This short guided meditation journey,
Set in the haven,
Will use sound,
Vision,
Touch and smell to promote a sense of centering and calm.
If you find one of these difficult,
Don't worry,
Just use the ones that you can.
In a few moments,
You will embark on a pleasant and gentle journey of visualisation that will take place within your mind.
To begin your journey,
Find a comfortable place where you'll not be disturbed and sit or lie down,
Close your eyes and take a few long deep breaths,
Allowing yourself to relax.
Now just fall into a natural breathing pattern and enjoy this immersive experience.
A few days ago,
You were speaking to the old lady as you walked back from the shop.
She mentioned that it would be a good idea to centre yourself deeply in the haven.
She said there is no need to go anywhere,
You can just sit in your garden and close your eyes,
Using your senses.
This morning,
Instead of going anywhere,
You sit in your beautiful garden under the shade of a flowering tree.
Beside you is a table and a covered glass of juice.
The garden has always looked mature and well tended since you came here.
From where you sit,
You can see the lily pond and the path that wanders away toward a low hedge and an old gate.
Through the gateway,
You can see across the lane to your small wood that murmurs in the breeze.
The tree you sit under sheds its blossoms in each puff of the breeze,
So that the grass looks starred by pink and white snow.
Without moving,
You look around the garden,
At the pond,
Clear and glimmering,
At the different flowers in the borders,
The pots of herbs,
The window boxes,
The path,
The trees that give shade.
Then you look beyond the gate and the wood,
Watching the shimmer of the moving leaves.
One of the blossoms falls on your lap,
And you pick it up,
Looking at the feathery petals,
Feeling the brush of it against your skin.
You feel the touch of the kindly breeze against your face,
The comfort of your garden chair.
You reach for your glass of juice,
Aware of the cool,
Smooth hardness of the glass,
Then take a sip.
It might taste tart or sweet,
Or both,
But is refreshingly cool and delicious as you swallow.
You close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you.
It is spring,
So birds are all around,
Some near,
Some further away.
The blackbird that you see from your bedroom window as it hops about the lawn,
Sings sometimes from the top of your house,
Or a cable,
Or the gatepost.
Distantly,
Crows caw above the fairy wood,
Though if this were dusk,
You would hear nightingales.
From your own little wood over the lane,
Comes the lovely song of the black cap,
Above and through all of these,
Blows the breeze,
Carrying a breeze down from the hills.
It is rich with all the growing things of spring,
But you can still smell the salt of the sea beyond the village,
Tingling of senses drowsy,
Soporific,
All the sounds become one as you sink down,
Down toward the centre of yourself,
As if into a deep still pool.
The scents of grass,
Woods,
Water,
Turned earth and the sea blend into the sound,
And behind all of them,
The stillness and quiet that to you encapsulates the safety of the haven.
It is in the world,
But set apart from it,
Gently,
You feel yourself go deeper into the core of the peace,
Until you are one with it,
The earth,
The water,
The growing things,
The sunlight filtered through the tree branches,
You are all of it,
Here simply relaxing,
You become completely centred,
As the sounds slowly fade into peace.
