Begin by finding a place where your body can be gently supported,
Lying down on a soft surface,
A mat or a bed,
And let your eyes close naturally.
Take a few slow,
Welcoming breaths.
There's nothing to do here,
No right way to feel,
Let the breath arrive and leave,
Soft,
Simple.
Now,
When you're ready,
Begin to bring to heart and mind the image of a beautiful lake.
It might be one you visited long ago,
Or one your imagination creates just for this moment,
A shimmering reflection from a postcard,
A painting,
Or a dream.
Let the lake take form gently.
What do you notice about this lake?
Is the water clear or softly colored?
Is it wide and stretching or held within quiet hills?
Notice the surface of the lake,
How it responds to the wind and to the light.
There may be ripples,
Sunlit sparkles,
Or cloud shadows gliding across.
And beneath it all,
There's something constant,
A stillness,
A depth,
A quiet place untouched by the surface weather.
Let yourself feel that.
No need to force anything,
Just notice your breath again,
How it joins the wind,
How it rests with the water.
As you lie here,
Breathing,
Allow yourself to merge with the lake,
Not to become something else,
But to remember your own inner stillness.
Like the lake,
You are held.
You respond.
You reflect.
And beneath it all,
You remain steady,
Kind,
And whole.
Notice how the lake accepts all that comes,
Breezes,
Storms,
Seasons.
It doesn't push anything away.
It just allows and changes with a kind of grace.
Can you do the same,
Even for just this moment?
Can you gently hold your thoughts,
Feelings,
And sensations,
Not needing to fix or analyze,
But simply letting them float and settle like leaves on water?
You are not the ripples.
You are the lake,
Deep,
Quiet,
Aware,
Always here,
Even when things stir.
You may return to this image whenever life feels stormy.
Let it remind you that within you is a place untouched by the winds,
A grounded presence that can see clearly,
Feel deeply,
And rest fully.
And as we near the end,
Take one last breath into this spaciousness.
Notice how the lake continues to hold,
Calm beneath the changing sky.
Let your awareness rest here a little longer,
Sensing the quiet ripple of kindness moving through your being.
You might choose to carry this stillness with you into the rest of your day or simply return to it whenever you're weathering inner storms.
This quiet presence is yours.
It's not something you earn.
It's something you remember.
Now gently bring your attention back to your breath,
Your body,
The support beneath you.
As you gently begin to return to your surroundings,
Notice any shifts within you,
However subtle.
You showed up.
You practiced.
Take a moment to honor yourself.
You offered kindness to your own heart,
And in doing so,
You send quiet ripples out into the world.
