Four Short Meditations for the Autumn Weather Four Short Meditations for the Autumn Weather
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Breathe In

Four Short Meditations for the Autumn Weather

Julia E. Wahl
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For Another Autumn

Allow yourself to slow down, maybe even stop for a brief moment. You can sit down somewhere, in a room with a view of the scenery outside, or perhaps outside on a bench. Let your senses, especially smell and sight, focus slowly and expand to experience what is appearing.

Notice how the weather is changing and how this influences you. Also, think about how these changes make you feel, how they affect you, and what you intend to do in the coming days as a result.

Meditating With Rain

If the opportunity presents itself, try practicing meditation with rain. You do not need to go outside; you can look at the rain from a distance without having to get wet. If possible, you can start by listening to its sound. When practicing this, you can also bring your attention to your breath, while still listening to the sound of the rain.

As you watch the raindrops, the way in which the water washes off buildings and streets, you can also imagine it relieving your tension, anxiety, and concerns.

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Reflections on Fog

Imagine fog. It permeates the whole city, maybe even your own body. You might also experience fog in your thoughts and feelings. Perhaps you do not know what you should do; maybe you feel lost, maybe you do not know how to solve a specific problem. You can focus for a moment on the question you have inside you.

Contemplate being in the fog without having to change anything. Remember that fog is a safe place, it allows you to slow down, not to solve all the problems at once. Gradually imagine that the fog recedes until it disappears completely. What appears now?

Mindful Language

When going for a walk, think of words that can support you on a daily basis. These may simply be some basic words such as memory, kindness, acceptance, lightness, wisdom, gentleness and courage. Spend some time with each of these words and notice how they affect you, what they give you. You can do the same thing with entire phrases, for example: “may I be calm”, “let me take care to be strong,” “may I know how to be tender.”

If you find words or phrases that prove to be especially helpful (i.e. supportive or soothing), you can return to them as anchors that will bring you back to what is important and needed.

 

 

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Remember to approach these exercises gently. If you feel that imagining something seems too big of a challenge for you at any point, simply focus on your breathing. The point of these exercises is not to get rid of anything, but to see what it’s like when we look at our lives from a different perspective. 

A state of transition, a state of travel

Imagine that you are going on a long journey to some specific place. Take a moment to focus on where you want to go and for what purpose. At the same time, think about everything you are leaving behind. The people, places, things, your existing routine. Think about what you will need to take with you, concentrating above all on the personal traits you will need in discovering something new, rather than on objects. Perhaps there’s something you need to do before heading off, someone to meet with, something to say to them. Next, imagine your images of all these things slowly going pale, like in a previous night’s dream. Perhaps there’s some lingering kind of emotion, a sadness at parting ways, a fear of what’s to come; perhaps also some joy at what’s in store for you, a certain kind of freshness that appears in the present moment. A sense of freedom with respect to what remains unknown and unnamed, and therefore unrestricted. Focus more and more on the purpose of your journey, thinking about what it will be like when you get there.

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