Hello and welcome to the Travel with Meditation podcast.
My name is Pam and I am honored to accompany you on this journey today.
Please only listen to this podcast if you are in a situation where it is safe for you to potentially fall asleep.
Sleeping fully in the present moment is a precious gift that we give ourselves.
I invite you to accept this gift along our journey today.
Start by finding a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down.
Let your arms rest at your sides.
With your hands open,
Limp and relaxed.
Breathe deeply and slowly to start to relax your body.
Breathe in and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Keep breathing slowly like this,
Allowing each breath to relax your body as you release tension each time you exhale.
When you are ready,
Close your eyes.
Pay attention to the movements that happen throughout your body while inhaling and exhaling.
Notice the expansions and contractions of your chest,
Of your belly.
Feel the physical,
Emotional and mental tensions dissolve without having to make any effort at all.
Little by little,
Areas of peace and serenity begin to arise between one thought and another.
Inhale and exhale.
Do not feel rushed in any way.
Take three more deep breaths.
In your mind's eye,
You are about to be in a magical place.
This is a lovely place to explore,
Experience culture and think of the future in a wonderful way.
It is warm and sunny today,
But you are perfectly comfortable in whatever you are wearing.
Today we are going to explore the whole world here.
This place is an experimental prototype community of tomorrow,
Also known as Walt Disney World's Epcot.
Later in this meditation,
We will think of our own tomorrows and we will think of them through the scope of resolutions.
When you begin to explore the world showcase in Epcot,
There is Mexico to your left and Canada to your right.
It is a classic conundrum for Disney fans to go left or right.
The best thing about Walt Disney World is there are no wrong choices.
Everywhere you look are beautiful and thoughtful details that were specifically designed to make you smile.
Today we will go left towards Mexico.
The centerpiece of the Mexican pavilion is a beautiful Mesoamerican pyramid.
The 36 foot tall pyramid is modeled after an ancient Aztec temple located near modern day Mexico City.
Greenery,
And authentic Mexican art adorn this impressive sand colored pyramid.
Stopping for a churro or nachos sounds intriguing,
But you continue your journey through the world showcase.
Next you pass by a lovely village filled with interconnecting shops of different styles of European architecture.
Wood statues adorn this village,
Specifically a few trolls.
This is Norway.
You continue along under a colorful archway with red columns that is designed with Chinese style architecture.
It is based on the Holy Land archway at the Summer Palace,
Which is an imperial garden and palace complex in Beijing.
The centerpiece of this pavilion is the half scale reproduction of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest from the Temple of Heaven complex near Beijing.
This red circular building with colorful adornments is hard to describe.
And this relates to a Chinese proverb that you will find in this pavilion.
Hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once.
This proverb is a lovely reminder for us to experience the world around us whenever possible.
Although there is so much to see here,
You know you can come back.
Now you are passing by a pavilion filled with yellow houses and brown tops.
You are in Germany.
If you stick around this pavilion,
You may just run into Snow White and one of her seven dwarfs.
Next is a very popular pavilion,
Italy.
The Italy pavilion features a plaza surrounded by a collection of buildings that are reminiscent of Venetian,
Florentine,
And Roman architecture.
A bell tower,
Replicas of the columns of San Marco and San Todaro,
And the Neptune Fountain fill this beautiful space.
There are multiple restaurants here that are sure to make you hungry if you stay here too long.
Now you are passing by colonial brick buildings adorned with American flags.
A beautiful blue fountain is in front.
There is so much history to learn about here,
But you continue along to the next pavilion,
The World Showcase Lagoon.
There is a beautiful view of the World Showcase Lagoon here.
Spaceship Earth,
Or the Epcot Ball as some call it,
Is seen beautifully when standing under the red Torii Gate.
These gates are thought to symbolize the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
As you continue along,
You reach Morocco.
Guarding the entrance to the Morocco pavilion is a reproduction of a tall prayer tower from a 12th century mosque.
Inside this pavilion,
You will come across a bustling marketplace,
Otherwise known as a bazaar.
The sound of Moroccan music fills the area as you stroll through a flower-filled courtyard surrounded by citrus and olive trees,
Date palms and banana plants,
And a beautiful fountain.
Leaving now,
You see the United Kingdom pavilion,
Which is unmistakable with the red foam booths lining the rose garden,
Designed to look like a typical British village.
This pavilion has English gardens that include a hedge maze and a bandstand,
Which resembles a gazebo.
This area reminds you of the classic movie,
Mary Poppins.
There are many wonderful quotes from this great film and one sticks out,
Anything can happen if you let it.
Finally,
You have reached the last pavilion,
Canada.
Oh Canada,
What a beautiful pavilion with more than meets the eye.
While the architecture is lovely,
You notice there is more up ahead with the big rocky structure.
You pass through the beautiful green and flowery gardens and reach the structure.
On the left side of it is a narrow bridge with rope walls along the side and a gentle stream to your right.
As you continue along,
You hear water crashing louder and louder.
As you turn a corner,
You see a grand waterfall,
Reminiscent of Niagara Falls,
Cascading down.
This is a lovely place to pause and think about resolutions.
As you enjoy this moment of relaxation,
You start to remember some wonderful things that have happened this past year.
There have been many moments that have made you happy and grateful.
You have gained knowledge and wisdom and you know yourself better.
Begin to observe your thoughts in a neutral,
Non-judgmental way as they come and go.
Now think of where you were this time last year.
Begin to replay through the year in your mind slowly.
Think of it as viewing a movie reel of highs,
Lows,
And big and small moments from your year.
Month by month,
Recall people,
Moments,
Emotions,
Activities,
Details,
And highlights.
Slowly watch these memories from the year float through your mind.
When you reach the present day,
Complete the movie reel of the year and notice your feelings.
Think of your biggest challenges of the year.
Now think about how you not only survived these challenges,
But you grew through them.
Think about all of the things that you learned about yourself.
If there's anything you wish to leave behind,
Take a moment to let that go now.
Imagine it getting washed away in the waterfalls.
Now think of your favorite moments of the year.
What made them special?
How did they make you feel?
Try to take this wonderful feeling into all of your mind,
Heart,
And soul and really feel that state you were in.
Recall any colors,
Images,
And sensations and try to live in this wonderful feeling.
Think about what led you to these wonderful moments.
Remember what you were in control of and bringing about these wonderful moments so that you can aim to have many more of them in the coming year.
Each year,
Each month,
Each day,
And each moment is a new start.
To quote Mary Poppins again,
There is the whole world at your feet.
If you would like to fall asleep,
Gently doze off now.
When you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Slowly come back to the room.
For now,
Remain seated or lying down to allow time for you to gently transition from this state of deep relaxation.
When your body feels fully awake,
Return to your day feeling refreshed,
Relaxed,
And ready for whatever is ahead.
