Allow yourself to find a meditation shape,
Whether seated or lying down,
That will allow you to feel as supported and open as possible.
And as you settle in,
You can let the eyelids soften or close.
Letting your awareness come inward.
And let yourself take a few rounds of slow,
Expansive breaths.
As you take these expansive,
Slow breaths.
Begin to soften the body by unfurrowing your brow.
And clenching your jaw.
Letting the muscles of the neck and shoulders melt.
Arms are heavy.
Hands are soft and open.
Feeling the rise and fall of your chest and belly as you breathe.
Letting your legs and feet relax fully.
Let your awareness attune to and anchor into the flow of your breath.
You might notice the coolness of your inhales.
And the warmth of your exhales.
You might also notice where in the body you're breathing.
Maybe you're breathing more up in the head,
The chest.
Maybe you're breathing more deeply down into the belly and the hips.
Let the breath take form in a way that feels supportive and expansive to you.
Maybe that's lengthening the inhales and exhales.
Or breathing into a particular part of the body.
Keeping your awareness on the flow of your breath.
Let it evolve.
Let it be what it needs to be.
As you soften and relax into the flow of your breath in the present moment.
Let yourself ponder this.
What is something you've been longing to feel?
Peace,
Calm,
Joy,
Contentment,
Safety,
Freedom.
What have you been longing to feel?
Let this circulate in the mind and the heart for a few moments.
Continuing to follow the flow of your breath.
Now we'll allow the imaginal realm of the mind to expand and come online.
Begin to imagine a natural environment that evokes this desired feeling.
Perhaps it's somewhere you've been before.
Or perhaps you allow your creative mind to imagine someplace entirely new.
Entirely yours.
What do you see in the landscape of this environment?
Are there animals?
What natural landmarks are there?
What do you hear?
What can you feel on your skin or under your feet?
What can you smell?
What is the weather like in this natural environment?
Allow yourself to fully immerse in the scene that you've created in your mind.
Taking in all of its intricate details.
Letting it become as vivid as you can.
As you remain immersed in this vision of your natural environment.
Allow any thoughts,
Emotions,
And bodily sensations to be part of the landscape.
Perhaps you begin to realize their temporariness.
Like the passing of clouds.
Intermittent breeze.
Or the fleeting chirp of a bird.
So can be your thoughts.
Emotions.
And sensations.
Allow them to pass by.
Without forcing them to stay or forcing them to go.
These temporary experiences come and go.
Allow yourself to also be aware of what remains steady.
The support of the earth.
An unmoving mountain.
The warmth of the sun.
And also the steadiness of your awareness observing each fleeting thing.
And if none of that feels steady for you.
Know that the breath is still a solid anchor.
Allow nature's embrace to meet you as you are.
As you meet nature as it is too.
Begin to draw in a bigger,
Fuller breath.
As you allow the imaginal natural environment to dissolve.
Letting your senses reawaken to the space you're in now.
Maybe wiggling fingers and toes.
Perhaps gently blinking the eyes open.
Closing the practice whenever you're ready.
