Whether you’re here because you liked my last two guided meditations or are just looking for a different direction for a meditation practice, try these two visualizations.

Read them, get comfortable in the recommended position and try to stay focused as you work your way through a recitation of what you read. It doesn’t have to be perfect and if your mind begins traveling to other places on it’s own, let it.

Just observe and be present.

Another option is to have someone read the meditations out loud.

When finished, you will feel refreshed, peaceful, and energetic, as if you have touched the source. Enjoy.

Hand On Lion

Find a resting pose/savasana. Take some time to get there. Lay down and gently close your eyes. Lying flat on your back with your arms away from your sides and your feet separated, make sure you are not touching anything but the floor. Roll your head gently side to side to release your neck. Relax all the muscles in your face, allowing your face to be expressionless. Relax your chest, relax your belly, pausing in either of these two places if you feel extra tension. Let the tension release on your exhales. Move on when you feel softer. Relax your arms and your hands, your knees and your feet. Bring the attention to the breath. Stay with the breath until you feel yourself sinking down, becoming heavier and more relaxed.

Imagine you are lying on a big, flat rock, warmed by the sun. Though this rock is hard, it is incredibly comfortable, as if it was designed specifically for you. It follows every contour of your body and you feel yourself melt down into it, totally supported. Focus on that feeling of the rock beneath you. Surrounding you are endless plains, dotted with ancient trees and covered in soft grass. See these trees in detail; how tall are they? What do their leaves look like? Are they moving in the breeze or are they still?

Come back to the feeling of your body on the rock. Realize you sense something lying next to you. Without looking, you know it is a massive lion, lying beside you on the rock in exactly the same relaxed state as you are. Normally, you would be afraid of this lion, but not now. Imagine reaching out your hand and placing it gently on his shoulder. You feel his fur, which is soft and smooth. You feel his heartbeat which is relentless and strong; it sounds like a distant drum.

You feel his breath on your face, and it is sweet breath, which smells like the grass, like the sun, like the earth.

You lay contently on this massive rock with this massive beast in total peace. Pause here for as long as you like, soaking in the feelings of connection between you and this animal, between you and the earth. Marvel at this powerful lion who can allow himself to rest.

Feel his breath and allow it to guide you.

When you are ready, imagine taking your hand away from the lion’s shoulder. Once again, focus on the warm rock beneath you, the trees and grass which surround you. Know that you can return here anytime you like. The lion will be waiting.

When you feel you can, begin to deepen your breath, awakening the senses. Wiggle your fingers and your toes, allowing sensation to build. Bring the knees into the chest and roll from side to side. Roll over completely to the left and rest your head on your arm.

Pause here and absorb all the good feelings which are filling your body and mind. Rise to seated, place your hands in prayer, and give thanks.

Breathing Grass

For this meditation, settle into a seated position. Use a thick cushion or folded blanket on the floor and allow yourself to lean back against a wall. Your legs may either be folded, or extended, whatever is most natural for you. You may also try this seated in an upright chair. Settle in, making sure your hips and back are  comfortable enough to remain here for at least ten minutes. Gently close your eyes. Relax all the muscles in your face, feeling your skin soften. Relax the neck, relax the chest, relax the belly. Feel everything becoming softer and heavier. Relax the arms and the hands, the knees and the feet. Scan your body for any reservoirs of tension. Breath into those places and let the tension melt away.

Begin to focus on your breath. Feel the sensation of the breath entering and leaving the nostrils. Feel your belly rise and fall, and enjoy the ease and rhythm of your breath. Make sure the rest of your body remains relaxed. You can scan it for tension as often as you like, allowing any remnants of stress to melt away.

Imagine you are sitting on soft moss, leaning your back against a massive tree. The moss and the tree seem to conform to your body, as if you were meant to sit here. You can feel the rough bark on your back, but it feels good, and the springy moss beneath you allows your hips to be supported easily. You lean your head back against this tree and breath in the smells of fresh grass. The air feels gentle, neither hot nor cold, with a slight mist hanging in the distance. You are perfectly comfortable.

In front of you stretches an endless field of tall grass, waving gently in the breeze. See this grass. What color is it? What texture is it? Is it thick and strong, or slim and flexible? Imagine it in great detail.

Realize that this grass moves in response to your breath. As you breathe in, the grass leans towards you. As you breathe out, the grass leans away. The movements of  this entire endless field are driven by your breath. Enjoy the connection between your breath and the movement of the grass. Your breath is as powerful as the wind.

You realize that your breath is connected to even bigger things than the field. You can feel the gentle response of the sky as you inhale, leaning in slightly toward you, and expanding out as you exhale. The whole world is tied to your breath; the moon, the animals, the oceans, the trees, all gently pulsing toward you and away from you as you breath. Pause here as long as you like, enjoying this sense of connection to the natural world, feeling totally at one with it.

When you are ready, begin to deepen your breath. Wiggle your fingers and your toes, and feel consciousness return to the body. Once again focus on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving the nostrils.

Pause here and reflect on how the meditation made you feel.

When you are ready, gently open your eyes.

Place your hands in prayer and give thanks.

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Ed: Bryonie Wise