Sit With Your Shadows: Somatic Plant Meditation For Clarity

Welcome to Sit With Your Shadow,

A somatic plant meditation.

For this meditation,

We invite you to bring a plant partner,

Either a living plant or a plant image,

Into the meditation.

Also,

You should have journal and pen and probably drawing materials,

As oftentimes plants don't speak with a linear language and therefore it's easier to capture images,

Designs,

Sensations with drawing materials.

Highly encouraged to bring yourself also some water and remember that at any time you can opt out of any piece of this and sit in silence as the meditation goes on.

We are going to be going deep into your shadow.

For this meditation,

We'll also be using the terms ki and kin as plant pronouns.

Ki for singular,

Kin for plural.

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath.

Hold it for a moment and then slowly exhale.

Allow any tension to melt away as you gradually begin to soften your muscles,

Letting go with each breath.

Find yourself a comfortable position,

Either sitting or lying down,

And invite your plant partner into this space.

As you breathe in,

Bring in ki's oxygen and as you breathe out,

Share your carbon dioxide with ki.

Feel a circle of breath form between you and your plant partner.

Whether your plant partner is sitting with you physically in the space or an image,

You can still feel this energetic connection.

Continue to breathe slowly and gently as you bring your awareness to the top of your head.

Just sense or imagine a feeling of warmth and softness beginning to spread down from the top of your scalp and feel the muscles in your forehead and temples begin to relax.

Allow your eye muscles to release.

Let your cheeks and jaw soften and let go of all the tension.

Now let this peaceful feeling flow down into your neck.

With each breath you take,

This relaxing feeling becomes deeper and warmer.

It works its way deep into your muscles in your shoulders,

Soothing them and releasing them.

It loosens the muscles in your upper arms,

Your forearms,

Your hands,

And you feel relaxation and the soothing energy all the way to the tips of your fingers.

As your body softens,

Your thoughts seem to become lighter and your plant partner more present.

You're slipping further and further into a dreamlike state of stillness,

Into your plantness,

That calm connected presence where you feel yourself a being of nature and are simultaneously attuned to all beings of nature.

Now bring your awareness to your chest and your stomach.

The peaceful sensation flows throughout this area of your body,

Soothing every muscle and relaxing every organ.

Tune your attention to your upper back and feel this softening sensation flow all the way down your spine.

As it gradually works its way down your body,

Feel every muscle in your back,

In your chest,

In your stomach,

Let go and unwind.

Feel that your entire upper body has become loose,

Relaxed,

And soft.

Sink into this serene sensation.

Now feel your hips soften as the peaceful feeling starts to work its way through your lower body.

Release the muscles in your back,

The back of your thighs,

The front of your thighs,

Your buttocks.

Feel all these large,

Strong muscle groups becoming softer with each passing moment.

Soothing feelings flow down through your knees and into your calves,

Your ankles let go,

And now your feet let go into the earth below you.

Allow your entire lower body to let go completely and allow any remaining tension from anywhere in your body to flow out through the tips of your toes to be composted by the earth.

Feel the deep state of calmness and connection.

Now take a deep breath as you exhale,

Bringing your attention slightly back to the room.

Your awareness is in the present,

Calm and connected,

And your plant partner is there with you.

Invite your plant ally closer now.

If you have a living plant with you,

Place key where you can see or touch.

If you have an image,

Bring it onto your screen or into your hands,

Present in this area.

Let your plant set the pace.

Imagine a gentle safety bubble forming around you and your plant partner,

Soft,

Spacious,

And steady.

We're going to visit seldom explored parts of you.

Remember,

Your body leads.

At any time,

You can say no,

You can stop at any time,

And your plant partner is here to help guide you and support you.

If at any moment you feel overwhelmed,

Stop and focus your attention back on your plant partner and your shared breath.

Move your awareness to this shared space and the bubble of safety key has created.

Breathe here and stay here as long as you need.

When you feel ready,

You re-enter.

Bring your attention back to now.

Breathe with your plant.

Inhale and receive key's oxygen.

Exhale and often your carbon dioxide back to key.

Feel a circle of breath forming between you and around you.

This is the safety bubble and it is ever present.

Silently ask your plant ally,

Will you hold me while I listen and wait for a moment?

If you feel a yes or even a gentle maybe,

Continue.

If you feel a no,

Choose a different plant ally to work with,

Or let the earth key self be your ally.

Sense the safety bubble thicken a little as you and your plant ally begin to journey together.

Feel it at your back,

Along your spine,

Feel it at the front of your chest and belly.

Let it wrap your head like a soft hood.

You are held,

You are safe,

You are here.

Breathe slowly and repeat these lines to yourself like a promise.

I move at the speed of nature.

I choose how deep I go.

I can pause or stop at any time.

If discomfort rises,

Step back to the safety bubble created with your plant partner.

Return to this meditative flow when you're ready.

Finally,

See the safety bubble extend to the room you're in.

Your plant ally is here,

Your breath is here,

Your choice is here.

We will keep this safety bubble active as we continue.

Now breathe once more with your plant partner.

In through your nose,

Hold for a beat,

And out through your mouth.

Hold for a beat.

Calm,

Connected,

And ready.

Bring your attention inward now.

Stay inside the safety bubble with your plant ally.

In this safe space,

Invite one part of you to come forward.

A part you often push away or hide in the shadows.

It could be a trait or a characteristic.

It could be something you've learned.

Something you try to ignore or that bothers you when it appears,

So you tuck it away before it can speak.

Here are some examples to help you choose.

Impatience,

Defensiveness,

Judgment,

A feeling of impotence,

A feeling of talking too much,

A feeling of saying the wrong thing.

You only need one.

Choose a gentle,

Everyday version of it.

Something characteristic.

We're not here to fix.

We're here to listen.

Let this part know it is welcome for a short visit.

Remind your plant partner,

I'm here to listen.

Now notice as you reach out to this part,

If it moves closer or stays at a distance.

Both are okay.

Name this part with one simple word and whisper the word inside now.

As you call this part by name,

Where do you feel it in your body?

Point to the place or rest a hand there.

Is it on the surface or deep inside?

Is it tight or heavy?

Hot,

Cold?

Is it prickly or more of a numbing feeling?

Just notice.

No need to create a story.

We're here to listen.

If intensity rises at any point,

Return to your plant partner.

Focus on the safety bubble.

Long,

Slow exhale and then return when you're ready.

Turn your gaze again to this part with soft eyes.

If it had a size,

How big is it now?

Is it small like a seed?

Is it medium like a stone?

Or is it almost shapeless like a river that flows?

If it had a landscape,

What would it be?

Would it be hot and humid in the tropics?

Would it be wet and engulfing like a rainforest?

Would it be mild like a temperate area?

Explore this landscape now.

The size,

The landscape and any other characteristics are all cues to help you listen.

Offer one sentence back to the part.

I see you or thank you for allowing me to see you.

You have chosen your part for today.

Hold its name gently in your mind.

Now invite your plant ally into this.

Feel the safety bubble around you.

It's soft and spacious and steady.

Invite your chosen part to show you where it hides when you push it away.

Where does it go?

Behind your ribs?

Into your throat?

Deep in the belly?

To hurt your back?

Just notice with no judgment.

Follow your part to its hideaway spot.

When you sense the place,

Go there for a short visit.

No questions,

No explanations.

Simply sit with this part in its own space.

Place a hand on that part of your body if that helps or in the area around you.

Breathe gently.

If at any point it becomes intense,

Reach out to your plant partner,

Whether physically or on the image.

On the inhale,

Soften around this location.

And on the exhale,

Make a little more room for this part.

Notice the simple details of the area in which you find yourself with this hidden part.

Is it warm or cool?

Does it feel comfortable like the landscape you experienced for this part?

Or is this part punishing itself by giving itself an area that is uncomfortable?

Is it tight or loose?

Still or moving?

Dim or dense?

You do not need to change it.

You're only feeling.

You're getting to know this part.

You're sitting and listening.

This part fills this space with its emotions.

As you feel into these,

If at any time you need it,

Come back to the safety bubble with your plant.

See and touch or imagine your plant partner.

And take a long,

Slow exhale to let your system settle.

We'll pendulate a little,

Visiting and returning so your body can feel and stay safe.

So go back to the hiding place now,

Just for another short visit.

Sit with the part.

Sit in the shadow.

Let it know,

I'm here.

And listen with your whole body.

Let your senses receive what you cannot yet see or understand.

If an image or word or sensation appears,

Allow it to linger and settle around you like a comfortable cloak.

Always remembering you're in the safety of your bubble.

If nothing appears,

The feeling is enough.

Now return your awareness to your plant ally and the bubble.

Feel key stability.

Inhale keys oxygen.

Share your carbon dioxide.

Let the calm spread down your spine and across your chest and ground out through your feet.

Now one more time,

Let's go back to the hiding place with this part that is in the shadows.

Sit beside the part like a sitting beside a friend in the dark.

This trait,

This characteristic,

This piece of you that lives in every essence.

Do not pull it out.

You're not pushing it away.

You're simply sitting.

You breathe.

You feel.

If at any moment intensity arises,

Go back to the bubble.

Stay there as long as you need and reenter when you're ready.

As you sit with the part,

Imagine a tiny glow arriving from your plant.

Not a spotlight,

Just a soft ember.

It does not fix.

It helps you see.

Your plant partner is showing you a new way.

Let that gentle glow outline the edges of this part's space.

Notice if the size,

The shape,

The landscape shifts even a little as you illuminate the area.

If it stays the same,

That is perfect too.

Again,

You're here to listen,

To receive.

Quietly ask,

What do you want me to know right now?

And wait a few breaths.

Whatever arrives,

Word,

Image,

Sensation is enough.

Trust in your senses,

Those that are awakened and even unawakened to receive what is needed.

If nothing arrives,

The being with is the practice.

Trust in yourself.

Trust in your senses.

Trust in your plant partner.

Place one hand on a safe place in your body.

Place the other hand near where you believe that plant is living.

Let steadiness flow from the safe hand to the hand with the part.

And breathe with your plant partner.

In through your nose and out through your mouth.

Mark the place in your awareness so you can find it again later.

As if placing a small ribbon there and whisper,

I will return.

Come out of the hiding space,

Out of the shadows,

And back fully into the safety bubble.

Sense your plant ally close.

Feel as the bubble holds you and feel into the sensations that you experienced of this part in its hiding space.

Feel this part as if it were a role in nature.

Which role would it be?

Try each one gently.

And you can nod if it fits or let it pass if it doesn't fit.

Not sure yet is also a welcome to answer.

Which role in nature would this part be?

Would it be a predator meant to cut or prune so life can stay in balance?

Does your part act like a clean cut when it helps or like a slash when it harms?

Just notice.

Is this part a competitor?

Does it push for new outcomes and directions?

Does your part want more from its environment?

Or does it overreact in response to others?

Notice.

Feel.

Is your part predator or competitor?

What about a parasite?

Does it ask for support and try to create clear boundaries?

Does your part signal I need help when needed or quietly drain your energy when it harms you?

Notice.

Is it predator,

Competitor,

Or parasite?

No judgment,

No story.

Simply reflection and listening.

Is your part a decomposer,

One that breaks down the old?

Does your part help you let go and compost what's done or dissolve what still needs to be living?

Notice whether this part is a decomposer,

A parasite,

A competitor,

Or a predator.

Could this part be a detritivore?

It cleans out what's no longer useful.

Does this part tidy the leftovers and prevent stagnation?

Or does it fixate on scraps and keep you stuck as it tries to get through things that aren't moving?

Notice.

Notice what part it plays.

Is it a detritivore?

Is it a decomposer?

Could it be a parasite?

Or a competitor?

Or is it a predator?

If none fit,

Just choose not sure yet.

This is real and valid and everything you feel is as it should be.

Now choose one role that best describes your part.

It could be that this part holds one role when it is helping you,

And it holds a different role when it is harming you.

Could it be that it is a predator when it helps,

And it could be instead a decomposer when it's harming?

Or could it be vice versa?

Choose one role that best describes your part when it helps,

And choose one role that best describes your part when it harms you.

Name these.

You have mapped two functions of the same part,

Helpful and harmful.

If intensity rises,

Remember you are in a safety bubble with your plant partner.

Now ask quietly,

What would help me better relate to this part?

Maybe you get a word,

An image,

A gesture,

Or simply a warmth that may appear.

And if nothing appears,

Allow your breath to be enough.

What would help me better relate to this part?

Trust that the answer is being received by your body.

As you explore this part within the safety bubble,

Notice if the part comes out of hiding at any point.

Notice if you better understand its role.

Small shifts count.

Remember what you discovered.

The helpful role that this part plays,

The harmful role that this part plays.

And hold these in a soft field of awareness.

Thank your part for showing you its nature.

Thank your body for feeling and receiving.

And thank your plant ally for holding the space.

With your plant ally beside you,

Fill your heart with loving compassion.

On the next inhale,

Gather warmth in the heart.

And on the exhale,

Let it spill over to the chest,

To the throat,

To your belly,

To your back.

Another breath,

Let this loving compassion flow through the hips,

Your legs and feet.

And with another breath,

Let it rise to your neck and your jaw and the soft space behind the eyes.

Let this light and this loving compassion feeling re-energize your senses,

Your sense of smell,

Taste,

Hearing,

Touch,

Sight,

And all of those sensations and senses that you are still discovering.

Let this loving compassion spill over you and fill you with a calm presence.

Let this light re-energize your energy sensors,

Not just bright,

But steady,

Like warm coals,

A feeling of deep compassion,

Of deep understanding,

Of deep love.

Say to this part,

Thank you for meeting me.

I will continue to listen.

I will return.

I am here with you and for you.

Stay with your plant ally for another breath,

Consciously bringing in that nice,

Clean,

Fresh oxygen and sharing your own carbon dioxide.

We begin to close the safety bubble now,

Not oft,

Just softer,

Like turning a lantern down to a calm glow,

Always around you,

Always present,

Here to light your way.

Thank your plant ally.

Whisper,

Thank you for holding me.

Know you can call this bubble back,

The safety created by you and your plant partner at any time.

Bring with you the feelings and messages of this shadow part,

Carrying them gently like a small stone in your pocket,

Safe until you need it.

You are not leaving them behind.

You are returning with them.

Now begin to feel your toes.

Notice both big toes and the little toes and all the space in between.

Wiggle them and feel the ground that has held you steady throughout this process.

Notice the soles of your feet,

Your heels,

The arches.

Press down and feel your weight.

Your ankles are soft and begin to move and you move up through the calves.

You sense the muscles and the bones.

Your knees awakened,

Steadying you and holding you.

You travel through the thighs,

Front and back.

Feel the weight where you sit.

Your hips and pelvis arrive with small,

Gentle movements,

Small circles that ground you.

Let them be heavy and supported.

Notice the lower back and sacrum.

Lengthen gently.

Belly softens and breathe in to all parts of your lower back and belly.

Move to the solar plexus and ribs.

Feel the breath widen you side to side.

Chest and upper back arrive.

Your plant partner still here with you,

Helping you through this space.

Heart steady and overflowing with loving compassion.

Shoulder blades rested and bring awareness to your shoulders,

Your upper arms,

Your elbows,

Your fingers and your toes,

Forearms and wrists and hands.

They all start to move gently,

Softly,

Bringing everything that you have experienced back into the physical.

Bringing that connection to this shadow part.

Let your hands feel real and present.

Maybe rub thumb and fingertip one by one.

In all this,

Remember to breathe.

Your neck arrives,

Your throat softens.

Your jaw is unclenching as it moves around.

Tongue rests on the floor of the mouth.

Feel your cheeks and nose.

Your ears notice the room.

Your eyes are soft behind the lids.

Your forehead smooths and your scalp awakens.

The crown of the head is present and calm.

Sense your whole body now,

From toes to crown.

One body,

Here and now,

Connected and overflowing with loving compassion.

Bring your shadow parts message to a home inside you.

Heart,

Belly,

A pocket of your mind.

Choose one place.

Say,

I carry you with care.

We will continue this work.

I believe in you.

Feel the chair beneath you,

The earth beneath your feet.

Take a long exhale.

Begin to notice the room,

The temperature,

The light and shadows,

Near sounds and far sounds.

If your eyes are closed,

Open them slowly and let your gaze land on one gentle point,

Your plant partner.

Blink,

Connect,

And then look around.

Stretch any way your body asks.

Your neck,

Your fingers,

Your spine,

Maybe sip some water.

You are back in physical consciousness,

Grounded,

Safe,

And carrying what you learned.

Open your journal or notes and let's record what you received and make a simple pact.

If you prefer,

Draw instead of writing.

Now write these short lines.

Keep them simple,

Just a few words each.

The place this part lives is.

The place this part lives in.

Its helpful role is.

Its helpful role is.

Its harmful role is.

Its harmful role is.

This part wants me to know.

This part wants me to know.

And the last one,

This part feels like.

And here you can write those sensations,

The size,

The color,

The landscape,

Whatever you remember.

This part feels like.

Come back to the breath with your plant.

If you need more time,

You can always return at a later moment and continue to write.

Now we're going to make a pack of understanding.

First contact,

Not final answers.

This is an opening.

Write two short promises to this part.

I will give you the promises and then you will take some moments to write.

The first one is I will meet you at and named the body place or the location where this part lives.

I will meet you at.

The second is I will listen when and name the cue that this part will give you when it needs to be listened to.

It could be a tight chest.

It could be your thoughts racing.

It could be a sensation of heat in a certain location.

You will know what is the right cue.

I will meet you at and I will listen when.

Take a few moments now to write your pact of understanding.

Let the words be imperfect and true.

This is an opening to a new relationship.

Give yourself the space to write this pact on how you are now,

Knowing that you can always come back to it and update it as you get to know this part better.

I will meet you at.

I will listen when.

This concludes sit with your shadow,

A somatic plant meditation.

This meditation supports the plant guided shadow work workshop as part of the reconnect with plant kin series.

You can find this series in the naturally conscious community.

The link provided in the description.

I am your host Tigrela Gardenia.