Hi,
I'm Ellie.
Thank you for joining me here on Insight Timer.
This meditation is called the Garden of the Mind.
It's a guided journey where we'll explore your inner garden,
Noticing what needs releasing,
What deserves more care,
And what you'd like to plant and grow within yourself.
Think of it as a gentle space to pause,
Reflect,
And reconnect with what matters most to you.
When you're ready,
Find a quiet,
Comfortable place and let's begin.
Find an easy seated position.
Let your hands rest loosely in your lap or on your knees.
Close your eyes gently.
Let the outer world soften and dissolve as your awareness turns inward.
Take a few gentle breaths,
Slow and steady.
Allow your body to arrive fully in this moment.
Feel the weight of your body supported by the ground or surface below.
The quiet pull of gravity.
Nothing to hold.
Nothing to resist.
Let's briefly scan through the body now.
Relax your forehead.
Soften the space between your brows.
Unclench the jaw.
Let the shoulders melt.
Let your belly soften.
Release any tension in the thighs.
And feel a sense of grounding in your seat.
Sense your legs and feet rooting into the earth below.
Drop down into presence.
Now,
Softly bring your awareness to the subtle sensation of touch.
Feel where your hands are resting on your body.
Notice the delicate pressure of your lips touching.
The soft weight of your closed eyelids.
These are delicate sensations.
Almost abstract,
Yet real.
Allow them to merge into one unified field of sensation.
Let your awareness be absorbed in it.
Curiously observe this subtle intimacy.
Notice how you know it's there even though you can't quite grasp it.
Just watch.
Just feel.
Now softly bring your attention to the breath.
Again,
There's no need to shape or control it.
Just observe it.
Notice how on the inhales the body gently rises.
And with the exhales it settles and releases.
Let your breath be like a wave.
Flowing in.
Flowing out.
Tuning you into the rhythm of life itself.
Guide your awareness to your nostrils.
Observe the sensation of the breath entering.
Cool and fresh.
And flowing out again.
Warm and soft.
Notice the slight temperature change.
The volume of the breath.
Its texture.
Notice the space between the breaths too.
The quiet pause after each inhale and exhale.
Lean into that space.
That pause.
Let yourself rest there.
Now release your awareness of the breath.
And simply be for a moment.
Not focusing on anything in particular.
Just present.
Just here.
Now slowly in your mind's eye begin to visualize a path forming in front of you.
The path is soft beneath your feet.
Quiet and welcoming.
It feels familiar.
Like a place you've always known but long forgotten.
You begin to walk down the path.
Feeling a gentle sense of peace as you go.
And you realize this path is leading you home.
To the garden of your mind.
See yourself arriving at the garden's entrance.
Perhaps it's lined with trees or draped in flowering vines.
As you step inside you see the garden is made up of several different plots.
Each one representing a different part of your life.
You walk deeper into the garden and arrive at the first plot.
This plot represents your sense of purpose.
Your goals and aspirations.
Take in the garden here.
What do you notice?
Does it feel vibrant and alive?
Or perhaps neglected and overgrown?
Are there proud,
Strong plants growing?
A sense of clear direction to the landscape here?
Or are there thought patterns and emotions in the shape of weeds that seem to block the light?
That are preventing this plot from taking shape and flourishing?
Look closely.
What needs weeding here?
Are you ready to loosen the soil around the thoughts and habits that don't serve this garden?
What would you like to plant in their place?
To nurture in this space?
Choose one seed of intention that feels meaningful and accessible to you.
And see yourself planting it.
Watering it.
Tending to the soil.
Let this plot begin to restore itself.
Now continue walking through your garden until you arrive at the next section.
Your relationships.
Notice what's here.
Are the plants blooming and well tended?
Are they overlooked in some areas or overburdened in others?
Do the boundary lines feel clear or blurred?
Does the energy flow in a nourishing balance through the garden or mostly one way?
What emotions arise here?
Love?
Joy?
Connection?
Perhaps fatigue or guilt?
Whatever it is,
Just notice without judgment.
Is this a garden you visit often or one you wish you spent more time in?
See if there's anything you'd like to plant or tend to here.
Or simply make a mental note of what needs more care,
More light,
More space.
Now leave this plot and come to the centre of your garden.
The space that reflects your relationship with yourself.
Take a look around.
What does it look like?
Is it tended lovingly or has it been forgotten?
Is it overgrown and underwatered or balanced and nurtured?
Notice what's growing here.
Let any thoughts and beliefs living here reveal themselves to you.
Now take some time to clear away what no longer belongs.
Gently pulling up what doesn't serve you at the root to clear space in the soil of your mind.
And in this space,
Plant something new.
It might be a word,
A quality or an intention that feels nourishing to you right now.
Trust whatever arises.
See yourself tending to this sacred space.
Watering it with your presence.
Making room for new growth.
Now let go of tending and find a place in your garden to simply sit and rest.
Feel the stillness in the air.
The richness of the earth beneath you.
The beauty of what surrounds you.
Take it all in.
Let this be a place you can return to again and again.
A space that reflects the truth.
You can shape your inner world.
You can choose what to plant,
What to release and when to rest.
As we prepare to close,
Silently set an intention for your day.
Such as,
May I tend to my mind with kindness.
May I return to stillness when I need to.
May I keep planting what I want to grow.
Now take a deep,
Nourishing breath in and a long,
Grounding breath out.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Let them settle softly on the space around you.
And carry the calm clarity of your inner garden with you into the rest of your day.
