
Letting those intentions set in.
Feeling the peace and calm within you.
Closing your eyes and tilting your head up to the sun.
As you take a couple of relaxed breaths once again.
Feeling yourself back in your physical body.
Wiggling your fingers and toes.
Maybe moving your legs and your arms.
Moving your head gently back and forth.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes.
Thank you for meditating with me.
Namaste.
Peace and awesomeness to you and yours.
