Let's make ourselves comfortable.
I find somewhere our body can be still for a little while and having a fidget until we find that comfortable place.
And then when we get there,
Taking a few breaths,
We can put aside the demands of the world for a little while.
Taking our attention inwards to the breath and the body,
The present moment in the breath and the body.
And maybe there's a sense of relief as we've put aside the demands of the external world for a time.
And maybe you're already noticing things are starting to slow down,
Your breath and your body softening.
So let's deliberately choose some more physical relaxation.
We'll start at the top with our forehead and our scalp,
Our temples becoming softer,
Allowing the muscles to soften.
The muscles around our eyes and our cheeks and our jaw.
It's a very useful skill to relax on demand.
The base of our neck and our shoulders,
Relaxing back and down,
Away from our ears.
Let's check to see that our spine is upright though.
We'd like our spine to be tall so there's plenty of room for our breath,
But not rigid.
Is there a balance?
Arms and hands somewhere they can relax,
Be still.
And although our back is upright,
We're using the minimum amount of muscles.
And if we're upright,
We're not pulling ourselves forward or back.
The head is balanced on the top of our spine,
Chest in neutral.
The belly,
Using the minimum amount of muscles to support our back.
Of course,
If we're lying down,
We can just let all that go.
Hips and the legs,
Heavy,
Still and soft.
Seeing if we can release the grip on our knees and they're relaxing.
Ankles and feet,
Soft and relaxed.
So as our whole body feels more relaxed,
Our whole physiology,
Biology follows suit.
We're giving messages to our biology that it's safe to relax.
Our heart and our mind follow suit.
So let's find some more mental relaxation now by taking ourselves off to somewhere we love to be.
In our imagination,
Somewhere we've been that was wonderful or somewhere we've never been but feels fabulous.
Use your imagination any way you like to visualize this place and why we love it.
See the things that you can see when you're there.
Is it warm or cool?
Are there sounds?
Are there other people there?
Or are you by yourself?
Really enjoy the contentment.
And so we're feeling more physically and mentally relaxed and we're going to bring to mind a tree.
And the tree is going to help us with our meditation today as a metaphor for our life.
So the tree is rooted in the ground,
Drawing its nutrients,
Water from the earth.
The earth nurtures and cares for the roots.
And let's picture that as best we can.
There's no right or wrong here.
The roots rise up into the trunk.
As waters flow into the trunk,
Into the branches and the leaves.
For the moment we are that tree.
The tree is a metaphor for our being.
We are rooted in the earth.
Our earth star chakra,
An energy center that's just below our feet is rooted in the air.
So that may sound odd but let's just know that our energy comes from the air.
Not directly through our feet.
It's a metaphor.
But all our nutrients are supplied by the earth.
Our heart is in the center and they go up to the mind where there's another energy center.
Judgments,
Fear,
Close down that flow of nutrients.
So there's like a tap.
Our heart chakra in the center of our trunk is able to close down that flow of nutrients from our source.
So let's imagine we're traveling down the trunk into our roots.
Our earth star chakra,
Our connection to mother earth,
Even to source.
Let's put our attention just below our feet.
Imagine the chakra beneath our feet as a diamond,
A wheel.
It might be white,
It might be russet-y,
Terracotta,
Orange-y,
Brown.
It doesn't matter.
If it works for you,
That's good.
We're going to invite energy into that chakra,
That energy center.
It's flowing in from the air.
There's no need to try.
Just put our attention there as best we can and set the intention that energy flows in.
There's more than enough energy and source mother earth wants to nurture you.
Whether you feel anything or not,
Don't worry.
Know that you have the power to do this.
Allow yourself that this is a possibility or test out the theory that this may happen.
So we're imagining all the energy and all the earth,
All the universe flowing towards our feet.
The earth loves you as your mother does.
And if your relationship with your mother is maybe not so good,
The earth loves you as the mother you would like to have had loves you unconditionally,
Wants to provide for you.
And that energy is starting to flow up,
Up our trunk,
Reaching our heart.
But so many of us have had hard life experiences.
But it doesn't flow into our leaves.
Fear closes that flow down.
Judgments of ourself and others closes that flow down.
But once again,
We have the power to allow that flow to open just with our intention.
So let's focus on our heart center now.
Imagine it flowing into our heart center,
Up into the top of our body,
Our leaves,
Our mind.
When that energy is closed down,
Our mind doesn't work so well.
We have painful thoughts,
A fearful future.
We doubt,
We regret,
We judge ourselves and others harshly.
It's as if the leaves are diseased and curled.
But when we allow this flow of energy through our feet,
Our heart,
All the way up,
The whole tree works better.
The person feels better.
That energy now flowing out the top of the head.
As the water flows out of the leaves into the atmosphere.
And you can imagine that any way you like.
If you can feel nothing,
Know that with practice,
This flow becomes stronger.
The healed person,
The whole person is a conduit for this energy.
Universal energy,
Prana,
Chi,
Call it what you will.
And just by being open to the source of the energy,
By allowing a generous flow of it through our being,
We serve ourselves,
We are healthier in every way.
We serve those around us and all of humanity just by radiating this light love energy.
You may feel the energy flow.
It may even feel really strong.
In which case,
I invite you to just allow it to be just as it is.
Relax,
Relax,
Feel the flow.
And although as we return to the world,
Our fears and our judgments will probably shut that down again.
We are able to open it in every minute,
Every day.
That becomes our task.
To remember daily and hourly,
To allow the flow,
To release the fears,
To let the love flow,
To be the clear channel.
Resting for a few moments,
Wherever you are,
Allowing it to be just as it is.
Feeling our body and our breath as we begin our transition back to the external world.
Let's thank tree spirit for helping us.
Thank the energy for nurturing,
Supporting us and ourselves for nurturing our own being.
Taking the time.
We may need to ground ourselves.
We can put our attention once more beneath our feet,
Touching the air and taking a few deeper breaths as we start slowly return to the external world.
There's no hurry.
We'll take our time.
Begin to move our body,
Fingers and toes,
Wrists,
Ankles,
Arms and legs,
Having any stretch that feels good for you.
When you're ready,
Greeting the external world.
Thank you for practicing with me.
