The Walled Garden

This is a beautiful relaxation meditation, creating a safe and secret place of tranquility that you can build upon and return to whenever you feel the need.

You can now play the meditation at the bottom of the post.



Meditation

Quieten your mind and take a few deep breaths as you consciously release any tension that you feel throughout your body.

Imagine yourself walking through a wood. Trees are dotted here and there, their branches shielding you from the heat of the sun.

You pick your way through the woodland plants, noticing the pretty little flowers dotted around you.

A blackbird hops out in front of you, catching your attention.

It darts back off the path behind a bush and then hops in front of you again as if asking you to follow it.

You walk behind the bush to see a small track. With the black bird leading the way, you continue to follow it.

You soon come to an tall, old stone wall and notice a wooden door in the centre.

The door is ajar, allowing you to open it and walk through into a beautiful walled garden.

You  look around, taking in the colours and scents of the flowers. The only sounds are those of the birds chirping merrily and the bees buzzing around as they flit from flower to flower.

You see a path that leads to the other side of the garden. You start to walk along it and pass a tranquil ornamental pond. There are fish in the pond and you stop to take a closer look and notice your reflection in the crystal clear water.

Continuing on the path, you reach a beautiful rose garden. There are many different colour roses, of all different sizes and scents.

You are drawn to one rose in particular, its colour stands out from all the rest.

You stand next to this rose and take a deep breath of its beautiful scent. Its delicate fragrance permeates your body, radiating warmth, compassion and pure life essence throughout your body.

You take a few more deep breaths, enjoying the experience and the fragrance of this special rose.

When finished, you stand up tall. The garden around you is truly alive with the harmony of nature. You turn around and walk back along the path through the garden.

You once again reach the tranquil ornamental pond. Glancing over, you notice in you reflection that you appear rejuvenated, invigorated and alive with the essence of this beautiful garden.

You continue along the path until you reach the wooden door in the wall of the garden.

The blackbird is waiting for you at the door.  You close the door gently to this safe and secret place, knowing you may return whenever you need.

The little blackbird hops in front of you, leading the way back through the woodland to the path where you first met.

Soon you find you are back on the main path through the weed. You say goodbye to the blackbird and thank him for taking you to the secret walled garden.

You continue back through the woodland, picking your way through the trees and plants, noticing the pretty flowers dotted here and there.

You feel the earth firmly beneath your feet

Slowly start to bring your awareness back to the room you are in and in your own time, open your eyes when you are ready.

Lotus Meditation

The Lotus is very symbolic of our own development. 

When we reach for the guidance and insight of the soul, we may only achieve this by ensuring that the foundation on which we are based is strong.

By doing so, it is possible to avoid being caught up in the chaotic turbulance of life where we risk being carried away with the current of everyday affairs.



Meditation

Picture yourself taking the form of a seed.  As this seed, you are full of potential, locked away inside, ready and waiting for the spark of life to set free the beauty that is within.

You find yourself within the earth, enveloped by deep rich fertile soil.  The surrounding earth will nourish and nurture you. It provides support and stabilisation as you begin on your journey of development/growth.  

Everything that you might need for a steady foundation is right here around you.

So with this support and nourishment, you as a seed begin to grow. A green shoot, small at first, emerges. Striving upwards, where instinct tells you you will find the light.

At the same time, in reciprocal action, you develop roots which sink deeper into the earth, reinforcing your foundation. 

The green shoot gains in strength, as it heads upwards, and you start to become aware of the increasing moisture within the soil.

As you emerge from the denseness of the rich earth, you are surrounded by the gentle fluidity of water. You notice that you are within a beautiful pond.

With your roots sunk deep within the earth, you continue to grow, up through the water. You can feel the rays of the sun filtering down through the water, nourishing and encouraging you to strive for the light.

The water has a gentle, fluid movement. You find yourself gently swaying from time to time, whenever there is a ripple in the water. But your roots are strong, and the turbulence never stops you from continuing to grow up towards the light.

Your green shoot has now developed into a sturdy green stem. And as you find yourself reaching the surface of the water, a bud starts to form at the top of this stem. The beauty within waits in readiness for the full strength of the sun's rays.

The bud emerges from the water, embracing the light, warmth and life giving strength of the sun. Reaching further upwards, the sturdy stem lifts the bud right up and into the air, out of the relative heaviness of the water.

Now in the direct light of the sun, the budding flower yields to the energies reaching its very core. Slowly, one by one, the soft and delicate petals of the lotus flower begin to open. 

True beauty is revealed, bathed in light and made possible by the strength and support of a steady foundation

Waterfall Meditation

Picture by Nicolas Raymond, Canada

We are surrounded by nature's energies on a daily basis and most of the time, probably do not give them a second thought. This meditation uses the earthly energies of the trees and the cleansing power of water to create a refreshing walk through the forest. 


Meditation

Quieten your mind and consciously release any tension that you feel throughout your body.

Visualise a golden ball of light within the earth and take a strand of that light up through the base of your spine and let it rest in your heart centre. 

Next, visualise a white ball of light just above your head in your soul centre and allow a strand of that light energy to flow through the crown centre at the top of the head and down into your heart centre.

Take a moment to adjust to being connected above and below.

See yourself in a forest. You are surrounded by tall trees which reach high up into the sky with ease.

As you walk amongst the trees, you feel the presence of the earthly energy as if it swirls around the undergrowth.

You find yourself walking along a path, winding its way through the forest. To your right, you notice a stream flowing gently in the direction you have come from.

 
You continue on the path, loosly following alongside the stream, waving in and out of the majestic trees.

Soon, you come to a clearing un the trees. As you approach, you realise that in the clearing there is a large and beautiful pool of water. This is the water that feeds the stream.

You notice that beams of the sun's light shine through the gaps in the trees. They create a number of spot lights which almost dance on the surface of the water as the leaves and branches on the trees gently move about.

Across the far side of this beautiful pool, you see there is a waterfall. As the water flows into the pool, it produces a fine mist.

You walk along a path which takes you around the side of the pool, to the site of the waterfall.  Here you find a comfortable rock to rest upon.  It has been a hot day and the fine mist from the tumbling waterfall provides a refreshing, soft, light shower.

As you bask in the beams of sunlight that dance their way through the tops of the trees, you feel the light cleansing of the misty waterfall spray.  You feel completely at peace and stay here for a few minutes, soaking up the feeling of oneness.

You then get up from the rock you are sitting on and walk back along the path around the side of the pool. You once again come across the stream flowing out from the pool and follow the path that runs alongside it.

As you walk, you again weave in and out of the tall majestic forest trees. You start to become aware of the presence of the trees earthly energy as you continue to walk through the undergrowth.

It is now time to leave the forest. Slowly bring your senses and awareness back into the room, become aware of the feeling of the earth beneath your feet and open your eyes when you feel ready.