Meditations

Lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.

The Buddha

Here below are a few short meditations that we use in our groups, please feel free to try them!

Before you attempt to meditate, create a safe and peaceful space for yourself....unplug the phone.....lock the door, or if this is not possible, find a safe and quiet space outdoors!

Meditation on a Green Apple!

Place a Green shiny apple on a table or stool in front of you.

After bringing yourself to a point of stillness and calm, sit erect on the floor or in a chair in a manner that is comfortable to you, and ground yourself.

Take three deep breaths and exhale slowly to balance and calm, begin to gaze at the apple, exploring its shape, and roundness, its colour and shininess, notice any marks or dark patches on it, notice if it has a stork, and perhaps a bit of dried leaf attached to it, notice and explore the entire apple, even the sharp fresh smell that it has, and spend some moments doing this, (begin all the meditations that follow like this)

Now cover your eyes with your palms and continue to see the image of the green apple, look at its shape and all of the details that you saw, if you cannot bring the image to your inner mind screen, open your eyes and again gaze at the apple, take one detail at a time, again close your eyes and see the apple, don’t worry if you only get fleeting glances and then the image fades, try again and again whilst you are still comfortable with the meditation, if you can not see the shape of the apple, try to see the colour green that it is, see and feel this colour, breath it in and with it the sharp, crisp smell of the apple, feel that you can almost taste it!  and then add the shape as you succeed.

allow yourself to slowly bring your attention back to the space that you are in.....open your eyes and smile!

Do not force yourself to persevere beyond the time that you feel comfortable with this exercise, close your eyes again and relax, becoming aware of your body and your surroundings for a few moments before gently ending the session.

Persevere with this short meditation until you can see, smell and almost taste the apple, and when you succeed, with joy and deliberation—eat the apple!

Sun Meditation (to energise.)

Close your eyes, and bring yourself to a point of stillness....breath gently and for a few minutes, focus on the breath.....

......in your minds eye see a beautiful golden sun above your head...and feel the gentle heat of the sun warming and invigorating you...feel the gentle warmth spreading slowly over your whole body and feel the glow spread both within and without your body.....breath deeply.....and as you breath feel that with the suns rays you are breathing in energy.....strength....and enthusiasm.....continue to breath in sun energy until you feel totally balanced and energised.

allow yourself to slowly bring your attention back to the space that you are in.....open your eyes and smile!

ROSE MEDITATION

“Take a deep breath and as you let it out imagine all the difficulties of the day going with it, now take the attention to the feet---“ (work up the body relaxing—especially the back shoulders and neck)

“ Now focus on the breath---going in and out—gently and naturedly—imagine a swing door which moves slowly with the breath in and out—“ (allow to continue for some moments)

“Imagine that just above you there is a beautiful globe of light, and the white healing energy is slowly dripping down through your crown Chakra, slowly drop by drop in works its way down and down into your heart centre---see your heart as a tightly closed rose, and as the healing white energy drips onto it, it begins to gently open to receive it--- the drip becomes a trickle--- and then a flow, see the rose open its petals until it is fully open, a most beautiful rose! Full of white light energy, until the healing energy begins to drip from the rose itself as it fills and to gently flow to the rest of the body---see it flow to the arms---and fingers----legs and toes---feel the wonderful flow of energy! ---- (Allow time here)  “Continue until your whole body feels full of the energy and totally invigorated! Bathe in the peace—comfort—and safety of this gentle glow----now begin to slowly allow the rose to gently close, and as it does so the flow once more becomes a trickle----and as the rose is almost closed a tiny drop---drop! But keep the rose a tiny bit open, so that there is always a constant drip of energy--

allow yourself to slowly bring your attention back to the space that you are in.....open your eyes and smile!

TWO SHORT MEDITATIONS FOLLOW THAT CAN BE A VERY QUICK PICK-ME-UP!

A SHORT EARTH MEDITATION.

Choose a quiet spot under trees. sit with your back to whichever tree seems the most appealing or 'calls to you'!

lean into the tree....feel it strength against your back...close your eyes and relax! take some deep breaths and feel the connection with earth and the trees...

begin to feel your energies blending with both that of the tree that you are sitting against...and the earth beneath you...feel the energies swirling around you all, and be aware of the deep...cool...refreshing energy of nature. feel that there is no beginning or ending and that to some extent your ARE both the tree and the earth! allow this to steady and calm you! hold this state for as long as it feels good....then gently ...and with love, disconnect your self from both...whilst leaving a connection to both so that you can carry the feeling of strength and peace where every you go!

As you move away from the tree...give it your Blessing!

A SHORT SEA MEDITATION

Pick a quiet space on the shore...sit or stand and gaze at the horizon. feel the balance of your connection to the sea and the shore where you stand.

gradually and very slowly allow your gaze to soften and be aware of the waves coming into the shore....bring your vision very slowly in with the waves focusing fully on them...do this three or four times and each time you reach the shore...take a deep breath and let it fully out....

feel that there is no difference between you and the sea...feel the cool...calm of the water...let it wash away your stresses and troubles...BE the sea for a while!

When you feel that you are refreshed enough...harden your gaze once more, and relax!

As you leave...give your blessings to the sea and all her inhabitants.

A Meditation in green on the Heart Chakra

After bringing yourself to a point of stillness through relaxation, take three deep breaths, and with each exhale allow yourself to sink deeper into calm and peace.

 Imagine that you are standing on the side of a gentle hill in beautiful countryside, the sun is pleasantly warm on your face, you look about and see a small wood at the bottom of the hillside, you walk towards it and as you enter you are aware of the delicious coolness after the suns warmth, the earthy smell of the wood, and the delicate scent of woodland flowers. You follow a little path that winds around the trees and shrubs, the wood is very open allowing sunlight to softly filter thro’.

You notice the soft green moss that abounds on the woods floor, and small white daisy-like flowers that grow in neat bunches; there is the scent of honeysuckle and wild rose. Look up at the soft green canopy of leaves and feel the filtered rays of the sun on your face, stand for a moment and bathe in its healing warmth.

 Slowly walking on you come to a beautiful area of soft downy grass, you lie down because it is so inviting, and you feel the coolness of the grass, and the closeness of the warm earth.

You close your eyes and breath in, and as you breathe you imagine that you are breathing beautiful soft green energy of the wood, feel this energy flooding through your body and surrounding your heart with healing, peace and calm. Allow this energy to completely fill you and to surround your heart like loving hands.

After a while you feel ready to continue, and although you allow the green energy to return to its woodland home you retain the soft green energy hands that warm and support your heart.

 Continuing your walk, you re-emerge from the little wood, into the full warmth of the sun, and slowly climb up the hillside to where you began.

Standing in the gentle warmth you lovingly begin to close your energy centres beginning with the crown chakra by visualizing a cross of light enclosed in a circle of lights, and placing them around each of the Chakras to lock them, and ending with the base chakra.

When you feel ready you very slowly and gently bring your consciousness back into the present, and gently and in your own time...come back to the present and open your eyes...and smile!