Welcome to the Center of the Absurd Meditation Podcast,
Where we engage deeply and mindfully with the silliest and most absurd spaces within ourselves in order to find levity and relief from the pains and stresses of our human existence.
Today's meditation practice focuses on finding solid ground,
Feeling rooted and strong.
Start by finding a comfortable space where you can focus your attention on yourself.
Slow down,
Sit or lie comfortably or just collapse into a puddle on the floor.
Whatever you choose,
Ease into a place of letting go.
Relax your muscles.
Breathe evenly,
Naturally.
Notice any tension leaving your body.
Notice your breath flowing in and out.
Let any tightness or tension move its way down and out of your body,
Creating space and lightness around you.
A deep breath in and then a slow release out.
Let all of the tightness and constriction in your body go.
Now imagine it is a warm,
Sunny day.
You are standing in a field of sweet green grass.
The sky is a bright blue.
There are several fluffy white clouds floating above you.
There is a cool breeze blowing and the air smells fresh and clean.
It is the perfect temperature and your body feels relaxed and comfortable.
You close your eyes and take a deep breath in,
Feeling the air move through you.
You scan your body from the top of your head to your toes.
You are feeling very relaxed and safe.
Everything feels comfortable and calm.
You are at your best.
It is a beautiful day.
Take a few moments and take in the beauty and spaciousness surrounding you.
Breathe in and out.
This feels really nice.
You look down and notice that your feet are actually two giant marshmallows.
They are smooth and white and marshmallow shaped.
You bend down to get a closer look and find that they are soft to the touch and their sweet sugary marshmallow scent fills your nose.
You try taking a step and find the marshmallows are quite springy.
As you walk,
You feel the bounce of your spongy marshmallow feet each time you touch the ground.
You have never considered wishing for marshmallow feet,
But you are enjoying them and wondering how you ever lived without them.
You spend some time enjoying the springy light feeling.
It is an amazing day and having marshmallow feet turns out to be an unexpected bonus.
After walking along for a while,
Enjoying the soft bouncing stride of your marshmallow feet,
You come to a large shaded area surrounded by trees.
You notice the trees stretch far up into the sky,
Their branches reaching out,
Tangling with the other branches of nearby trees.
You notice that every tree is rooted firmly in the ground,
Solid,
And each one is in contact with the trees on either side of it.
It's like a giant circle of trees embracing each other.
It's lovely.
You move forward until you are standing in the middle of the shaded opening surrounded by the circle of trees.
As you stand,
You bounce gently up and down on your soft marshmallow feet.
Your body moves up and down rhythmically,
Shifting gently,
Almost rocking you in a slow,
Steady motion.
You feel safe and relaxed.
Through an opening in the trees,
You see a bit of sunlight peeking through.
The brilliant light stretches over the tops of the trees and shines down,
Warming the circle of earth in which you are standing.
You close your eyes and look up,
Feeling the gentle heat on your face.
The sun's light creates a glow on your cheeks and you feel the warmth spreading down your neck,
Across your chest,
Through your belly,
Down your legs,
And down,
Down,
Down into your feet.
Your feet,
You now notice,
Are softening and becoming quite sticky.
Relaxed and calm,
You rest into your feet,
Feeling the sticky,
Sweet marshmallow melt into the ground beneath you.
You feel steady,
Solid,
Strong,
And so safe and protected.
You are surrounded by a circle of strongly rooted trees and you,
Yourself,
Are standing tall and solid,
Held firmly in place by your marshmallow feet that seem to have now blended and become one with the earth beneath you.
You stand for a while and feel the strength and stability of this moment.
You have never felt as centered and rooted as you do now.
You take several deep breaths.
You feel connected to everything around you,
Sure of yourself,
Steady and confident.
After a while,
The sun starts to descend slowly,
Cooling the space you are in.
You take a deep breath in and hold it,
Noticing that the breath moves in through your nose,
Down through your center,
And into your marshmallow feet,
Puffing them up slightly.
You exhale and notice the stickiness beneath you giving way,
Loosening and allowing you to move your feet freely.
Again,
A breath in and your marshmallows expand,
Become even looser.
With every breath,
You rise a bit higher and you feel a bit lighter and freer.
Soon,
You are feeling the bounce of movement beneath you again.
You turn slowly around,
Taking in the beauty surrounding you and appreciating each tree for holding the strength of the circle with you.
You feel ready to return home.
Before you leave the space,
You remind yourself,
My feet can carry me lightly and joyfully.
My feet can hold me solidly in place.
My feet can smell sweet.
You repeat these statements to yourself two more times.
My feet can carry me lightly and joyfully.
My feet can hold me solidly in place.
My feet can smell sweet.
My feet can carry me lightly and joyfully.
My feet can hold me solidly in place.
My feet can smell sweet.
Your feet have now returned to their original form.
You hold the awareness that they can transform and carry you however you need them to.
When you need them to be feet,
They will be feet.
When you need them to be marshmallows,
They will be marshmallows.
When you need to be rooted,
They will root you to the earth beneath you and hold you steady.
Wherever they take you,
Remember that you have within you the capacity for lightness and groundedness and of course sweetness.
You are and always will be undeniably,
Amazingly and unceasingly sweet.
Be well.
