Letting Thoughts Drift By

This is the first meditation I recommend any time someone asks me where to start. It is short and that is very good for beginners, unsure if they can sit and listen to a meditation for a while. It also has easy imagery to understand and that helps you paint a visual picture of the leaves falling from the trees into the stream.

Remember that our brains are built to wander off.. so don't get discouraged if you are starting here and find you need to pull your mind back to the meditation often. It is okay. Not only is it okay, but you are building focus and concentration skills as you pull your mind back to what you want to focus on.

Transcript

Welcome to the Leaves on a Stream guided meditation.

I'm Dr.

Colleen Pearson,

The eclectic psychologist.

Start by sitting upright in your chair,

Putting your hands comfortably on your lap and allow your eyes to close.

The point of this meditation is to observe your thoughts as they go by without analyzing them or engaging with them.

Imagine you are seated comfortably in a sunny spot next to a flowing stream.

Leaves drift by as they fall from the trees and swirl around rocks as they head to a lake downstream.

Take a few moments to observe what is going on around you.

Remember observing is looking around without trying to describe or respond in any way.

As thoughts come into your mind,

Put them on the leaves and let them float by.

If you think in pictures,

Put your thoughts on the leaves in pictures.

If you think in words,

Put your thoughts on the leaves in words.

If you find yourself in the stream or on a leaf,

Just note that it has happened and then go back to the sunny spot.

Do not try to speed up or slow down the water.

Let it go at its own pace.

If any thoughts come around more than once,

Note which ones they are and continue to let them go.

If you notice your mind wandering off,

Gently refocus on the calming motion of the water.

Keep doing this until you naturally want to come back to the chair and to the room.

When you feel like it,

Open your eyes.

Reviews

Short and sweet. Great as needed during the day. Thank you.