Fall into freedom meditation.
Gently settle into your body.
Maybe that means an easy seated pose.
Or something supporting your spine.
Maybe this means lying down for you.
Set the intention to remain present throughout the meditation.
To remain open.
And to receive.
Whatever position you choose,
Choose to have an alert posture.
A posture of ease and comfort.
And a posture that allows breath and energy to be supported.
And to move freely throughout your body.
Begin to observe your natural breath.
Notice where it lands.
Observe its temperature.
The breath's length.
Observing if the in-breath or the out-breath comes easier to you.
Now taking three deep breaths in,
Inhale through the nose.
And exhale through the mouth with a sigh.
Exhale through the nose.
And exhale through the mouth with a sigh.
Now closing your mouth,
Inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
Smooth,
Soft and continuous breaths with relaxed effort.
Feel already your physical body relaxing.
Relieving tension.
Begin to visualize a tree in the fall.
Barren,
The leaves blanketing the earth in color beneath the trunk.
Imagining that there is one leaf left on an otherwise naked branch.
Maybe it's shifting in a gentle breeze.
Now you can imagine that you are that leaf.
And maybe your life right now,
The stressors,
The anxiety,
The tension,
The to-do lists,
The responsibilities,
And the needs are keeping you from fully relaxing.
And you may imagine that you're under a lot of stress and that you are the one leaf remaining.
And under large amounts of stress or anxiety,
You may visualize that leaf as you hanging on for dear life,
Gripping and grasping for control,
Holding tightly to your attachments.
Wanting everything to stay the same,
Nothing to change,
Or maybe everything to change.
You may feel a sense of overwhelm and imagine that just one more thing will blow you off course and send you plummeting to the earth,
Flailing and whipping about to the precipice below,
Adding you to the other leaves piled high below.
I ask that today that you visualize,
Despite your circumstances,
Despite your stressors,
That you are that last leaf holding on to the limb.
But instead of seeing your situation with fear of falling,
Fear of failing,
Fear of what if this and what if that,
Fear of the unknown,
Fear of what we can't control,
Then instead you begin to see this as an opportunity.
Visualize that now you feel your grip starting to loosen on the limb.
You feel your touch grow soft.
You allow yourself the gift of letting go with trust that it all is well and all will be well.
Allow for a pause for an internal shift that right now you are supported,
You are loved,
And that you are being held almost as if there were an imaginary cloud beneath you and holding you through this process of letting go.
And as you choose to loosen your grip from the tree,
You feel a lightness,
A strength.
You feel empowered.
For some,
This shift in your mindset may mean you are reclaiming your right to say no.
You are now telling yourself it's okay to let go.
You are reclaiming your ability to speak up and speak out.
You are reclaiming the ability to open your heart to change,
To wellness,
To love,
And self-care.
You are reserving the right to pause,
Reflect,
And become more aware.
Right now,
You are taking back your power and the things that you can control.
As you do this,
A sense of letting go,
You begin to feel lighter and lighter.
And visualizing that that cloud is supporting you all the way down,
It sifts softly towards the earth.
Little by little as if a gentle breeze is carrying you,
Relieving you of stress,
Tension,
Anxiety.
Mindfully and leisurely,
You count back from 10 to 1,
Feeling yourself grow lighter and more free with each breath.
10,
9,
8,
Drifting slowly,
Gently downward,
7,
6,
5.
Halfway there,
You feel lighter,
Freer,
Open.
4,
3,
2,
Almost there,
1.
You gently touch the earth's surface in a pillow of leaves.
Your whole body is so relaxed.
Your mind is free.
You are feeling more yourself,
More balanced,
More regulated,
Refreshed,
Recharged.
The earth is supporting you in this relaxation,
Allowing you to feel surrender,
Relinquishing all tension and stress,
Letting go.
Rest in stillness with the sensation of grounding,
Supported by the universe,
Supported by God or the divine,
Held.
You have the right to this freedom,
To surrender your fears.
You deserve this moment of peace and stillness.
Now become aware of the sounds that you hear in your space,
The sound of my voice.
Once again,
Become aware of your breath and how it's changed,
Where it's now landing in your body,
The length of each breath,
The difference between your in breath and your out breath.
Observe any taste in your mouth,
An aroma within your space.
And with a relaxed effort,
Begin to bring movement back into your fingers,
Your toes.
Continue to stay in a state of relaxation,
Down regulation.
When you're ready to bring your palms together over your heart,
Continue to stay in a state of relaxation,
Down regulation.
And when you're ready,
Bring your palms together over your heart.
Rub the palms to create warmth.
Place your hands cupped over your closed eyelids and slowly begin to blink back in the light.
Rest your hands and drink in your surroundings and maintain this sense of peace in your mind,
Body and heart as you leave your practice and move back into life.
.