Welcome.
Let's start by finding a comfortable supportive seat,
Feathering our nest,
Getting comfy.
Then we'll place your palms face down on your lap.
If you would like,
You could tuck your first fingernail into your thumb pad.
This is a reassuring mudra called Giyam.
Then we'll start to close the eyes,
Or you can let your gaze rest gently down on the ground in front of you and take a deep,
Deep breath in through your nose and exhale out from your mouth.
Please do this two more times,
Guiding your breath deeply down into your abdomen,
Expanding those ribs front to back,
Side to side,
Releasing on the exhale anything that is not here and now.
As you are ready,
Close the lips and continue to breathe in and out through the nostrils.
Now take a moment to consider the earth below you.
Notice the parts of your body that are touching the supportive surfaces below and underneath you.
Feel the way that the earth rises up to meet your body,
Supporting you completely.
Noticing the heaviness of the hands in your lap,
Allow your shoulders to soften to the gentle pull of gravity.
Now bring your awareness into the bowl of your pelvis,
Right down to the pelvic floor.
In chakra theory,
This is your root chakra or muladhara,
And mula meaning root,
The energy center that has to do with grounding or a sense of feeling your physical body,
Feeling alive in your physical body.
See if you can relax in this area below the belly button,
In the pelvic girdle,
The space right below the tail.
See if you can include the breath this low in your body.
If you would like to feel this a bit more sensitively,
Perhaps place your hand just under your belly button at the pelvic bone.
Now notice how it feels to allow the breath to drop.
Noticing the energy in your body is slowing down a bit with the energy of your breath.
There is a gentle rise and fall,
But the energy is moving downward through the hands and into the earth,
Through the root,
Through the pelvic floor,
Into mother earth below you.
Imagine offering up any stress,
Any thoughts,
Any worries into the earth as part of this flowing energy.
The earth has this amazing ability to hold anything you give her and transmute it into something else.
Feel the way you are always already connected to the earth beneath.
Allow the energy that is flowing downward to become like roots rooting deeply to the earth energy below,
Offering up what you do not need,
And creating the possibility of nourishing your body,
Your mind,
And your heart,
Gathering all that earth energy that can rise up through these roots and fully nourish you.
Feel the strong and healthy roots connecting to the earth,
Deep into the earth.
As you imagine,
You are a tree,
Solid and rooted,
A deep,
Supportive base.
Your body is strong and solid,
Steady,
Flexible like healthy bark,
Able to move and respond to the winds of life,
Staying steady and connected deeply to the earthy soil.
Starting to consider what type of tree you might be,
Your size and height,
How long are your branches,
Do you have leaves,
What color are they,
Exploring your inner experience as a tree rooted deep into the earth,
Allowing the exchange of energy between you and the earth to continue with the rise and fall of your breathing,
Releasing what you do not need,
Receiving nourishment from these roots deeply rooted below,
Connecting to that flow of energy from the earth essence flowing into the roots connected to your pelvis up through the body.
Now take a moment to come back to your body as it is.
Allow the spirit of the tree to stay present with you as a part of who you are,
Have always been and will always be.
Slide your thumb across your four other fingers to gently return to your body on your mat,
Your chair,
The floor,
Wherever you are currently residing.
Allow your breath to deepen slightly,
Letting your body stay relaxed and grounded as you are,
Slowly open your eyes.
You may bring your hands to the space right over your heart and then gently bow to the earth and that inner self as a tree.
Thank you.
