Hello and welcome to this fall meditation.
My name is Rachel and I am a yoga meditation and mindfulness teacher located in Ontario,
Canada.
So as we get into this meditation,
Find yourself in a comfortable position.
You can do this meditation sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
Find a position that feels safe and relaxing.
And relaxing the body,
Scanning from head to toe.
Bringing your awareness from your head down into your face.
Relaxing the face muscles,
The jaw.
Relaxing the eyebrows.
Relaxing the shoulders.
Softening the belly.
Noticing any other areas of tension and relaxing,
Seeing if you can bring softness there.
And in this meditation we're going to be visualizing a big beautiful forest.
So imagine that you are standing at the entrance of a big beautiful forest.
You're standing on a gravel path,
Looking ahead.
You see the big lustrous trees.
And it's fall so the leaves are the most beautiful,
Gorgeous array of colors.
You see red and orange and yellow and brown.
The colors are vibrant.
The sun is shining,
And you can feel the slight warmth on your face.
And yet you feel the coolness and the breeze.
Listening you can hear the signs of wildlife,
Birds chirping,
And other creatures preparing for coolness ahead.
As you step forward onto the path,
You can hear the sounds of the gravel under your feet.
As you walk,
You hear the sounds underfoot.
And you walk slowly along the path.
As you walk you take in the sights around you,
Looking around with the eyes of a toddler,
Taking in all the sights,
Smells and touch textures.
You see the vibrancy of the autumn colors,
The textures of the trees,
The soil.
It's a little damp with a layer of fallen leaves.
As the trail winds first left then right,
You pass fallen trees that have become small homes for tiny creatures.
Around the next corner,
You see a beautiful pond.
A big weeping pelt willow extends over the water,
Seeming to touch the water surface with her branches.
You find a spot where you can sit and contemplate life.
You bring to mind something you're worrying about lately.
And you tell the willow all about it,
All about your worries.
You tell her all about what you're afraid of.
And she listens compassionately,
Warmly,
You can sense her great wisdom.
And she invites you to leave your worries with her.
She'll care for them for you.
And you take a little more time to sit in that feeling of safety,
Feeling heard,
Feeling held,
And feeling cared for.
And when you're ready,
You say goodbye to Willow and thank her for her loving care.
You walk the same way you came,
Noticing all of the sights and sounds and smells of the forest.
As you emerge from the forest you feel the sun's warmth on your face glowing.
You notice how much lighter it feels to leave your worries behind.
You bring your hand to your heart,
Noticing a soft quality within and without.
Feeling loved,
Feeling safe,
Feeling cared for in this moment.
As we begin to bring awareness back to the room around us,
Noticing things you can feel,
Noticing the sounds around you,
Bringing your attention to my voice,
Bringing you back,
Visualizing the room around you,
Bringing some movement back into your fingers.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes and thanking yourself for joining this practice today,
Noticing how it feels to leave your worries behind.
Have a great day!
