Hi,
This is Wendy.
Thank you for being here today.
As I'm recording this,
I'm watching a little Robin on one of the topmost branches of the tree opposite my window.
I think he's a young Robin.
I think he was probably hatched this year.
And in the last few days,
It's been his ritual every morning to sit on the very particular branch,
Right at the edge,
Right opposite me,
And sing his beautiful song.
It makes me feel that he and the rest of his little feathered brethren are maybe taking a pause at this time of year.
The frenetic activity of the summer is over.
There's no more mating courtship,
No more hassle of building a nest,
Laying eggs,
Watching vigilantly over your young,
Protecting them,
Feeding them,
Helping them grow healthy and strong.
Now all that's done.
And we're here,
At least in this part of the world,
At that moment,
Just on the cusp of autumn,
Some of the leaves are turning a little bit orange.
I noticed the ferns,
Some of them are bright yellow already.
And it's as though the birds sense that this is a moment for pause.
This is a moment for rest,
To take it all in,
To relax,
To feast on all the berries in the bushes around us.
I noticed there are lots of blackberries and elderberries ripening in the hedgerows.
And this is the moment for them to just relax,
Take it all in before the harshness of winter sets in.
So I'd like this meditation to be a little moment of pause and rest and relaxation for us.
May we too feel that space between the heat of the summer and the onset of autumn.
So if you'd like to close your eyes now,
We'll do a little meditation.
It'll be about five minutes.
You don't have to do anything,
Just listen and relax.
So make yourself comfortable.
If you're sitting on a chair,
Make sure that you've got your feet flat on the floor.
And if you're sitting on the floor,
Then make sure that you're really comfortable,
That you're well supported.
We want to feel like we're sitting in our little nest in the top of a tree,
Just being.
And you might like to put your hands flat on your knees,
On your thighs.
This is a position that's very good if you're feeling anxious at all.
Notice if your hands are scrunched up,
Just stretch them out,
Rest your palms against your thighs.
And we're going to do a little bit of breathing to start off with.
We're going to do a few heart breaths.
So I'd like you to bring your awareness to your heart and breathe in,
Imagining the breath is coming through the back of your heart,
Resting a moment in your heart space,
And then going out through the front of your heart.
So we'll just do three heart breaths like that.
Breathing in through the back of your heart and breathing out through the front of your heart.
Breathing in through the back of your heart and out through the front of your heart.
Breathing in through the front of your heart and out through the front of your heart.
And just carry on with a few gentle breaths and be aware of the sounds around you.
You'll probably notice the sounds around me coming in through my window.
And we're going to imagine that we're sitting on a rock,
A large,
Smooth rock.
And imagine that that rock is on a beach by the sea and the beach is empty.
You're the only person there sitting on a rock.
Perhaps your feet are on the sand and you can feel the wet sand beneath your feet.
And as you breathe in through the back of your heart,
You can hear the tide gently lapping into the shore.
And there's a moment where it pauses,
It rests on the sand before it exhales back into the ocean.
So imagine that your breath is like the sea coming in resting on the shore and going out again.
And on this rock,
On this rock,
On this rock,
On this beautiful empty beach,
You can see all around you the clear sky.
Perhaps there are clouds.
Perhaps you can see a storm approaching on the far horizon.
Or perhaps the sky is blue,
That fabulous,
Clear,
Ecstatic blue of a summer's day.
Perhaps you can see seagulls or a bird bobbing on the waves of the tranquil sea as the tide comes in gently lapping against the shore,
Pauses and goes out again.
And here we are on our rock by the sea.
The summer is almost over.
We've had the hot sunny days.
We've had the lazy days.
We've had the sticky,
Icky days when we've had to work in the heat.
And ahead of us lies the autumn with its rich colours,
The crisp,
Cool air,
The smell of the leaves as they fall,
Of the rich earth as it receives those leaves.
All of that is just a week or two away.
And here we are in that gap,
In that moment.
There is nothing for us to do in this moment but to sit and to be like the robin on the tree.
Perhaps you can sense that part in yourself that is pure nature,
That has no other object or goal other than to be.
Because this is what we need in these times is to sense our being,
To sense that core of ourselves that is interwoven with the rest of creation.
To sense that part of ourselves that is eternal,
That is as solid as the rock we are sitting on and as delicate as the robin's song.
So bringing your awareness back to your breath.
Coming in through the back of your heart,
Resting on the shore and going out again through the front of your heart.
Coming in and going out.
And as you take one last deep breath in and sigh it out.
Wiggle your toes a little and your fingers and just sense your body coming back to life.
And you can open your eyes and look around and maybe today if you notice anything around you,
A flower,
A tree,
A cloud,
Perhaps you can take a moment to pause and to feel that part of you that is connected to the life around you.
I thank you so much for taking the time to meditate with me today.
I send you all love and blessings.
Namaste.
