“Rainbows are made of small raindrops. Happy lives are made from acts of kindness.”
~ Amit Ray
The rainbow is a powerful symbol in many cultures. Rainbows symbolize hope, connection, forgiveness, grace, unity, and joy. Some see it as a bridge between this world and the next. Regardless of how you interpret rainbows, they are overwhelmingly positive symbols. Below is a guided meditation exploring the beauty and color of the rainbow.
A Rainbow of Happiness
Find a comfortable position, either sitting or laying down.
Take a deep breath and roll your shoulders forward and backwards to relax any tension.
Close your eyes and take three slow deep breaths, filling your abdomen on the in breath and fully exhaling all the air on the out breath.
Imagine yourself laying in a field. You look up to the sky and see a rainbow stretching from one side of the sky to the other, completely filling your field of vision.
As you observe the rainbow, you begin to focus on the colors one at a time and are filled with happiness and contentment.
Noticing the red in the rainbow, you begin to think about things that are red that you bring you happiness. It may be fresh cherries in the summer, or fall apples, or a beautiful rose.
Continuing to breathe deeply, you begin to transition to orange, visualizing things that are orange that bring you pleasure. It may be oranges or pumpkins, or a Monarch butterfly flitting from flower to flower.
Soon your attention moves to yellow. You begin to think about things that are yellow that fill you with happiness such as sunshine, or a clump of daffodils, or zesty lemons.
Breathing, you begin to consider the next color, green. Your mind is filled with images of grassy meadows and evergreen forests, kiwi fruit and limes. You feel your happiness and contentment increasing with each color.
Your attention is now drawn to blue in the rainbow. Images of the deep blue sea, the sky behind the rainbow, and tiny blue forget me not flowers fill your mind.
Happiness is filling your heart as you transition to the color indigo. You visualize the indigo sky in the late evening, plump blueberries in a bowl, and deep dark eggplants.
Finally, your eyes settle on the last color in the rainbow, violet. And the happiness and contentment continue to grow as you visualize sprigs of lilac, asters, and lupin.
As you breathe deeply, the feelings of happiness and contentment spread throughout your body. As you go through the rest of the day, each time you observe one of the colors in the rainbow, your mind will come back to this feeling of calm contentment and happiness.
. . . . .
Seeking Health and Happiness One Day at a Time.
Marcy Berg is a writer and therapist living in the Pacific Northwest and exploring thoughts on mental health, wellness, and happiness. She can be found at Growing Through Life and Seeking Greener Pastures.