I'd like to invite you to imagine that you have entered a beautiful red tent.
This red tent is full of cushions and blankets and rugs and mattresses all in various hues of red and pink and crimson and as you look around other women are draped comfortably over soft things,
Snuggled,
Resting,
Dozing.
Just take a few moments to ensure that you have everything you need here to be comfortable for the next 10 minutes or so.
If it's cool where you are,
Perhaps a blanket,
Just feeling this sense of softness,
Of gathering,
And ready to tap into your femininity,
The deep feminine around you,
The air is warm,
Perhaps scented,
And you can imagine that the tent glows,
The light behind it,
The fabric glows in shades of crimson and burgundy,
Like the inside of some delicious red fruit.
And this is your time,
Time to return to yourself,
Time to just rest in the rhythms of your own body,
To tune inwards.
So take a nice breath in,
Feeling the air as it fills you,
Like a gentle tide washing through you,
And as you breathe out,
Just allow your body to really soften into the surface beneath you.
Inhaling and exhaling as you allow yourself to settle into the here and now,
Without any need to change anything,
Just meeting your experience as it is,
Gently,
Without any harsh criticism,
Just steady,
Spacious,
And calm,
Tuning in to an inner listening,
And allowing for this moment to be enough,
Just as it is.
So just begin by bringing your attention to your feet,
These feet that have carried you through the cycles,
Months of years,
Through the seasons,
Allowing them to rest now supported by the earth beneath you,
Sensing into the bones,
The skin,
The pulse of life in your toes,
Surrounding them with a sense of your awareness,
Giving them your full attention as you breathe into them,
As if that warm red light of the tent could flow down into your feet,
Filling them with this ease,
This softness,
This wonderful rest.
And if your mind wanders to thoughts or sensations,
Distractions,
Just gently pulling it back to this anchor,
This anchor that is an awareness of your feet in this moment,
And then letting go of that,
Let that light rise into your ankles,
That awareness rising into your ankles,
Circling your ankles with your attention,
Becoming aware of any sensations that you find there,
Just gently,
Gently being with your ankles,
Before letting them go and moving into your calves,
Feeling your calves there,
Perhaps you feel your clothes against them,
The bed,
The floor,
The chair,
Becoming aware of your shins,
Just noticing any tension that is there and see if you can allow it to melt like wax in the heat of a flame,
And then moving into your thighs,
Feeling the strength there,
The grounding they bring you,
And as you hold the whole of your legs in your attention,
Perhaps offering thanks to those legs for bearing your weight,
For enabling you to walk your path physically,
Metaphorically,
And then shift your awareness to your hips and pelvis,
Just sensing into that area of your body,
Noticing any sensations you find there,
Perhaps energy,
Perhaps tension,
Perhaps tingling or warmth or coolness,
Just see what's there,
Your root here,
Your anchor,
The centre of your creativity,
This place holds the memory of all that came before you,
Breathing deeply,
Feeling the rise and fall of your breath,
Perhaps feeling that breath washing through your body,
And if it feels right,
Imagine perhaps a glowing ember in your womb space,
If you don't have a physical womb,
Just know that there is an energetic womb there,
Just feeling a warmth,
Perhaps a pulsing,
Steadily radiating this wonderful creative energy throughout your body,
Allowing it to be soft and receptive,
And then coming to your belly,
Your lower back,
Just feeling any sensations there,
Any energy,
Aware of your breath in this space,
Expanding and contracting,
Soften those muscles,
Just holding them in your awareness,
Again with no need to change anything,
Just noticing what's there,
What you feel in this moment,
This quiet strength of your core that holds you upright,
And rising up into your chest,
As you feel your heart beat steady,
If you don't feel it,
Just have a sense of this energy here,
The presence of your heart,
The knowledge that it beats steadily,
This inner drum,
Tuning into this space,
The sensations that you find here,
Allowing it to open,
Like a rose in bloom,
Seeing if you can soften and release any tension around your heart with each breath,
Releasing what you no longer need to carry,
And then come to your shoulders,
Notice if you're holding any burdens and just allow them to drop,
As if you were setting down a heavy load,
And imagine that warmth of the red tent flowing down your arms,
Into your elbows,
Sensing into that area before you move onto your forearms,
And then circling your wrists with your attention,
Before bringing your attention into your hands and fingers,
These hands that have comforted,
Created,
Cooked and held,
Bring the whole of your arms into your awareness,
Perhaps offering gratitude for all that have been tended by these arms,
Let them rest,
And then bring your attention to your neck and throat,
This place of your voice,
Notice any tightness,
Breathe into this area,
See if you can free it of any tension,
Soften your jaw,
Cheeks,
Even allow your eyes to rest gently in their sockets,
Perhaps you can feel your eyeballs moving beneath your eyelids,
Sense the crown of your head,
Open to this beautiful glow of the tent above you,
Connected to a lineage of women,
Of mothers,
Of daughters,
Of sisters,
Of grandmothers,
Whether it's a bloodline you sense,
Or special people in your life,
Just know that you are connected,
That there is a whole tribe behind you.
And now bring the whole of your body into your awareness,
See if you can hold your whole body in your awareness,
Imagine it bathed in the deep red glow,
Warm,
Alive,
Perhaps at peace,
Perhaps you can imagine breathing from the top of your head all the way to the tips of your toes,
And then breathing out from the tips of your toes all the way back to the top of your head,
This gentle wave washing through your body back and forth,
Soothing and lulling you,
Just knowing that you are held.
And when you're ready,
Just begin to gently bring your awareness back to the space around you,
Know that you can carry with you the softness,
The warmth,
And the deep connection from this red tent.
And then as you're ready to transition out of this meditation,
You can begin to breathe some deeper,
More energising breaths,
Wriggle your fingers and toes,
Stretch in any way that feels good for you.
And then when you're ready,
Just gently,
Gently open your eyes and come back into the room.
