I invite you to get comfortable,
Whatever that is for you.
Maybe you sit down or lay down.
Do what feels right in this moment.
Bring over any support that you will need to help you feel settled.
Maybe it's a blanket or a pillow.
Once you're settled,
I invite you to close your eyes or find a gazing point,
Something that isn't moving,
And just softly focus your eyes there.
Let whatever you are resting on now completely hold you.
Release any tension in your body,
Starting all the way up at the top of your head.
Release any tension from the forehead,
The space between your eyes,
From your cheeks,
Your jaw,
Maybe you even roll it out just a bit.
Release any tension from your neck,
Then your shoulders.
Release any tightness from your chest,
Upper back,
Your belly,
And your low back.
Release through the right hip,
Through the left hip,
Through the right leg,
And the left leg.
Release any last bit of tension you have out through your feet,
Even down out through the pinky toe.
Once you're nice and settled,
Bring awareness to your breath.
Let your breathing be natural,
No need to force it into any particular pattern.
Just observe how the inhales naturally flow into the exhales in a beautiful,
Continuous cycle.
Flow in,
Flow out.
Breath flows in,
Breath flows out.
As you observe your breath now,
I invite you to also experience the natural cycle of nature,
Imagining yourself landing now into a beautiful,
Natural fall landscape with trees around you.
Perhaps it's more of an open field with trees spread out,
With lots of room for them to grow.
Or maybe you're in a forest,
With trees growing close and in harmony.
Maybe there's a little sun peeking out behind the clouds to shed some light onto the trees.
If you're in a field,
Take in its openness and expansiveness.
Or if you're in a forest,
Maybe you see mystical and enchanting elements around you,
With many trees of different sizes and types,
Many twisty,
Winding branches.
Wherever you are in this scene,
It's the beginning of fall.
The leaves have begun turning to their many beautiful colors,
Several shades of orange or red or yellow.
Maybe a few or many of these leaves are dusting the ground of the field or the forest floor.
Begin to see and feel yourself as rooted into this scene,
A part of this nature all around you.
Wherever you sit or stand among these trees,
Look down to notice that you are one of them.
A beautiful tree anchored down into the earth.
Take in this tree that you are embodying.
What type of tree are you?
How tall are you?
Your tree might stand perfectly straight or lean to one side.
Perhaps someone has carved something into the side of your tree.
Maybe animals play,
Nest,
Or live in it.
Birds or squirrels,
Or maybe a solitary wise owl.
Take in this tree from all angles,
Noticing that its leaves are starting to turn.
Is there a dominant color for your leaves?
Are they more orange or red or yellow?
Or is it a bright,
Beautiful mix of colors?
Travel now inward into your tree,
All the way down into the roots.
The roots are as old as you are,
Containing all the wisdom you have at this moment.
Even as the seasons change around you,
Even as the animals come and go,
Even as the leaves fall and grow again,
These roots are what keep you steady and growing.
What is held within your roots?
What's anchoring you to the ground?
With each season,
These roots anchor more deeply.
As the summer season ends,
What has helped you nourish your roots?
What experiences have given you more room to grow?
Take a moment to celebrate and think whatever has helped you strengthen and expand.
Begin to travel now up the trunk of your tree.
What keeps your trunk strong and protected?
What helps you stay protected in all types of weather?
Recognize and honor what has kept you lifted and soaring tall.
As you travel up to your leaves,
Notice how different each of them are.
Some are still holding tightly to your branches,
While others are on the brink of falling away.
Whether they are holding on or ready to fall,
You know they will eventually all drift away and return to the earth.
You are merely observing them in their process.
You notice and feel a breeze coming in.
It's slowly weaving its way through the trees around you and eventually reaches yours.
This breath of fresh air drifts through your branches making them stretch and sway in response.
In the process,
You watch a few leaves now release and float into the air.
Maybe these leaves enter into a delicate dance of their own as they start to make their way down to the earth to replenish the ground beneath you.
Maybe some of them float away from one another,
Carried off into the wind.
But are you ready to release with these leaves?
What rides away on them,
Floating into space or returning down into the earth?
Imagine whatever is ready to move on float away from you,
Noticing that as it does so,
It has a beauty you never expected would come from it.
Simply observe these drift and float away,
Welcoming each new breath of fresh air or breeze so you can see the whole process happen again.
Stay here for a few moments with your tree,
Feeling into its structure and observing its process as the seasons change.
Begin now to gradually step away from your tree,
From your field or your forest.
Send love and gratitude to it,
Remembering it and calling upon its beautiful imagery whenever you experience the transitions and shifts of this season.
Gently now wake the body back up by deepening your breath,
Maybe wiggling fingers or toes,
Taking any stretches your body is calling for right now,
And when you're ready,
Gently blink your eyes open to return to the room.
With much love and gratitude,
I close our journey today.
May we meet again soon.
