Park Bench Of Life Meditation

Today's meditation is for busy people who wish to take a pause out of the overwhelm of their day-to-day life and who wish to do so with a soothing visualization meditation.

So welcome.

Allow yourself to begin by finding a comfortable space where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the meditation.

You may like to sit in a chair or you may like to lie down whichever position feels right for you today.

Ensuring you have access to all you need for comfort,

Whether that may be pillows,

Blankets or even a comforting object.

When you feel ready ensure that your back is supported,

That it is not overly rigid or stiff,

Your spine rests in its natural curve,

Your chin is slightly tucked in and your shoulders are away from your ears.

If you were lying down still ensure your back is supported and you feel comfortable.

If you're in a chair make sure that you're not slouching and that the chair begins to take the weight of your weary body.

Place your hands wherever they feel comfortable,

In your lap or by your side,

Your palms turned upward.

If you're sitting in a chair allow your feet to be flat on the floor and if you're lying down allow your feet to rest comfortably,

Releasing any tension that you may be holding.

Taking a deep breath in and out and really starting to settle into the space.

Looking around the room you're in and noticing where light is filtering in,

Noticing what the light touches,

The shades of light and dark,

The source of the light.

Noticing if the room has many objects or few,

Simply observing,

Paying attention.

When you feel ready gently closing down the eyes or shifting them into a downward gaze,

Closing your eyes doesn't feel comfortable.

Noticing the contrast in your vision as you start to turn your awareness towards your sense of hearing,

Listening out for sounds in the distance,

That may be traffic noise or chatter and then listening out for sounds close by.

It may be the sound of your own breathing.

Whatever the sound,

Allow it to filter into your eardrums,

Recognizing it but not judging it,

Simply allowing it to be in your space.

And noticing your sense of smell now,

Whether any scent lingers in the air or there is an absence of smell.

Noticing your mouth now and your sense of taste,

Whether any taste lingers on your tongue,

Swallowing purposefully and again just being an observer,

Noticing where your hands are placed,

Moving them onto your belly for a moment and allowing yourself to truly feel with your sense of touch,

The rise and fall of your belly as you breathe in and out to center yourself.

Your tummy rises up and down,

Welcome that movement,

Be present with that movement and then return your hands to where they were before and begin to notice your breathing as a whole.

Your breathing as it filters into your body,

Effortlessly flowing in as a life-giving force and out.

Whatever rhythm it rests in,

Acknowledge and welcome that and begin to notice how your entire body has arrived in the meditation.

How you've experienced your surroundings through your senses,

But now noticing your body as a whole and where any tension or lightness exists,

Again draw your attention to it and acknowledge it without judgment.

An objective observer continuing to be present and now beginning a scan through of the body as we engage in the practice of muscle release to encourage and invite more relaxation.

Beginning at the top of your head,

Scanning over your forehead,

Your cheeks and your jaw,

And pausing there for a moment.

Consciously inviting any expression that remains on your face to fall away and then allow the muscles in your face to tense and release.

Repeating it again,

Tense and release.

And scanning through the back of your head,

Your neck and shoulders and pausing again.

Repeating that action of tense and release.

Tense and release.

Continuing to ensure the shoulders are away from the ears and their weight simply drops.

Now scanning through your back,

The length of your spine,

Every vertebra,

Every large muscle in your back that supports you as you move around in your day-to-day life.

Allow those muscles to sink deliberately into what supports you and again repeating the action of tense and release.

Tense and release.

Allowing those large muscles to sink down with more emphasis and letting go.

Now drawing that attention to the length of your arms and your chest and pausing there.

And repeating the action,

Tense and release.

Tense and release.

Again allowing the arms to drop,

Fingers to wiggle and also drop.

Allowing the chest muscles to expand and softly sink down.

Focusing now on the tummy,

The hips and the buttocks.

Repeating the action,

Tense and release.

Tense and release.

And allowing these large muscle groups to also expand and then let go.

Inviting tension to dissipate from the top half of your body.

Moving down to the lower half of your body now.

Your thighs,

Your knees,

Your calves,

Your ankles and feet.

Allow them to stretch out gently and be placed where they're truly comfortable.

And again repeating that action,

Tense and release.

Tense and release.

And then allowing your whole body to let go.

Giving it permission to rest and feel supported by whatever is beneath you.

Grounded and held in this moment.

And as you do so,

I invite you to bring to mind a visual.

A visual of a winding path,

Lined with beautiful flowering spring trees.

The path may have a few people on it,

Or none at all.

Bring to mind the colour,

The shape of the winding path.

This path is your day to day journey.

You've taken a moment to pause and notice how you are walking on this path.

Perhaps you are walking at a frantic pace.

Overwhelmed by tasks and to-do lists and expectations.

Deadlines even.

Demands.

Whatever it may be,

Notice the effect it is having on you as you walk this path.

This path is your life.

And your pace reflects your level of stress right now.

If the pace feels too much,

I invite you to visualize a park bench along that path.

Take a moment to sit down on that bench.

This is the park bench of life on your journey.

It is a spot for a deliberate pause when it becomes too much.

Allow yourself to cool time out for a minute and let the rush,

The thoughts and the feelings pass you by as you sit.

Catch your breath and rest a while right here with me,

My friend.

There is no shame in pausing and regrouping.

And when you feel ready to rejoin the pace of life,

You can do so.

In your own time,

Once you have settled your breath,

Settled your body and regrouped your mind,

You are more than capable.

All you are doing is giving yourself permission to rest and then starting again.

As you rest on this bench,

Allow yourself to take in what lies along the path again.

It may have become a blur in the rush of life,

But deliberately pause now as you settle your thoughts.

Notice your surroundings.

Notice some moments of joy that you experienced today.

A kind word,

A warm coffee,

A smile,

Something,

Even if it is small,

That warms your heart.

Allow this to support you as you regroup and regain your energy to get back into it in your own time.

For now,

You are supported,

You are held and you have your own permission to be here.

You can pause and then you can return and you can do this.

Allowing yourself a few moments of silence now,

Before we feel ready to return.

Continuing to be present with your body in the moment.

Wiggling your fingers and toes,

As you gently allow yourself to lift off that bench and rejoin the path.

Strengthened by the pause and the reflection you have done in this space.

Lifting one foot in front of the other and walking down that path,

Renewed.

Now leaving that visual behind,

Again wiggling the fingers and toes,

Reawakening the body,

Becoming familiar with the space again.

To listen out for sounds,

Tune into the steady rhythm of your breath.

Allowing it to centre you,

And when you feel ready,

Gently opening the eyes again.