Welcome.
This is Karen Jones.
And so I'm so glad to have you with me today as we take a journey.
You see,
There is so much stress and anxiety in the world.
Sometimes we just need to get away.
So this meditation is a journey to get away.
So join me.
Wherever you are,
I invite you to sit in a comfortable position.
Let your back be straight,
Your feet flat on the floor,
And begin to notice your breath,
How the air moves through your nose or your mouth.
And as you inhale,
How your chest expands and then releases with the exhale.
Dropping your awareness further into your belly,
Into your hips and pelvis.
Imagine the sensations in your body.
Now let's go on a journey.
Imagine you're with me,
Hiking up a trail in the Rocky Mountains.
Step by step,
The sun is warm.
There's a breeze that feels so nice.
Maybe you can hear it.
And then the trail takes us up next to a lake.
You find a comfortable place and sit down by the lake.
Maybe you're on a rock,
There's rocks here,
Or on the grass that's right next to the lake.
The sun is warm.
The water is clear and deep blue.
There are Rocky Mountains all around us.
And it feels like this lake is held like in the palm of someone's hand.
The breeze is moving the water and you can hear it lapping on the shore.
Listen.
Perhaps you can hear the wind,
Feeling it blow your hair.
Feel the breeze on your skin.
You close your eyes,
Maybe face into the sun,
And you feel the warmth of the sun on your face.
As you feel the warmth of the sun and the breeze,
As you hear the lapping of the water on the shore,
Smell the green of sun-warmed grass and herbs and bushes.
You can feel stress just beginning to leave your body,
Draining out your feet into the earth.
You realize it's easier to breathe.
It's like there's a freedom.
You can expand your breath.
Take a deep breath in.
And as you breathe out,
You notice even more stress leaving.
And you begin to realize there's a sense of relaxation,
This sense of well-being.
Breathing in through your nose,
Out through your mouth.
The feeling of well-being,
Of relaxation,
Encompasses more and more of you.
Let yourself gently breathe.
Open yourself.
Open yourself.
Open yourself to the wind,
The sun,
The water,
The mountains around you,
The strength of the earth beneath your body,
The joy of the water,
The movement of the air,
The fire of the sun.
You can stay with me by Lawn Lake,
Up in the Rocky Mountains,
As long as you wish.
And when you're ready,
But not before,
But when you are ready,
Wiggling your fingers and toes,
Taking another deep,
Expansive breath in.
Ahhh.
How good it feels to have been out in nature.
Opening your eyes back to wherever you were.
Cradled by the strength of the mountains,
Warmed by the fire of the sun,
Filled with the joy of the water,
And the movement of the air.
Thank you for joining me.
This is Karen Jones,
And until we meet again,
Blessings.