This is a guided meditation to support you to ground yourself.
To prepare for this meditation,
Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
Somewhere that is warm and cozy and if possible with minimal light.
This time is for you and it's important that you allow yourself to fully relax and have this time and space just for you.
Find a comfortable seat and sit with some length in your spine.
Feel free to elevate your hips by sitting on a pillow,
Block or stack of books if that is more comfortable for you.
Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Become aware of your breath.
Try not to control it,
Just become aware.
Notice how you feel in this moment with no need to judge or analyse.
Bring your awareness to your spine.
Visualise a beam of white light run through your spine.
With every inhale,
Notice this beam of light travel up your spine.
With every exhale,
The beam travels back down,
Grounding you into the earth.
Continue to focus on this sensation and breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
Breathe out through your mouth for a count of 4.
And again,
Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
Feel the light rise up your spine and out through your mouth for a count of 4.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
Continue to breathe in this way as you allow your body to relax more efficiently.
Release control of your breath.
Visualise a gentle wave of relaxation wash over your body.
Start from the top of your head.
Soften your eyes.
The space in between your eyebrows.
Your jaw.
Allow the tongue to fall away from the palate.
Soften your neck and shoulders.
Feel this wave run through your chest,
Upper arms,
Elbows and waist.
Soften your belly.
Allow your hips to be heavy.
And feel that final wave of softness run out through the soles of your feet and the tips of your toes.
Your entire body completely relaxed.
Visualise yourself walking through a picturesque forest on a warm summer's day.
The faint smell of pine in the summer breeze.
The selection of shades of greens and browns surrounding you.
You notice the sound of the wind gently stirring through the leaves of the trees and pause for a moment to take in this melodic scene.
In the distance,
You hear the trickle of a stream and you follow the sound.
The softness of the earth under your feet is comforting as you gradually place one foot in front of the other,
Wandering through the forest.
You come across a majestic oak tree,
Its bark hit by prism beams of light from the sun shining through the leaves exhibits an array of colours and textures.
The more time you spend in the presence of the tree,
The more you feel a sense of its history.
You notice the multitude of branches,
Some that reach up into the sky and create shelter with their leaves and others that form branch-like slides as they flow down into the earth.
The branches reach far and wide and something about this tree makes you feel comforted,
Calm and taken care of.
You take a seat under the oak tree and you lean your back against its sturdy bark,
Allowing it to fully support you with the soft earth under your seat.
You allow yourself to surrender all of your senses to your surroundings.
What sounds do you hear?
What fragrance is in the air?
Can you taste this fragrance on your lips?
What do you see?
What textures do you feel?
You immerse yourself in this atmosphere and allow your attention to linger in your majestic oak tree level.
What sounds do you hear?
What sounds do you hear?
Slowly,
Slowly bring your awareness back to your breath knowing you for movement.
Start to bring your awareness back to your body and whenever you are ready gently blink your eyes open and bring yourself back.
What sounds do you hear?
What sounds do you hear?
