Hello and welcome to a meditation centered around finding inner stillness and peace.
For this meditation I invite you to find a comfortable seat or potentially even lie down but arrive somewhere where the body will not distract the mind.
And as you settle you can begin to take a couple of deep breaths.
Inhale through the nose filling up all the way down to the diaphragm,
Through the lungs and even into the throat and then exhale through the mouth to let that go.
Let's do one more full cycle together inhaling all the way down to the diaphragm expanding through the lungs filling up even through the throat and then open the mouth and let that breath go.
You might continue to take a couple conscious breaths in that way or you can allow the breath to come and go more naturally.
If the eyes are not closed yet I would invite you to do so now drawing your awareness ever inward.
And as you settle into this moment of stillness picture in your mind a mountain lake.
Surrounding this lake are trees,
Boulders,
Birds fly from branch to branch and as you draw your attention to the water itself you see that it's a windy day and there are some ripples across the surface of the water.
You continue to walk toward it though and as your toes reach the edge of the water you feel the refreshing coolness that comes from a high mountain lake.
Mud oozes up between your toes as you step further and further into the water and eventually you walk out far enough that you're all together beneath the surface of the water.
Still your breath comes and goes naturally and as you walk further into this lake you might notice that the disturbance on the top of the water doesn't extend very far down into the lake.
In fact as you find the deepest point the water is entirely still.
Particles of soil floating suspended as shafts of light find their way through the water find their way to this stillness that lies beneath the surface.
Just like the water there is a stillness within you too.
You can feel it in the pit of your stomach.
You might even place a hand in that location and feel deep into the stomach at the very core where this stillness exists.
And as you find the stillness within you you might take a few moments to simply sit with it to relish within that steadiness,
That depth,
That quiet.
Allow the breath to continue to come and go naturally and if the mind wavers and you find yourself drawing closer to the tumultuous surface of the water exhale and soften feeling yourself sink down deeper.
In returning to the stillness you can allow yourself to again settle and though you might be aware of the waves on the surface down within the stillness you are not participating in that.
You are somewhere deeper,
Steadier,
Quieter.
As we begin to transition gently away from this moment you might envision yourself planting your feet again in the soil at the bottom of the lake and very gently and slowly walking toward the edge.
As the water becomes shallower your head emerges from the water and you might look around suddenly aware of all the other sensory input,
The light,
Any noises,
Any motion.
Continue walking until you're fully outside of the water but give yourself a moment to stand at the edge of that lake and look across it one more time.
Let this be a reminder that this exists within you always.
This stillness,
This depth at the very core of your stomach this again awaits if ever you should desire to re-enter into it.
To step away from the tumult of the surface and into a place of steadiness.
We can begin to consciously deepen the breath drawing those inhales deeper letting the exhale come naturally through the mouth.
You might introduce small movements here,
Small circles of the shoulders and then you can crack the eyes open allowing light to gently enter before fully opening the eyes and in your own time stepping out into the rest of your day.
