Welcome,
My name is SJ and this visualization is called Leaves on a Stream.
It can be used when you are experiencing moments of intrusive or continuous thoughts,
When you need to bring yourself back to the present rather than travelling to the past or the future.
In the beginning,
You should practice this without other distractions to help strengthen your skills of cognitive diffusion.
It's also a wonderful mindfulness technique to help you relax before sleep.
Begin by either sitting in a comfortable position or lying down.
Close your eyes if it feels safe to do so,
Or lower your gaze,
Focusing on a fixed spot if you'd prefer.
Start by bringing your attention to your breath.
Notice the rhythm of your inhale and exhale.
Don't try to change the rhythm,
Just let it flow of its own accord.
Now visualize yourself sitting beside a gently flowing stream.
Notice your surroundings,
The colors,
The sights and the sounds.
Notice how a series of leaves are floating along the surface of the water,
Moving slowly past you down the stream.
Perhaps they're different colors,
Sizes or shapes.
Take a moment to see this space clearly in your mind's eye.
For the next few minutes,
Take each thought that enters your mind,
Placing it gently on a leaf and watching it float away downstream.
Do this with every thought,
Whether it's pleasurable,
Painful or neutral.
Even if you have joyous or enthusiastic thoughts,
Place those on a leaf and let them float by.
If your thoughts momentarily stop,
Continue to watch the stream.
From time to time your thoughts may hook you and distract you from being fully present in this practice.
This is normal.
As soon as you realize that you've become sidetracked,
Gently bring your attention back to the practice,
Placing each thought on a leaf and letting it go.
Continue to allow the stream to flow at its own pace,
Your thoughts placed on a leaf flowing downstream.
Don't try to speed up the pace or rush your thoughts along.
We're not trying to rush or get rid of your thoughts.
You're just allowing them to come and go at their own pace.
If your mind starts saying,
This is dumb,
I'm bored or I'm not doing this right,
Place those thoughts on a leaf and let them pass.
If a thought or a leaf gets stuck,
Allow it to hang around until you're ready to let it go.
And if the thought comes up again,
Just watch it float by on its leaf another time.
If a difficult or painful feeling arises,
Simply acknowledge it.
You can say to yourself,
I notice myself having a feeling of boredom,
Impatience,
Frustration.
Place those thoughts on its own leaf and allow them to float by.
If you've been using this visualization to help bring a sense of calm before sleep,
Remain lying down and continue this exercise,
Focusing on the steady,
Slow pace of your breath.
Allow it to help you sink further into this restful state.
If you're ready to come back into the here and now,
You can very slowly flutter your eyes open,
Carefully digging in your surroundings,
Noticing the colors and the shapes around you.
Notice a sense of stillness and space in your mind.
Bring this sense of presence and clarity of mind into the rest of your day.
