A cloudy day is the perfect opportunity to meditate on the miracle of your own being here.

No matter how old you are, there’s a certain wonder and lightheartedness in watching the clouds drifting through the sky, far above the hustle of the world below.

As children we look for messages in their fantastical shapes. As adults we can imagine the beautiful blue beyond the realm of vapor and mist, reminding us that peace is always available.

To rekindle your interest in the world above you, try this cloud meditation.

Keep looking up and you might just see that you too, can let the light shine through. That you too, have an influence on the world.

For more meditations that I haven't shared anywhere else, consider my book Sleep Rituals.

Keep Looking Up: A Cloud Meditation

1. Find a shady spot outdoors where you can relax and look upward, or a spot by a window where you can watch the sky.

2. With a few deep breaths, simply focus on the clouds rolling by.

3. Take in their shape, size, color and speed. Take in the billowy whites like puffs of cotton. Or the cotton candy clouds colored pink and purple by the setting sun. Or the deep grays signaling a storm on its way.

4. Meditate on their distinct edges and outlines, and those boundaries too soft and elusive to set.

5. Watch as they fold and unfold, noticing how each cloud seems to disappear into itself. Watch as wisps reach out like tendrils to bridge the gaps between one cloud and the next.

6. See if you can pick out any shapes or patterns, even if you have to use your imagination to connect the dots.

7. Recognize for a moment, the illusion of appearances, as you watch something that appears to be solid change shapes and move onward. You might recognize the ebb and flow of your own life in the clouds. You might imagine the light and airy nature of your own soul.

8. See the shadows they cast on the earth below. See how the rays of light filter through. Rejoice in how the world is made more beautiful by contrast.

9. If your thoughts stray too far, come back to your steady gaze on the sky above you.

Affirmations:

1. I am free and light like a cloud.
2. I am a body of transformation.
3. I can rise above whatever tries to bring me down.
4. Peace is always available to me.

Idea: If your head is stuck in the clouds after this meditation, follow with a grounding practice like earthing or meditating on your heartbeat to bring you back down to earth.

Art Prints:

If you want to take something home to remind you to keep looking up, here are my print picks:

• "Earth beneath me. Sky above me. Water within me. Air around me. I am okay." (get this affirmation print here)
• "There is a place and a purpose for everything under the sun, including you." (get this poetry print here)
• "I am free to choose the palette of my emotional sky."
• "You belong here, in the infinite dance of life." (get this print here)

. . .

Tell me:

When you look up at the sky, what are you reminded of?

Tell me in the comments. I'd love to know what helps you feel free, or light, or at peace.

~ Jen