10-Minute Guided Meditation for Dealing with Change: The Willow Tree

Michelle's Meditation Sanctuary uses positive, empathetic guided meditations led by a female voice. With the aid of calm images, soothing sounds, and meditation music, these practices are best enjoyed with repeated listening. They utilize modules from hypnotherapy, guided relaxation, ASMR, mindfulness, visualizations, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the art of relaxing storytelling so you may cultivate an inner healing sanctuary. Every meditation and story is created to be customized by the listener to help with inner healing, relief from depression and anxiety, and feeling empowered to make positive changes. Michelle's Meditation Sanctuary is a place where you may enjoy high quality guided meditations completely FREE with a focus on wellness, inner peace, and healing. Michelle first started Michelle's Sanctuary for Sleep Stories in 2015. As the channel has grown to over 95,000 subscribers, it was time to create a second channel to focus on guided meditations for listeners to feel grounded and connected with their life's purpose. Having spent a lifetime meditating, practicing yoga, learning, and listening, this channel is a community for all those who seek to grow and develop a healthy relationship with their minds and bodies. This channel is not a replacement for consultations with a doctor or medical professional but can help you find more balance and a healing night's sleep. I always welcome comments, feedback & suggestions.

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome to meditation tides with Michel's sanctuary. Let the sound waves of peace wash
over you as you ground your energyand find comfort. You are listening too,
dealing with change. A meditation tohelp navigate the unexpected and sometimes unwonted

(00:28):
changes that come with life. Iam Michel, and you may think of
me as a support system and nurturingguide. I am here to remind you
of your innate ability to self sootheand see your way through this period of

(00:50):
flux. With a calm and regulatednervous system, everything else will become easier,
and you will find the clarity tohonor your needs and adapt. Find
a safe, quiet place to settle. Close your eyes gently and turn your

(01:14):
gaze inward. Note any parts ofyour body that are holding on to discomfort,
disease, our anxiety. Sometimes changemakes us feel unlike ourselves, bringing
a frenzy of nervous energy. Butright now you may tend to these feelings,

(01:41):
acknowledge them, and honor where theyshow up. Your body is always
doing its best to keep you safe. Change can feel as if it is
something your body needs to protect youfrom. But now let out a deep

(02:02):
sigh and cast all these feelings away, like the eye within a storm.
You may find the calm within allthese changes as you get to the center
of them. Feel the weight ofyour body on the surface beneath you,

(02:28):
and take a deep breath as yourlungs inflate. Feel gratitude for the life's
support each breath brings. Visualize thesemolecules of oxygen traversing through the pathways in
your body, bringing encouragement and peace. No matter what unfolds here, you

(02:58):
are still breathing, still full oflife and vitality. Let out a sigh
and honor the parts of you thatare strong and resilient, the parts that
have made it through many changes andyet remain loyal, and commit it to

(03:23):
your greater good. When you're ready, inhale through your nose, this time,
taking in a sense of comfort asyou self soothe, Let yourself know
that everything is okay. Okay.May not look ideal, it may not

(03:47):
be how you wish things to be. As you exhale in a relaxing sigh,
say to yourself, I am okay. Enjoy one more conscious breath as
you inhale, breathing in the confidencethat you can observe all the changes with

(04:15):
detachment, focus on your priority tostay calm and self soothe. Feel your
heart rates slowing down, your musclesbecoming soft as you exhale, and their
fibers releasing as you let it allout. Return your breath to normal,

(04:46):
but retain a sense of fluidity.Imagine yourself taking on the delicate nature of
a willow tree. The wind andweather always changing, yet the willows adapt,

(05:10):
surrendering to the unavoidable movement, andeven as they do, they maintain
their original form and integrity. Asthey adapt, they don't disappear or lose

(05:30):
themselves. They continue to thrive.Imagine yourself perched beneath a willow tree,
lying on your back. The sunfilters through the lush green strands that sachet

(05:54):
back and forth as you sink,and to the soft grass. Patterns of
shadows and light dance around you.You inhale the sweet nectar of nearby flowers.

(06:15):
Soothed by the quiet swoosh of thewillows, your head sinks into a
small, jewel toned throw pillow thatrests against the sturdy trunk. Notice the

(06:35):
gentle balance of the tree, bothstrong and grounded, yet at the same
time flexible and resilient. Imagine theparts of you that you wish to be

(06:57):
sturdy and unyielding, like the trunk, your self esteem, your sense that
everything will be okay. The partsof you that you enjoy and love most

(07:17):
about yourself, your confidence, yourintentions for this life. Feel free to
add anything else to this list asyou honor and protect each one with the

(07:40):
trees, roots, and trunk.And now turn your attention to what becomes
flexible within you, Since what itwould be like to have a flexible nervous

(08:01):
system. A feeling of fluidity flowsthrough your body like the warm, gentle,
turquoise waves of a cove. Itsoothes the fray, calming the electric

(08:22):
activity of nerves. Adapting to change. In the eye of all this change,
you find stillness, letting go andbeing bendable and adaptable to the things
beyond your control. Saving all theenergy you can to focus on what is

(08:52):
within your control and what brings youpeace and harmony with in the experience of
being you is the one that ismost important in each moment. It's the

(09:13):
experience only you truly understand and havethe most influence on. Enjoy the peaceful
image of you lying beneath the willows, knowing that all is well and all

(09:35):
the movement around you cannot disrupt oraffect the core of peace within. Enjoy
a few easy breaths, ceiling inthe sense of ease that comes when you
are mindful and grounded, knowing youare are strong, you are capable,

(10:05):
you are resilient, and you've gotthis letter. Open your eyes when you
feel ready, as you ask ina protective globe of energy that surrounds you
as you return to your day.No matter what changes come your way,

(10:28):
the image of you and the willowtree remains in your mind's eye, reminding
you of balance. Thank you foryour time and practice, and have a
wonderful day.