The Garden Meditation

First Position

Stand barefoot, with feet together. Breathe in. Straighten and stretch your abdomen. Breathe out. Soften your abdomen while holding it up and in. Breathe in. Tuck your tail. Breathe out. Breathe in. Lift up out of your abdomen. Raise and roll back your shoulders as you breathe out. Be still. Breathe in and as you breathe out travel around your body noticing imbalances. Repeat until you begin to feel yourself succumbing to gravity.
Breathe in. Spread your toes. Draw up your knees with your quads. Breathe out. Breathe in and stretch up out of your pelvis. Breathe out and soften the waist. Breathe in as you expand the chest outwards and upwards, filling the lungs to capacity. Roll back your shoulders as you exhale very slowly, consciously releasing your shoulders and relaxing your arms. Feel the weight of your arms stretching out your shoulders. Stand and breathe slowly and deeply, empty your mind. Yet become aware of your body. Find your center of mass. It will probably be somewhere within the basket of your pelvis, just below your navel. Feel your natural stance.
Spread your toes and feel the equilateral triangle that is your feet.

(Here there is supposed to be a picture, but it didn’t copy over from word)

Focus your weight into the the heels and the balls of your feet. But you need to balance equally between the two heels. The weight should be in the center of each heel. In each foot the weight is distributed between the three points where the sole first touches the ground.
The heels and the little toes form an equilateral triangle and the geometric center of the triangle is situated in the space between your arches.
The goal is to place the center of mass of the body directly over this spot. Visualize the basket of your pelvis. Locate your center of mass and swing the basket till it rests in the right place. Feel your connection to the earth.
Imagine a string attached to the top of your head pullling you upwards. Let it lift your spine as you inhale, lower your shoulders, exhale and soften your entire stance. Arms hang by your side.
You could stay like this forever.

First Meditation

From your standing position look around you for a good place to sit.
You may wish to sit in a chair or on a bench, or you may sit in a cross legged position on the floor.
But first you must walk to the chosen place very slowly. Observe everything that is in your path. Inhale deeply and notice any smells. Focus on a pleasant aroma and inhale its positivity. Smile. Look around you and look for something that appeals to you. Notice its shapes and colours. Look at the way the light falls on it. Look into the shadows. Listen to the sounds of the place, birdsong, airplanes, music, people’s voices, the wind in the trees.
Feel the air on your skin. Feel the temperature of the air, feel the wind in your hair or perhaps the rain wetting your skin.
Walk to the place where you intend to sit and observe it well, inhale the space then as you exhale lower yourself to the sitting position.
Breathe slowly and deeply and try to empty your mind of thoughts. Close your eyes, but see your surroundings in your mind’s eye. Use your other senses to reinforce your vision.
Relax your shoulders, fold your hands softly in your lap and continue breathing deeply. Focus on your breath.
Draw your attention to the muscles of your face. As you inhale feel your smile muscles lifting. The movement should be very subtle. Think about why you chose this spot. Feel its beauty and all that interests you about it. Feel at ease and comfortable. Let the smile slowly deepen with each breath until it would be perceptible to an observer.
So here you are sitting and grinning. Think about what it is that is making you content at this moment.
Maybe it is the warmth of the sun, maybe it is the song of the birds, perhaps the scent of a flower wafting over you on the wind. Maybe you have just eaten something tasty. Enjoy the moment. Open your eyes slowly and look around you.
You can sit for as long as you like. Love the earth and all it produces. Resolve to do all you can do to nurture this space surrounding you.