Hello,
This is Preeti from TheUnlovables.
Com and this is a guided meditation called The River Meditation.
In this meditation,
We will visualize a river and imagine this river can carry away our worries and free us from any suffering they are causing.
We learn to become comfortable with our thoughts,
Acknowledging them as they arise and learning to let them go.
We can also thank the thought for arising before letting it go.
This is a part of our practice that can change our daily lives.
Imagine how you would feel if when your thoughts turned to weapons,
As they often do as we go about our days,
You were able to experience them with gentleness and self-compassion rather than panic and shame.
So sit comfortably with your back straight and a soft gaze on an object in front of you or if you are comfortable with your eyes gently closed and let's practice together.
Start in a comfortable seated or lying down position,
Closing your eyes and settling into your breath and just notice your breath.
Notice the gentle inward and outward flow of your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Notice how your chest and your abdomen gently rise and fall as your breath flows through you.
Try breathing not from your chest but from deep within your belly,
Watching the stomach expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale.
Let's breathe together mindfully.
Take a deep breath through your nose,
Breathing from your belly,
Let the air fill your lungs and reach your throat and when you are full of this abundance,
Exhale through your mouth.
You can even make a sighing noise on the exhale.
Let's try it again.
Breathe deeply in from your belly through your nose,
Let the air fill your lungs and reach your throat and when you are full of this abundance,
Exhale through your mouth with an audible sigh.
Again,
Take all your worries and stress and breathe them from deep within your belly,
Up through your nose,
Filling your lungs and on the exhale,
Let go of all your stress.
Push it out with the force of your body and the force of your breath and then come back to breathing naturally,
Feeling calm and serene and just let your breath breathe you.
Now let's turn our attention to our bodies.
Do a quick scan,
Taking stock of how you feel physically.
Is there pain?
Is there tenderness?
Is there tingling?
Is there any kind of heaviness or suffering that you are carrying in your body?
Start from your feet,
Wiggle your toes and scan up through your ankles.
Feel your calves and your shins,
Contract these muscles on your next inhale and relax them on the exhale,
Letting go of any tension there.
Scan your knees and thighs,
The back of your legs.
If you have any injuries,
Acknowledge that your body has carried you this far and thank your body for carrying you through all of your ups and downs,
Including and most especially your suffering.
In this moment,
See if you can let go of any pain and tension with every out breath.
Now scan your hips,
Are they tight?
Relax the joints and muscles around your hips,
Your pelvis,
Your lower back.
Move up through your back,
Pausing at your neck and release any tension found there.
Notice your stomach expanding and contracting with each breath.
Finally scan your body up from your neck,
Relax your shoulders,
Relax your jaw,
Relax your face,
Your cheeks,
Your eyes,
Your forehead.
Place all of your stress,
Anxiety and pain up through the crown of your head.
Now imagine you can see a river in front of you.
Slowly walk towards the river until you're standing on the riverbank at the river's edge.
Stop here and take a moment to look around.
What does the landscape around the river look like?
Is the river surrounded by lush green forests or warm sandy riverbanks with palm trees swaying along its length?
Or maybe it's surrounded by snow-peaked mountains or by grassy fields filled with flowers.
Now look at the river itself.
How wide is your river?
Is it a narrow winding river or is it wide and expansive like the Nile?
And what color is the water?
Is it clear,
Blue or green or is it muddy?
And how fast is the water flowing downstream?
Are there any rocks breaking up the river's flow?
What sounds can you hear around you?
What animals can you see on the land,
In the trees,
In the sky and in the water?
Maybe you can even smell the fresh scents of nature all around you.
Now walk down to the river's edge and dip your toes in.
How warm or cold is the water?
Allow yourself to feel the flow of water as it streams past your toes,
Up to your ankles,
Up to your lower legs.
Now leave the water and come and stand by the river's edge with me.
Feel the sun warming your face and just smile as you take it all in.
As you look down to the ground,
You see a leaf there.
Notice the leaf,
Really notice it,
Visualize it.
My leaf is a rich green leaf,
Bigger than my hand,
It's curved like a shallow bowl.
Pick up your leaf,
Think of something that has been causing you stress or worry now or in the last few days.
And when you are ready,
Place your worry onto the leaf and then place your leaf onto the water and watch it make its way downstream.
Watch it drift off into the distance until it disappears completely.
And for the next few moments,
As we sit in silence and stillness,
Whenever a thought,
A sensation or worry enters your head,
Tell yourself,
It's all okay.
Acknowledge the thought,
Thank it for coming to your attention,
But instead of getting wrapped up in it,
Find a leaf to place it on and then set it off downstream.
And observe the gentle inward and outward flow of your breath,
Your breath flowing like the river in front of you,
Carrying away all your thoughts and cares.
Now gently open your eyes,
Leave your river,
Come back to the room.
Thank you for meditating with me today.
I hope this time together fortifies you for whatever comes your way and that you return to this place often and cultivate your spiritual superpowers.
Pause whenever agitated or doubtful and know that peace of mind is always within your reach.
If you enjoyed today's meditation,
Please visit me at theunlovables.
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