Thank you for joining me for today's guided visualization.
Today we'll be taking a journey to a sacred temple.
This is inspired by a recent visit to a Buddhist temple in South Korea.
Although I invite you to make the temple all your own.
It could be any architecture,
Any place,
Whatever feels most sacred,
Most special to you.
So finding a comfortable position for your body,
Seated or lying down.
When you're ready,
If you're ready,
Closing the eyes gently.
We'll take two deep clearing breaths just to create some space around this moment.
These sacred few minutes that are just for you.
Inhaling deeply through the nose.
Exhale with a sigh through the mouth.
Again through the nose.
Exhale sigh,
Let something go.
Taking a moment to notice where your body needs support,
Where the earth is holding you up at this moment.
Seeing on these next few exhales if you can release just a bit more of your weight into the earth.
Opening your body briefly here,
Just noticing what you find.
Shifting to your breath.
Noticing the rhythm.
Charting your inhale and your exhale.
I invite you to call to mind now to picture a long stone staircase built into a steep mountain face.
These beautiful gray granite steps look as if they've been here for eternity.
Taking a deep breath here,
Gaining strength for our journey up to the top of the steps to your temple,
Whatever that might resemble.
Behind you lie a beautiful forest with gnarled pines hundreds of years old clinging to the cliff face.
And a mountain stream from way up high,
Wending its way down the mountain past your path.
Just taking all this in in your mind's eye now and beginning your climb.
The air trickles past you as you step one foot and the other and the other.
Mindfully climbing.
Breathing in all the beauty that surrounds you.
Feel the sun gently kissing your skin.
Light breeze.
A gentle mist from the stream cascading past you.
Continuing to breathe,
To climb one foot in front of the other.
And as you reach the top of the steps,
You notice what's known in Buddhist temples as a one pillar gate.
Almost a door threshold without a door on it.
It's two pillars on the left and right and a beam holding them together at the top.
This marks the entrance to the temple,
To the sacred space.
Taking in the beauty of this gate,
However it might be decorated.
Simple or ornate.
It looks as if it was designed for you and only you.
Taking a few breaths here as you prepare to enter your sacred space,
Your temple grounds.
And thinking perhaps of a small ritual as you walk through this threshold.
Something that helps you separate this sacred space from the rest of your day,
The rest of your life.
This might be taking a deep exhale,
Letting go of what you're carrying.
Might be imagining yourself taking off a coat,
A coat of everyday life that weighs us down,
That makes life heavy.
Whatever this ritual is for you,
Just taking a moment to prepare for it.
Taking in the gate.
Admitting to your ritual and stepping through with ease.
Feeling lighter and freer as soon as you enter the temple grounds.
Entering this sacred space,
You're able to see the world with new eyes,
With beginner's eyes.
You can hear the music of nature singing for you.
You can feel your whole true self,
The one beneath the coat that we wear each day.
Taking in the scene around you,
Noticing what you find in your sacred temple space.
Beginning to walk mindfully just a few steps further.
Finding the most comfortable place to sit or lie down and rest,
To meditate.
Whether this is inside a structure,
A hall,
If there's any artwork,
Any figures there that are symbolic and meaningful and sacred to you.
Or perhaps it's outside a cushion,
A bench,
Somewhere absolutely gorgeous.
On a giant granite boulder,
Sandwiched between the temple grounds and the mountain stream.
Finding this space,
Your space,
To sit and be with your truest,
Most peaceful self.
Invite you to sit or lie down now.
Begin to just breathe and be.
Feeling your breath.
This clean,
Crisp mountain air coming in through your nose,
Your throat,
Your chest,
Ribs,
And belly.
Filling you with clarity,
With calm,
With connection to yourself.
And on every exhale,
Letting this beautiful breath carry out anything that doesn't serve you in this moment.
Anything you don't need right now.
Breathing in goodness and truth and peace.
Breathing out that which you don't need.
Your mind begins to wander.
Gently bring yourself back to this beautiful breath,
This gorgeous space,
The sounds of nature around you.
You might even count your breath,
Counting down from 10 or up to 10,
Whichever feels most natural.
Feeling the power and the peace of this breath.
And this one.
And this one.
Taking your deepest,
Fullest breath in this sacred space now.
Gently releasing when you're ready.
Beginning to stir from your resting point.
Taking in with all of your senses once more the beauty that surrounds you.
If it feels appropriate to you,
I invite you now to think of an intention,
A prayer that you might release here,
Put into the world before departing this sacred temple space.
Often at temples,
We might light a candle,
Might leave an offering,
Or perhaps fill out a prayer card that we can leave entwined somewhere on the temple grounds.
Letting the wind twist and turn it and releasing its intention into the breeze and the world.
So thinking about if any of these might feel like the right choice for you.
Choosing your intention or prayer now.
Breathing into it.
Lighting the candle.
Passing the offering.
Writing the prayer.
Mentally releasing it,
This intention,
Into the wind.
Beginning your journey back down to the base of the mountain.
First passing through the one pillar gate.
Beginning your descent on the long path of stone steps.
Noticing as you descend that you're traveling alongside this mountain stream still.
As you move,
It moves.
As you breathe,
It breathes.
Taking in once more the breeze,
The sun,
The gentle mist.
We now to the bottom of the mountain,
The end of our journey.
Just noticing how your body and breath feel now.
Maybe what,
If anything,
You were able to cultivate to spark in this sacred space.
Maybe thinking about how when we come to our meditation practice,
We can bring some of this ritual with us every time.
Some of this releasing of the one pillar gate.
This letting go of the day.
Sacred entrance into our protected space.
This offering of intentions.
Releasing them into the wind.
Just breathing into this.
Breathing in gratitude to yourself for taking this time,
For traveling with me.
I thank you for meditating with me.
May your space be sacred.
May your intentions come to be.
