Hello and welcome to this winter snow meditation.
My name is Anja of Sorte Spirit and I welcome you to like 20 minutes of quiet.
Tonight we're going to settle into winter,
Into the quiet,
Into the stillness,
Into the world that lives beneath the snow.
There is a beautiful children's book called Over and Under the Snow and it reminds us that while everything above the snow looks frozen,
Silent and still,
Underneath life is quietly moving.
Animals burrow,
Seeds rest,
Warmth gathers and life still continues.
It's just not seen.
And just like the winter forest,
There's a world beneath the surface of you.
There's a world beneath your thoughts,
Beneath your reactions and beneath what first appears.
And today we gently explore what lives there.
So just really get comfortable.
You can sit in a chair or lay down.
Maybe you want to cover yourself with a blanket.
Let your hands rest wherever they feel natural.
And if it feels safe and good today,
You can close your eyes.
Or you might just want to soften your gaze toward the floor.
And let's take a slow breath in to your nose.
Open your mouth and let it go with a sigh.
And again,
Inhale deeply.
And exhale slowly.
One more time.
Breathing in.
And releasing.
This is your time to be here.
And just start to let your body soften.
If you feel there's still any tension,
You might want to direct your breath to where you feel the tension.
And just let the breath help to kind of smooth it out.
And just feel the support of the earth underneath you.
The earth that is always there to carry you.
And then slowly start to imagine yourself in a winter forest.
And snow has freshly fallen.
Everything is quiet.
Really soften your jaw.
Relax your whole face.
Allow your shoulders to drop.
Let your chest soften.
Release your belly.
Feel the weight of your hips,
Your thighs,
Your feet.
And there's nowhere else to be right now.
And just feel the coolness of the inhale of your breath.
And the warmth of the exhale.
And just let the breath move naturally.
Without any effort.
Without trying to fix it.
Just breathe.
And imagine yourself in a winter forest.
Snow has freshly fallen.
Everything is quiet.
And the snow is covering the forest floor.
Untouched.
Maybe even sparkling.
And above the snow everything appears still.
Just like the surface of your mind.
Notice what is on the surface right now.
Are there any thoughts?
Plans?
To-do lists?
Are you replaying any conversations?
Try to focus on the tracks across the snow.
And imagine like these thoughts that are coming up.
You could just watch them like tracks on the snow.
There's nothing wrong with them.
They're just impressions on the surface.
And you don't need to follow them.
You can just watch them.
Simply notice.
Maybe there are some emotions coming up.
Up to the surface of your mind.
Maybe there's irritation.
Maybe there's excitement.
Maybe there's tiredness.
Maybe there's contentment.
And just like the snowflakes resting on top of each other.
Let all these emotions be there.
There's no need to brush them away.
Try to just observe what is there.
As if you observe the white cover of the snow.
And you just looked at it with interest.
Take a moment to just be with what is.
And then gently imagine you would be kneeling down.
Brushing aside a little of the snow with your hands.
And underneath,
There's space.
Underneath the snow,
Animals are curled in small nests.
Mice huddle together.
Seeds rest in dark soil.
Life continues quietly.
Now,
You might want to ask yourself,
What lives beneath the surface of me?
And just listen.
Maybe beneath the busy thoughts,
There's an ache.
A tenderness.
A longing.
A deep love.
Maybe beneath I'm fine,
There's exhaustion.
Maybe beneath tension,
There's fear.
Maybe beneath fear,
There's simply a wish to feel safe.
Whatever you might discover,
Just look at it gently.
Look at it as if you were walking carefully over snow,
Knowing that there's life underneath.
Each step is mindful.
Each step is careful.
And this is how we can move within our inner world.
Not stomping.
We're not judging what is there.
And we're not demanding answers.
We're just listening.
And if you notice something tender within you,
If you like,
You can place your hand on your heart and offer it to me.
Warmth.
You might silently say,
It's okay that this is here.
I am listening.
Feel your breath like warmth under the snow.
Each inhale bringing softness.
And each exhale creating space.
And if you didn't feel anything,
That's okay.
Winter has seasons of deep rest.
And sometimes what lives beneath the snow is simply stillness.
And you can trust that.
Winter teaches us something radical.
Not everything needs to bloom all the time.
Not everything needs to be solved today.
Some things are just resting.
Some truths are warming themselves slowly.
Some answers are not ready to be revealed.
And that is not a problem.
Feel into this.
Where in my life am I in a wintering season?
Where am I being invited to rest instead of push?
Notice what arises.
You don't need to fix anything right now.
Sometimes it's enough to just let go.
To just become aware.
Now imagine that you yourself are beneath the snow.
You're not cold.
You're protected by the snow.
Held in a quiet cocoon of white.
The world above you is muted.
You are safe here.
Let your body feel supported by the earth underneath you.
Let your breath slow down naturally.
If there are any thoughts arising,
Just imagine that they're drifting away like soft snow over your head.
You remain still and warm underneath the covered blanket of snow.
Know that you can come back to this place of safety,
Of warmth.
Of being truly with yourself at any time during your day,
During your week.
Whenever you need this space.
Know that you can rest here.
That you can allow yourself to be in a winter mode.
To be in a resting mode.
Begin to deepen your breath.
Invite a slightly fuller inhale and a longer exhale.
And before we come completely back to your space.
Think about how important it is to be gentle with yourself and others.
Because you know there's always more beneath the surface.
Maybe you'd like to honor your wintering seasons.
Because stillness is not failure and rest is not weakness.
And just take another deep inhale and a long exhale.
And if you like you can bring some movement into your body.
And when you're ready you can slowly open your eyes.
And still carry the quiet from underneath the snow with you for the rest of your day.
May you allow things to unfold in their own time.
And trust what rests beneath the snow.
And move softly through the winter season.
Just take another deep breath and thank you so much for spending this time with me and yourself today.
Have a great rest of your day and don't forget there's only one now.
