Moroccan Desert Dreams ✨ Guided Nature Meditation

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[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: I've got a treat for you tonight. Tonight we're going to a wellness retreat in Morocco.

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know about you, but just saying those words makes me feel more relaxed.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: One of my nearest and dearest friends is a yoga teacher, and she spends several weeks each year

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_00]: traveling to beautiful locations to lead yoga retreats. She's been to Croatia, Peru, Spain,

[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Italy, Iceland, and Morocco. I remember she was especially excited about Morocco,

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and I think after going on this visualization journey together tonight, we'll all understand why.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_00]: One of the best things about travel is that it opens up your mind and heart to new possibilities.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I love exploring new cities and spending time wandering museums and discovering cozy cafes

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and coming upon gardens. But sometimes, travel can be a busy time in our already busy lives.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_00]: When you truly need to rest and recharge, a wellness retreat can be magic.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I've been to a few yoga retreats in my life, and those are usually my favorite vacations.

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I simply love making space and time for deep rest and reflection.

[00:02:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Get cozy, have your imaginary ticket in hand, your bags packed, and close your eyes.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Because here we go. Perhaps you've been feeling a little trapped of late?

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps you've found that there's not quite enough time in the day for you,

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: for the things you love, the things that help you grow.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Whatever it is that led you to Morocco's Saharan wellness retreat tonight,

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: you find yourself rather glad of it. As your taxi neared the hotel earlier today

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_00]: and dropped you off to enjoy a week of peace and tranquility within its walls,

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: you decided that it looked almost stranded, stood solitary this far out into the desert.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Indeed, in the heat that rose from the white hot sands earlier today,

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: you couldn't help but think that it appeared to be almost drifting upon the sea of Saharan sand

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_00]: that surrounds it. Now, as the sun begins to dip below the horizon and you gaze across the

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: plains, you can't help but feel you're exactly where you need to be.

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Set on the outermost edge of the city that pushes furthest into the desert,

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: the hotel is the last mark of human endeavor upon the landscape before the built-up bustle

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_00]: of the city gives way to the rolling expanse of the Sahara. Morocco is a vibrant, beautiful country.

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Its rich artistic and architectural history is echoed in newer builds like the hotel you're

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_00]: staying in and well-preserved in the ancient Medina's at the heart of its uniquely striking cities.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_00]: But in spite of all the bustling brilliance of the towns and cities, this quiet corner of the country,

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: not so far from the western coast of Africa, feels rather like the edge of the earth stood upon

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: the veranda at the back of the hotel. You decide that this really is the perfect place to relax.

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Before you lies a vast desert stretching out for miles around and extending beyond the horizon,

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: even further off, certainly further than the eye can see, the deep and endless blue of the North

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Atlantic Ocean awaits. There's something deeply calming about the uninterrupted view you find.

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Breathing in the wild, untameable beauty of roaring ocean against rolling desert,

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: you feel your mind beginning to clear. It is as open and empty as the desert plains before you.

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Your thoughts are as uninterrupted as the sprawling expanse of the landscape.

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: There is nothing and no one to divert your thoughts, to demand your attention.

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_00]: There is only you present in this moment. You're here to relax, to reconnect with yourself,

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: stood rooted to the spot, watching the sun douse the desert in gold as it sinks below

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00]: the horizon. You can't recall having ever felt more at one with your body,

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: more at peace with your surroundings. You're quite sure that the view has made all the

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER_00]: difference. After years crowded in by city skylines, you finally have the space to breathe

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00]: the deep. The group meditation session you joined at the hotel upon your arrival,

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: no doubt had a hand in helping you start your trip right.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And you take a moment to remind yourself of the affirmations offered during the session.

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I am enough, you think, feeling any tension in your shoulders dissipate as the weight of your own

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00]: judgment is lifted from you. I am at peace with myself, you vow. The muscles of your core softening

[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_00]: as you resolve to accept your body and take a moment to be grateful for all that it has carried

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_00]: you through and deserving of all the good that comes into my life. You affirm, taking a deep

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_00]: breath in as you welcome that positive energy into your body. And, exhaling, you remind yourself that

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_00]: you deserve to be your number one priority. Taking another deep breath in, you promise yourself

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_00]: that you deserve to relax and on your outbreath, you feel any guilt, any tension,

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_00]: any trouble still crowding in the corners of your mind.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_00]: To gently drift out of your body on your breath, you promise yourself that

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: you deserve a good night's sleep and you realize that after a long day of traveling,

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_00]: not only are you deserving of one but you're also very much in need of it. The hotel is isolated

[00:10:05] [SPEAKER_00]: but its quietude is very much a part of its charm. A traditional Moroccan red design sees

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_00]: a labyrinth of arched corridors and atriums leading away from the central courtyard.

[00:10:26] [SPEAKER_00]: The courtyard hosts the pool you intend to spend the duration of your stay relaxing in

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and a stunning almost entirely symmetrical interior garden.

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_00]: The tiles beneath the surface of the water form an ornate and elaborate mosaic.

[00:10:53] [SPEAKER_00]: The rich reds and blues painted upon the tiles are refracted by the gentle lapping

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_00]: of the crystal clear water and their technicolor hues are painted across the walls of the atrium

[00:11:11] [SPEAKER_00]: in the sunlight reflected off the surface of the water.

[00:11:18] [SPEAKER_00]: The bold symmetry of the mosaic runs right through the hotel, stretching from the very center of

[00:11:28] [SPEAKER_00]: the pool all the way through the arched corridors, past the palm tree growing from the floor in the

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: hotel lobby and beyond the door of your suite to the very foot of your bed having indulged

[00:11:54] [SPEAKER_00]: yourself in an afternoon nap earlier today. You found that the cushions were soft,

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_00]: the mattress softer and the sheets silken across your skin. Morocco's Saharan retreat

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_00]: has so far proved nothing short of a lesson in luxury but stood upon the hotel veranda.

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_00]: You suddenly find yourself hankering for something a little simpler. Day has drifted in tonight.

[00:12:41] [SPEAKER_00]: In the sand beyond the veranda seems almost soaked in starlight, turning your attention upwards

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_00]: to the night sky. You feel that starlight gliding across your skin, sinking into your pores

[00:13:08] [SPEAKER_00]: and soaking into your soul, breathing in deeply. You feel yourself drawing the light

[00:13:25] [SPEAKER_00]: and energy of the sky above into your body. You welcome the power of the silent,

[00:13:37] [SPEAKER_00]: ever raging storm above into our body and notice the sense of strength

[00:13:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and self-assurance that comes with it. As you exhale, you feel the starlight beginning to move beneath

[00:14:01] [SPEAKER_00]: the surface of your skin, power you have drawn in. The power that is always there for you to draw

[00:14:15] [SPEAKER_00]: from begins to warm you from within, guided by that inner light. You find yourself stepping

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_00]: from the veranda onto the sands before you and pushing away from the hotel into the deepening

[00:14:42] [SPEAKER_00]: quiet of the night. Each breath draws you closer to the promised peace and tranquility

[00:14:53] [SPEAKER_00]: of the desert. You find yourself scaling the side of a tall dune, not 200 meters from the hotel.

[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Your breath deepens and with every step you take towards the top,

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_00]: the night sky draws closer, cresting the top of the dune, your muscles worn from the climb.

[00:15:35] [SPEAKER_00]: It feels almost as though you're drifting among the stars. You take a moment to simply

[00:15:46] [SPEAKER_00]: be, to breathe in the beauty of the night sky as it wraps itself around you.

[00:15:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Someone once told you that you, yourself, are entirely composed of stardust,

[00:16:09] [SPEAKER_00]: so perhaps it makes sense that you feel so entirely at home, up here among the stars to your body.

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_00]: And routing yourself in the present once more, your eyes catch on something shrouded in the sand.

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Not so far off in the distance, you had thought that the hotel was the furthest vestige of human

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_00]: existence stretching out into the Sahara, but the long shadows cast by the moon draw your attention

[00:17:18] [SPEAKER_00]: to several small buildings almost half buried in the sand. The desert sands appear more

[00:17:31] [SPEAKER_00]: silver than gold by moon and feel cool underfoot as you amble down the face of the dune,

[00:17:48] [SPEAKER_00]: coming to a stop before a huddle of small houses. The bright lights and luxury of the hotel

[00:17:59] [SPEAKER_00]: feel far off and forgettable. The homes before you harken back to a time before artificial light,

[00:18:17] [SPEAKER_00]: to the days when starlight blazed uninterrupted in the night sky would have settled like a blanket

[00:18:32] [SPEAKER_00]: over villages like this, with no buzzing, no TVs or passing traffic to disturb the silence

[00:18:50] [SPEAKER_00]: and stillness that befell them. Their age is evident in their design alone. They're a mark of history,

[00:19:07] [SPEAKER_00]: a moment in time carved into this beautiful landscape. It feels almost as though

[00:19:22] [SPEAKER_00]: on your journey out into the desert, you've stumbled upon something of a time capsule

[00:19:32] [SPEAKER_00]: shrouded in the Saharan sands. Sand crowds at the walls around the small adobe block houses

[00:19:46] [SPEAKER_00]: and as you push through the front door to one of them, even more of it spills out onto your toe,

[00:19:59] [SPEAKER_00]: even inside the buildings are awash with it, trudging into the house.

[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_00]: You notice how much cooler it feels against the soles of your feet

[00:20:16] [SPEAKER_00]: and realize that it's been trapped within the four walls of this building.

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps for far longer than you have walked the earth, the previous occupants seem long gone

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and by the looks of things, they left in a hurry. The Saharan sand has perfectly preserved the life

[00:20:49] [SPEAKER_00]: that was left behind in this house as you reach down and dig through it.

[00:21:00] [SPEAKER_00]: A section of clay tile flooring is revealed to you. The tiles appear as pristine as the

[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_00]: day they were laid. You wander through the deserted house,

[00:21:23] [SPEAKER_00]: running your hands over the rim of a cast iron pot poking out of the sand

[00:21:32] [SPEAKER_00]: and try to envision it as it once had been, doubtless this made for a cozy,

[00:21:44] [SPEAKER_00]: comfortable home. The part of the walls poking out above the sand are painted a rich blue

[00:22:00] [SPEAKER_00]: and as you pull back a heavily embroidered curtain at the end of the first room,

[00:22:07] [SPEAKER_00]: you find what you can only imagine to have once been a bedroom. It drifts through a small,

[00:22:21] [SPEAKER_00]: painless window across the room and renders the golden sand silver.

[00:22:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Before your mind has time to interrupt your body,

[00:22:35] [SPEAKER_00]: you find yourself lying down and stretching out on the patch of silvery sand just below the window.

[00:22:52] [SPEAKER_00]: You imagine a bed might once have taken up this spot

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER_00]: and realize that perhaps there still is one buried beneath the mound of sand you're

[00:23:07] [SPEAKER_00]: lazing upon. You're limbs long and loose after an evening ambling across the dunes.

[00:23:24] [SPEAKER_00]: You enjoy the feeling of the cool sand against your skin and allow it to take the full weight

[00:23:35] [SPEAKER_00]: of your head. You feel your neck and shoulders relax,

[00:23:46] [SPEAKER_00]: easing into the silken sand beneath you. The muscles of your core soften, the sand seems to mold

[00:24:04] [SPEAKER_00]: perfectly into the contours of your back, supporting you as your breath deepens

[00:24:16] [SPEAKER_00]: and you feel your lungs gently expanding into it. It's almost as though the earth itself

[00:24:29] [SPEAKER_00]: is guiding your breath, helping it to even out, to slow and deepen.

[00:24:41] [SPEAKER_00]: As sleep begins to cloud at the corners of your mind

[00:24:49] [SPEAKER_00]: and your eyes drift closed, breathing in, you feel your lungs expanding into the sand beneath you,

[00:25:05] [SPEAKER_00]: into the earth's embrace. And as you exhale, the gentle pressure of it against your ribs

[00:25:19] [SPEAKER_00]: aids in your release of a long, lazy sigh of relief. Breathing in once more,

[00:25:31] [SPEAKER_00]: you notice your breath sink deeper, your lungs expanding further than ever before.

[00:25:43] [SPEAKER_00]: The body you've so often felt bound by is beginning to open out, exhaling,

[00:25:55] [SPEAKER_00]: you feel the form that binds you shifting, changing state, your body feels malleable,

[00:26:09] [SPEAKER_00]: movable just like the sand that surrounds you. You feel your consciousness sifting away into

[00:26:24] [SPEAKER_00]: that sand and drifting further and further from your body. You suddenly find yourself formless,

[00:26:42] [SPEAKER_00]: shapeless and realize that like this you could move through the world in any way you wanted to,

[00:26:54] [SPEAKER_00]: grow in whatever direction you desire, become whatever you want to. You feel lighter as light

[00:27:13] [SPEAKER_00]: and changeable as a grain of sand drifting beyond the curtain of sleep. The thoughts

[00:27:24] [SPEAKER_00]: and ideas that bound you in the past begin to change shape too. You are as formless

[00:27:39] [SPEAKER_00]: and free as the sand itself. Any limiting beliefs you had about yourself and the body you make your

[00:27:53] [SPEAKER_00]: whole men are washed away by the wind that rushes in through the painless window of the

[00:28:04] [SPEAKER_00]: adobe blockhouse. Lying there, feeling lighter still as the weight of any inner conflict

[00:28:15] [SPEAKER_00]: drifts from you. You find yourself, your consciousness get caught up in a bigger gust

[00:28:28] [SPEAKER_00]: and carried out through the front door that you left open on its hinges when you first entered

[00:28:37] [SPEAKER_00]: the house drifting in the cool breeze. You're rather grateful for the journey you found yourself on

[00:28:51] [SPEAKER_00]: this evening, you know that you won't travel far or fast in a breeze like this that shifts

[00:29:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and changes direction with every breath. But you begin to enjoy its indirectness following the flow

[00:29:21] [SPEAKER_00]: of the wind. You find that there's beauty in the path being carved out for you,

[00:29:30] [SPEAKER_00]: even if the route isn't direct. Even if you're unsure of where it's leading you,

[00:29:42] [SPEAKER_00]: there's something relaxing about following the flow of things and letting go of your desired

[00:29:51] [SPEAKER_00]: destination. With your mind not set so far off in the future,

[00:30:01] [SPEAKER_00]: your thoughts not centered on a final destination,

[00:30:07] [SPEAKER_00]: you find yourself able to be present. To recognize the beauty and opportunities

[00:30:18] [SPEAKER_00]: already surrounding you, you realize what you might have missed on the days you set your sights so

[00:30:30] [SPEAKER_00]: far off in the distance that might have passed you by in the depth of the night.

[00:30:41] [SPEAKER_00]: You notice the winds changing, they're fuller all of a sudden, the gentle indirectness

[00:30:53] [SPEAKER_00]: of the early evening breeze gives way to a powerful churning storm.

[00:31:05] [SPEAKER_00]: A passenger to the tempest at first, you find yourself flung out, hurled across the

[00:31:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Saharan skies by this raging display of nature. But gradually, something begins to shift within you,

[00:31:31] [SPEAKER_00]: breathing in the winds that left you off balance but you feel yourself drawing in their power,

[00:31:44] [SPEAKER_00]: harnessing it for yourself, centering yourself. You become the eye of the storm, you breathe into it,

[00:32:01] [SPEAKER_00]: breathe life to it as you step into your power, surging forward into the dark of

[00:32:17] [SPEAKER_00]: rushing towards the endless expanse of the Atlantic, you acknowledge that your power,

[00:32:30] [SPEAKER_00]: your inner storm is what gives you strength no longer will you suppress it,

[00:32:40] [SPEAKER_00]: stifle it or play down the roaring force of emotion that courses through you.

[00:32:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Endless golden sands give way to the ceaseless blue of the Atlantic and you forge on,

[00:33:08] [SPEAKER_00]: surging out across the sea by the newfound power that flourishes within you. You realize that your

[00:33:25] [SPEAKER_00]: feelings, your vulnerabilities, the displays of emotion that have perhaps left you feeling anxious

[00:33:38] [SPEAKER_00]: or embarrassed in the past are natural, human and healthy. They are as much a force of nature

[00:33:54] [SPEAKER_00]: as the storm that rushes you across the Atlantic. At this very moment, the depth of your emotions

[00:34:07] [SPEAKER_00]: feels endless at times, plunges deeper than the mid-Atlantic ridge itself but you realize now

[00:34:21] [SPEAKER_00]: that they are what set you apart, what make you such an incredible friend, leader, listener

[00:34:33] [SPEAKER_00]: and thinker, drifting towards land once more. You notice the storm beginning to calm

[00:34:52] [SPEAKER_00]: and feel a sense of peace washing through you as you come to accept the weight of your feelings.

[00:35:05] [SPEAKER_00]: You realize that there is nothing wrong with feeling less than blissfully happy

[00:35:14] [SPEAKER_00]: and knowing now that finding happiness is a journey with ups and downs, storms and silences,

[00:35:27] [SPEAKER_00]: much like the journey that saw you carried across the Sahara in the last breath of wind.

[00:35:40] [SPEAKER_00]: You come to rest upon the sandy shores, a fuerte ventura, a canary island not so far

[00:35:51] [SPEAKER_00]: from the western coast of Morocco. There's a stillness about the island at this time of night

[00:36:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and as you settle among the sand, you consider the value of that stillness. Perhaps there's not

[00:36:31] [SPEAKER_00]: at this very moment in time, you're not an hour early, not a minute late, you've your own divine

[00:36:47] [SPEAKER_00]: time. You needn't raise anyone else or even the clock face.

[00:36:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Your inner timing, coupled with your intuition and innate sense of direction

[00:37:10] [SPEAKER_00]: will lead you to exactly where you need to be. At precisely the right moment it has never failed

[00:37:24] [SPEAKER_00]: you. Perhaps it has led you into situations beyond your comfort zone, but no doubt the lessons you

[00:37:38] [SPEAKER_00]: learned, the strength you gained in the face of adversity by stepping into your power,

[00:37:47] [SPEAKER_00]: has served you well as you come to rest, your consciousness drifting beyond your dreams

[00:38:01] [SPEAKER_00]: and into the silence of a deep sleep. You feel your mind being gently called back to your body,

[00:38:14] [SPEAKER_00]: your whole settling back into your skin. A feeling of deep peace, of oneness and embodiment

[00:38:32] [SPEAKER_00]: wraps around you as the curtain of sleep descends.