Hi and welcome to this mindfulness meditation.
Thanks for joining me and well done for looking after yourself and giving yourself this precious time for you,
Just a pause for a moment and recharge.
Before we start please make yourself comfortable,
Either in a seated position or lying down,
Whichever you prefer.
Have a little wriggle around and see if you can make yourself just 5% more comfortable.
Ok so let's begin by simply closing your eyes.
Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest and just feel the rise and fall of your body as you breathe,
Like a wave of air is washing all the way into your body,
Down to your toes and then all the way back up your legs into your chest and back out again.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Filling up your belly first,
As if fully inflating a balloon.
Then breathe out through your mouth,
Slowly and steadily,
As if you're exhaling out through a straw,
Letting go of all the air in your body.
Take another deep breath in,
Hold it at the top for a count of one and let it go again,
Exhaling all the stale air at the very bottom of your lungs.
Notice the cool air flowing in through your nostrils and the slightly warmer air flowing back out as you exhale.
Take a deep breath in again,
Pause at the top and slowly let it back out again.
Notice the space you are creating inside your body as it starts to open up and relax.
Deep breath in again,
Hold it momentarily at the top and release it all the way back out again.
Just let your breath return to its normal rhythm now,
Observe it without judgement as we begin our visualisation meditation.
It is a crisp,
Dry,
Bright winter's morning in the mountains.
It is early and you've just woken up,
Warm,
Snug and well rested.
You've slept deeply under soft,
Thick blankets which feel heavy on your body,
Cradling you tightly in your warm bed in this small,
Cosy farmhouse high up in the mountains.
You slowly pull back the heavy blankets and feel the cool air on your skin.
You sink your feet into the soft,
Thick sheepskin rug on the floor beneath you,
Slowly pull on some thick winter clothes and wander across the creaky old floorboards to stoke the fire.
The embers glow and you add some dry logs to keep the fire burning and put an old black kettle on the stove.
It doesn't take long to steam and you pour a hot drink to warm you before your mountain walk.
You take a sip,
Feeling the hot liquid warm your chest.
You break off a crust of fresh bread and warm it over the fire before spreading some butter on which melts instantly.
It tastes slightly salty as you turn it over in your warm mouth.
You pull on your trusty walking boots over your thick,
Fleecy socks and heave open the old wooden farmhouse door.
The morning sunlight floods into the room,
Dazzling your eyes.
You feel very small surrounded by snow-capped mountains,
Like sleeping giants all around you.
The silence is deafening.
As you begin to walk,
Your footsteps pierce the silence,
Crunching along the small winding path that calls to you to walk amongst the giants.
The path is rough and uneven and meanders left and then right across a cragged terrain.
You come to a river crossing and pause in an old wooden rickety bridge to watch the water flowing beneath you.
It dances and sparkles in the morning sunlight and the submerged plants lean to and fro in the currents,
Free and unrestrained.
You momentarily close your eyes and imagine being one of those water plants,
Moving with the current,
Relaxed and trusting in the water.
The water trickles over large,
Solid,
Defiant rocks as it ebbs and flows down the mountains,
Keen to reach its final destination.
You move on,
Climbing higher now.
The air is thinner and smells clean and pure with the faint scent of the vibrant pines.
The earth below your feet is given way to light snow and you can no longer hear the birds,
Just feel the light wind drifting past your ears and calling your warm cheeks.
You scrabble across some fallen rocks,
Feeling their weathered lines with your soft hands,
Reassuring you of their strength and support.
And you come to a viewpoint where you can sit still for a moment and soak up the scenery.
You take a comforting sip of warm tea from your flask and break off a piece of dark chocolate.
You savour it,
It tastes sweet and melts slowly in your mouth.
You spot the farmhouse far beneath you now.
A small stream of smoke still dances from the chimney,
Reminding you of the warm fire waiting for you.
You sit still and take in the epic scenery,
So vast,
So open.
Everything is calm,
Everything is still.
It's time to head back to reality now.
Take a few deep breaths and start to wiggle a few fingers and toes.
Then gradually peel open your eyes and take in all the vibrant colours around you,
Feeling refreshed and completely restored.
Thank you for joining me today.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day.
Namaste.
