Welcome,
And thank you for taking a little time to pause with me.
This meditation is an invitation to rest into the darker half of the year.
The time when nature withdraws and we are asked to do the same.
It's the season of slowing down,
Drawing in,
And letting go of what no longer needs to be carried.
The energy now is quieter,
Less about doing,
More about being.
The days shorten,
The light fades,
And something deep inside us calls for stillness.
You don't need to feel bright or motivated,
You don't need to fix or force anything.
All you need to do is soften,
Breathe,
And let the darkness hold you for a while.
So find somewhere comfortable,
Seated or lying down,
And when you're ready,
We'll begin.
Take a moment to settle in,
Let the weight of your body drop into the ground beneath you.
No need to hold yourself up.
Start by noticing your breath,
Not changing it,
Just observing.
The gentle rhythm of inhale and exhale.
The light has thinned now,
We're entering the dark part of the year.
The season of stillness,
Reflection,
And quiet preservation.
Allow the darkness around you to feel like a blanket,
Not empty,
But holding,
Protective,
Alive.
Feel the gravities pull,
The ground supporting you completely.
Let the shoulders drop,
The jaw loosen,
The belly soften.
Each exhale is a gentle release.
Each inhale,
A quiet drawing in.
Now bring your awareness to your lungs,
Two soft wings within your chest.
Inhale drawing in life and air,
And exhale releasing what's ready to leave.
If there's something you've been holding,
An old emotion,
A thought,
A heaviness,
Let the breath help you release it.
No effort,
Just a steady letting go.
From the lungs,
Draw your awareness down to the kidneys at the back of the body.
Two small stones resting in the dark water of your being.
Imagine a still black lake here,
Cool,
Deep,
And endless.
This is the water element,
The place of restoration and trust.
With each breath,
Sense yourself descending beneath the surface of the dark lake.
Not sinking,
Simply softening,
Finding peace in the depths.
Notice how the darkness feels,
Not heavy but grounding,
Not empty but full of potential.
This is where the seeds rest before they grow,
Where the body restores,
Where the spirit remembers its depth.
If your mind drifts,
Imagine it as a leaf floating across the surface of the water,
And then gently guide it back down into the stillness beneath.
Now take a deep breath in through the nose,
And exhale through the mouth,
A slow,
Releasing sigh.
Again inhale through the nose,
And exhale through the mouth.
Feel the space that opens as you let go.
Stay here for a few quiet breaths,
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to be,
Just resting in the dark.
When you're ready,
Begin to bring small movements to the fingers and toes.
Feel the support of the earth beneath you again,
And take your time to come back.
Carry with you the calm strength of this session,
The understanding that rest is not weakness and stillness is not absence.
Take one last steady breath in through the nose,
And out through the mouth.
Begin to notice the space around you again,
The sounds,
The air in the skin,
The sense of being here,
Now.
You've just taken time to honour the quiet side of the cycle,
The darker season that restores what's been spent.
Let this feeling stay with you as you move through your day,
A reminder that even in stillness,
There's life unfolding.
Thank you for taking this time to pause with me.
No rush to get up,
No need to rush back to the light.
Just carry a little of the dark calm with you,
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes and welcome back.
