Making sure that you are comfortable.
Eyes now closing down as we take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Once more in through the nose.
And as you exhale,
Allow your shoulders to soften,
Your jaw to relax.
And settle in,
Releasing any clenching in your body.
As you begin to imagine that it is dusk.
You are standing on the shoreline of a huge lake that feels more like an ocean.
And the light is fading from this day.
Standing in front of you is a small rowboat.
The weather is feeling a bit wild and unstable.
The wind is whipping around.
The sky is full of dark clouds.
Rain is beginning to fall.
Feelings of frustration start to bubble up in your chest.
This is not what you wanted and you are starting to feel cold and wet.
You pause.
Looking out at the water,
You remember that you are part of something much bigger than yourself.
You can feel your heart beating in your chest,
The air moving in and out of your lungs.
You begin to focus on the warmth inside your body.
And you choose to surrender.
Taking a deep breath,
You open your arms wide,
Allowing the wind to blow and the rain to fall.
Welcoming all of the sensations you are feeling inside and out.
You are alive and free and you are trusting in this moment and the experience that lies ahead.
A flash of lightning out on the horizon illuminates an island and you instinctively know this is where you are going next.
You relax your arms,
Steady yourself and carefully step into the boat.
Your body,
Your amazing body,
Knows exactly what to do.
You pick up the oars and begin to row,
Row,
Row.
It is a struggle as some of the waves are huge and difficult to navigate but you keep breathing,
Trusting in your strength,
Knowing that you will make it.
As the last bit of daylight fades from the sky,
You lose sight of the island.
It is too overwhelming,
The darkness,
The rain,
The wind.
How can you find your way in conditions like these?
A voice deep inside says,
Just keep going.
Feeling the thoughts racing through your mind,
You bring awareness to the center of your body and surrender once more.
You continue to breathe steadily,
Deeply,
Finding a rhythm.
Rowing with all your might and shifting your weight to keep the boat in balance.
Feeling the waves as they flow and swell.
You keep going like this for some time,
Unsure of what will happen next but keeping calm,
Trusting that it will all work out just as it needs to.
And then,
Almost as if someone flipped a switch,
The rain suddenly stops.
The waves begin to calm,
The clouds clear,
Revealing a full,
Bright white,
Shining moon in the night sky.
You are almost brought to tears by the beauty of this moment,
By the peace of it,
The relief.
And you can see the island,
It is just over there.
You are so close.
You stop rowing and pull the oars into the boat and rest for a few moments,
Allowing it to gently drift as you bask in the moonlight and the way you are feeling.
Time to keep going.
As you reach down to pick up the oars,
You realize there is a fishing net in the bottom of the boat.
You decide to pick it up and cast it out into the water,
Letting it drag freely behind you as you continue once again to row,
Row,
Row until you reach the island.
Once the water is shallow enough,
You hop out of the boat and bring it up onto the beach,
Then begin to pull in the net.
It has captured a gift for you,
Something that you need in this moment.
There may be other things in the net that you might need to search through,
But you will know your gift when you find it.
And when you do,
Take it and spend some time receiving whatever wisdom or message it has come to share.
Whether you keep this gift or throw it back into the water,
Either way,
Take some time to offer gratitude to the lake for what it has given you.
Now you climb back into the boat,
Pull in the net,
Pick up the oars and begin the journey back across the water.
You are amazed at how easy it feels now.
The surface of the lake is so smooth and the way it is reflecting the light of the moon feels magical.
What was so difficult before now seems almost effortless.
Approaching the shallows of the spot you first began,
You hop out,
Pull the boat ashore and take a few moments to reflect once more on the gift you received.
Slowly bringing your awareness back into the physical space you are in.
Getting some gentle movements with your body and opening your eyes when you are ready.
