Body, Mind and Spirit

Stones balance on a background of blue sky and sea. Concept of balance and harmony. Rock zen

This meditation is about connecting body, mind and spirit. Both Yoga and meditation can be used to help connect body, mind and spirt. This Meditation will work best, as you finish your Yoga practice. The connection of body, mind and spirt is about balance. Giving the same amount of time and energy to each. This meditation will help you gain a better understanding of yourself and what you need right now. You may find the mind takes over and will not allow you to connect with your ‘spirt’, if this is happening we need to allow more time for our minds to let go, and open to the idea of a spiritual connection.

Start by relaxing the physical body, laying on your back, in “Savasana” let your feet roll open and your arms rest at your sides. If you need extra support, you can place a pillow under your head or lower back for more comfort and bend your knees if you need to support your lower back. Once you are comfortable take a moment to connect with your breath. Allow your breath to flow naturally. Then scan your body, staring at your feet and say to yourself “my feet are relaxed” continue for the whole body. Notice any tension or tenderness, as you work your way up and allow these areas to relax and soften. 

Relax your mind, notice what thoughts are coming in and why? Picture each thought as a cloud and on your exhale allow it to float pass, let go of any negative thoughts and allow your mind to have peace. 

For your ‘spirt’, visualise a white light above you head, illuminating over your whole body. Try to connect with yourself outside of the physical body, see yourself as a second person and notice the glowing white light. Visualise your body, mind and spirt become one and feel the energy flow through you. Start to take deeper breaths and bring your awareness back to the physical body.

Sit upright, in a comfortable position and allow your worldly presence to focus again. Inhale reach your arms above your head, bring your hands to prayer, symbolising a connection to your spirt, lower your hands down to your third eye (the space between your eyebrows) symbolising your mind and then down to your heart symbolising your body. You can do this more than once, try holding your hands over any area that needs help balancing.

Waterfall Meditation

If you fear water and are not able to swim, you will need to imagine/believe that you can.  You will need to visualise yourself as a strong, confident swimmer and that you feel safe.

Water symbolises life and refection. Waterfall meditation is the perfect way to connect with the body as we are made up of at least 50% water. Water is very calming and pure. This meditation uses the beauty of water to help clear the mind and refresh the body. It helps with stress, anxiety, insomnia and letting go of any unwanted energy. This meditation will help to balance the Sacral Chakra ‘Svadisthana’ and will help you feel relaxed, joyful and will enhance creativity.

This meditation works best if you can hear or see water. Start by laying on your back, in “Savasana” let your feet roll open and your arms rest at your sides. If you need extra support, you can place a pillow under your head or lower back for more comfort and bend your knees if you need to support your lower back. Once you are comfortable take a moment to connect with your breath. Breath in and out through your nose, slowly lengthening and deepening your breath. On the exhale allow your body to relax and sink into the earth. Once you feel relaxed, allow your breath to flow naturally and tune in to the sound of water. How does water make you feel? What comes to mind when you think of water?

Keep your breath flowing naturally, on each inhale visualise a water droplet forming and on the exhale the water droplet falls onto your body. Where is the water drawn to and where does it fall? Do the droplets fall on one area or do they cover your body? When the droplet touches your body, it feels cool and healing. Soon the droplets start to form a river around you. The water is clear and sparkles in the sunlight. You bathe in the river; it feels refreshing and your skin begins to sparkle. You dip your face in the water, it is silent under the water and peaceful. Your start to swim down the river allowing the water to guide you. You come to a waterfall, it is beautiful, slowly getting closer and closer. Look into the waterfall, you see your reflection, do you like the person you see? Under your feet you notice orange pebbles. Pick up a pebble and wright something you need to let go of, to feel better in yourself; for example, ‘negativity’. Now throw the pebble in to the waterfall and watch as it washes away. Take a moment to think about what you need; for example, ‘love’ and ‘joy’. You begin to see these words form in the waterfall. You stand under the waterfall and soak up all the energy you need.

Bring your focus back to your breath. Start to deepen the breath, breathing into your belly. Place your hands on your belly and feel your hands rise and lower with each breath. As you inhale visualise breathing in the colour orange, this colour travels around your body and on your exhale stops at the Sacral Chakra. Now with each breath the orange colour becomes brighter. Stay here as long as you feel your need.

“If a drop of water falls in a lake, there is no identity. But if it falls on a lotus leaf, it shines like a pearl. So choose the best place, where you will shine.”

Richa Som

Tree Meditation & Yoga

This meditation practice will help connect with nature and Mother Earth. You will be the connection between earth and sky, bringing a better understanding of yourself and the universe. This Yoga and Meditation practice will help to balance the root Chakra “Muladhara”. After this practice you will feel grounded, refreshed, peaceful and strong.

This Practice can be done at home or outside where there are trees. Stand in a relaxed Mountain pose “Tadasana”. Feet parallel, hip width apart or together. Stand tall lifting and lengthening through your body. Relax your shoulders and rest your arms at your side. In mountain pose you should be feeling tall and strong. Close your eyes and connect with your body, noticing how you feel. Visualise or look at the tree in-front of you, notice how tall the tree is, does it have many branches? Are there any fresh green leaves? Reach out a feel the bark, how old do you think the tree is? What may the tree have seen in its time? Notice how beautiful and strong the tree is. Keeping one hand on the tree or rest your arms at your sides, start to visualise roots grounding you to the earth through your feet, you feel stable and connected with the earth. Deepen and lengthen your breath. On your inhale, imagine energy from the earth travelling up the roots, into your body; and on your exhale, that energy flows up into the universe. Waves of energy pulse through you, absorb the energy you need and let go of energy you no longer need. You are the connection between the earth and sky. Stay here as long as you feel you need.

Modified Tree pose example.

When you are ready for a physical practice, come into the Tree pose “Vriksasana”. The Tree pose symbolises beauty and new life in the branches, strength and wisdom in the bark, stability and spiritualty in the roots. Open your eyes and soften your gaze to something that is not moving. Take your weight onto your right leg, lift your left heel and turn your leg out, begin to slide your left leg in and up your right leg to where you feel comfortable (avoiding your knee joint), bring your hands to prayer and if you feel ready lift your arms above your head, possibly opening your hands and creating tree branches, give this a go. Hold for no more than 5 breaths and repeat the same on your left leg.

“Be like a tree. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Enjoy unique and natural beauty. Keep growing.”

Joanne Rapits