Category Archives: Meditations

Meditations

Breathing with the Trees

Leave a comment
Send to Kindle

One of the things that I find it hardest to do when you feel stuck, is to find a way that allows you to connect to the world around you and start letting go of the things that are holding you down. (You know, getting unstuck.)

This is an exercise/meditation I came up with that really felt like a fantastic way to approach resolution to this very problem. For those of us who have a hard time when we are out in public stepping into spirituality, this process allows you to appear as of you are simply leaning on a tree. No one has to know what else is going on.

First of all, I invite you to find a place you feel safe. A place you can walk, be in nature, and still with a tree for a while. You get to pick the tree, but I also invite you to listen, and see if you can find one that is calling to you.

As this process requires you to be focused in on you, and your direct physical surroundings, I strongly advise building a strong shield first, and if you have someone that is safe for you, invite them to come with you. (You may need to be very specific that energy from the tree and the earth are allowed through.)

Once you have found your tree, please place your feet firmly on the ground, and place one hand on the tree.

Remembering that consent is ALWAYs the way, please ask the tree for consent to draw upon its energy.

Once you have its permission, I want you to draw your attention to your breathing. When you inhale, I want you to imagine that your breath is tied to energy drawing in from the tree, through your hand, and into your chest. Let it sit there a second, and simply be with you.

When you exhale, I would like you to think of that energy in your chest, and with your breath going out, I want you to visualize that energy leaving your chest, going down your legs, and offer it to the earth below as a gift of energy.

You make breath in this way as long as you need. With each inhale, you draw energy from the tree. Hold it in your chest, and then offer it to the earth on your exhale.

Once you have this process flowing, I invite you to think of where the weight of your heaviest energy lives in your body. And when you inhale, drawing that energy from the tree, visualize that a small bit of that heavy energy comes from wherever in your body it is holding on, and meets up with the energy in your chest. If this is something that you need to feel, hold it for a couple of breaths in your chest, and give yourself permission to feel that energy. And when you feel ready, let the built up energy in your chest leave you as an offering to the earth through your feet.

I imagine that after you have done this breathing for several rounds, you will see how you are creating a cycle between the tree, yourself, and the earth. The energy you are offering up to the earth is being drawn back into the tree for you to draw in.

When you feel ready, ask the earth for consent to draw energy in from it. When you have that consent, draw energy from the earth on your inhale, and offer that energy up to the tree on your exhale. The reverse allows the energy to flow in the opposite direction. This process is simply a reverse of the original instructions, so please to remember to draw that energy into your chest, and offer it up from there.

I wish you the best of luck, this is one of my favorites.

Empowering Self, Meditations, Sometimes, one thing, is everything

Pandemic, how I stay sane

3 Comments
Send to Kindle

Considering the Stress and Anxiety that is flooding the community with the sudden changes that have happened with the pandemic, I wanted to share with you what I have been doing to stay energetically sane.

First of all: This situation is very real, and very serious. Please keep up-to-date with the suggestions of the CDC and follow them. Your state will have specific guidelines as well. For Michigan, it is: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. We need to protect ourselves but know that follow basic guidelines like Social Distancing, Washing your hands frequently, and limiting when you leave home to essentials can save many-many lives.

There are four things I have been doing to help myself to stay sane.

  1. I do something that makes me feel accomplished. One thing I do that really helps is working on my home to-do list. Replace a not-so-great toilet, re-organize a kitchen that has been giving me grief, re-prioritize my list to get the highest value knowing I will be home for a while.
  2. Connect with People (safely). I am more extroverted than many of my friends and family, but even for introverts, it is essential to connect. How I do this, might not be what is good for you, but think on what is. I do family board games, and TV shows. I connect with video conference calls with friends and groups with whom I associate. This could be a group call to talk through a meeting you were planning, or simply grab a cup of coffee and spend some time past the chit-chat with a dear friend. Spend time connecting.
  3. Connect with the Earth. Whether or not you are spiritual, the process of following a grounding meditation will help you physically. I wrote up my favorite meditation for grounding, Try it: Tree (Roots) Meditation
  4. Shielding. This is the step I will write below, give it a go, and let me know if it is helpful for you.

Shielding: How to

Sit down as you do to meditate. Please remember to do this in a space where you feel safe so that you can allow your awareness of your surroundings to drop. You do not have to sit on the floor. If you are unable to sit on the floor, sit how you can be comfortable for a while. I personally feel better about sitting directly on the floor ~ Just do not let that slow you down.

Once sitting, check in with your body, and give yourself permission to let go. Know that nothing outside of this room, or this moment has to matter for a short time.

Close your eyes. Take a moment and focus on your heart. It doesn’t matter if you choose your physical heart, or energetic heart. Imagine a bubble appears in the center of you. It is so small that nothing can fit in side of it. Can you see it there?

Some things you should know about this bubble, it is absolutely impervious to anything you don’t allow through.

Once you see your bubble, hold it in mind; but switching your thinking to your breathing. When you inhale, imagine the air coming into your body is energy. Visualize this energy coming in your nose, it flows into your body and goes straight to your bubble. Give this energy permission to enter your bubble. You will notice that, as it is so small, the only way it can fit this new energy, is to grow. Visualize your bubble growing with the energy you are permitting in. As this bubble is impervious to anything you don’t allow through, it will push out anything clinging to you that is not your, and should not be there. (Your physical body is safe 😉 )

Breath in through your nose, Watch your bubble grow.
Breath out through your mouth, release any tension you find.

Visualize the outside of your bubble. What does it look like? Can you see through it? How thick/thin is it? Does it have a texture or design?

Breath in through your nose, Watch your bubble grow.
Breath out through your mouth, release any tension you find.

Now, repeat the previous two instructions. Don’t stop until you can see that your bubble is larger than you are.

What are your intentions for this bubble? What do you want to make sure it holds out? What do you want to make sure it holds in? How long do you want it to last?

Be very conscious when setting your intentions. These are boundaries you are declaring. Give yourself a specific time limit, it will fade if not tended to, so be specific.
“I want this shield to last until tomorrow morning, when I will do this again.”

Good luck to all of you out there.

Meditations, Sometimes, one thing, is everything

Tree (Roots) Meditation

Leave a comment
Send to Kindle

This meditation does many wonderful things for you. It allows you to connect to Pachamama (Mother Earth). It allows you to share and moderate energy with her. It allows you to ground your energy. It also allows you to give you some solidness in yourself. So many great pieces, I just wanted to share the “how-to”.

Sit down as you do to meditate. Please remember to do this in a space where you feel safe so that you can allow your awareness of your surroundings to drop. You do not have to sit on the floor. If you are unable to sit on the floor, sit how you can be comfortable for a while. I personally feel better about sitting directly on the floor ~ Just do not let that slow you down.

Once sitting, Take a moment, and ask consent of the Pachamama to share energy with her. (I have never gotten a No, but I think considering consent is always a good thing)
After establishing consent, Imagine a bubble of energy in your heart.
And focus on your breathing.
Every breath in, inflates that bubble.
Once you have inflated that bubble enough that it completely surrounds you, take a moment and simply breath normally.
Now that you are sitting inside this bubble, I want you to change the focus of your breaths.
Every breath in, we will create roots.

Creating Roots.
With your first breath in, I want you to imagine that the energy from your breath inward is forcing roots to appear at the base of your spine, and growing into the Earth.
With every consecutive breath in, I want you to imagine that the energy from your breath is growing those roots downward.
Deeper, and Deeper.
Imagine the feeling of the dirt, the sand, the stones, the sediment.
Imagine the different layers of the Earth.
Imagine that your roots go so deep as to hit the molten rock at the center of the Earth.
And once your roots find that, use your next breath to push your roots into it.

Every breath out, we will draw energy from the Pachamama through those roots, and blow that energy into your bubble.

After you have been doing this long enough, that you feel your roots have reached the core of the Earth, and your bubble is as full of Pachamama’s energy as you can take, make it so that every breath in takes air and energy from your bubble, and pushes it down your roots to the core of the earth. And also have every breath out takes energy from the Earth, and pushes it into your bubble.

When you feel that you are done with this meditation, use your breath to withdraw the roots from the soil. Use your breath to reduce the size of your bubble, and put it back into your heart.

Sit for a moment and feel your body before you stand.

Good luck!