So welcome to this guided meditation.
Please remember that everything is an invitation.
If at any point you want to skip this or pass things over,
Please feel free.
We're going to take a comfortable seated position.
Something that you're going to be able to hold for about 10 minutes.
Making sure you feel supported by the chair that you've chosen or maybe the wall if you're sitting against the wall.
And the position should be relaxed yet alert.
Nice upright spine if possible.
Shoulders relaxed.
Chin is parallel.
Feel the chest lifting slightly to keep the spine straight.
You can rest your tongue lightly against the back of your teeth or the roof of your mouth.
And just have a slight parting between the teeth to relax the jaw.
Hands can be resting in your lap.
And the eyes are gently closed.
Or if you're not comfortable with eyes closed,
Have them gazing softly in front of you,
Finding a point to focus on.
And then we're going to take a couple of deep breaths.
Breathing the tummy and rib cage expanding with the inhalation.
Contracting with the exhalation.
One more time.
Breathing in tummy and rib cage expanding all the way up to the shoulders.
Exhale.
One more time inhale.
Have a little pause on that inhalation.
Hold.
Exhale releasing any tension you might be feeling.
One more time.
Inhale.
Pause.
Hold.
Exhale.
Exhale any tension that you might be feeling.
One more time.
Deepest breath in.
And then exhale.
And then allowing the breath to return to its normal,
Natural resting rhythm.
And now in your mind's eye,
I'd like you to imagine that you're walking along the banks of a river.
It's a summer's day.
The sun's out.
It's warm.
A nice comfortable temperature.
And you're in a safe space.
A familiar place.
Somewhere you know you won't be disturbed.
It's just you walking along the riverbank.
The only sounds are the sounds of nature going about its business.
The flowing of the river.
The wind in the trees.
The hum of insects and the call in the singing of birds.
In the distance may be some traffic or the sounds of children playing that's been carried on the wind.
But in this place,
It's just you.
And you continue walking along the footpath that hugs the riverbank.
Just noticing the soft hypnotic sound of the water.
Quite shallow bubbling and fizzing over pebbles and rocks that line the base of the river.
Grassland and pasture is on your opposite side.
And you walk at a gentle,
Relaxing pace until you find a clearing.
A small cove free from rushes and weeds.
As the day is warm you decide to cool down by taking off socks and shoes and just allowing them to dangle into the cool water.
Cold at first but you soon get used to it until it evens out to a nice,
Comfortable coolness that spreads from the tips of your toes to the crown of your head,
Refreshing and cooling your whole body.
You feel very safe in this place.
It's familiar.
You know you won't be disturbed at this time.
And you can really let go.
Be in this moment and relax.
Water bubbles over your feet just below the knees.
The wind and the sun are on your face.
And you recognise this as being a good moment,
A happy moment.
And then you begin to observe your thoughts,
Reflecting on what's coming up for you in this moment.
Any anxieties you might be facing.
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations.
Just taking a moment to witness everything that arises within your consciousness.
And now looking down at the water you begin to notice leaves.
All different colours,
All different shades of brown and green floating on the surface of the river,
Passing your view and then going beyond.
Each time you notice the thought,
Feeling or sensation,
Imagine placing it on a leaf and letting it float downstream.
Do this regardless of whether the thoughts,
Feelings or sensations are positive or negative.
Maybe place them on a leaf and let them disappear into the distance.
Placing physical sensations.
Maybe you're experiencing some pain.
Placing the pain onto a leaf and allowing it to pass you by.
Maybe there's boredom.
Placing boredom on a leaf.
Watch the leaf come in front of your eyes and then let it leave,
Floating downstream.
Maybe there's expectation.
Expectation finds its own leaf,
Place it on,
Allow it to leave.
Every time a thought,
Feeling or sensation arises,
Place it on a leaf and allow it to leave.
You may come to a point where there are no thoughts or feelings.
Rest in that emptiness.
Eventually,
More thoughts and feelings will come in to take and to fill the gap.
When they do,
Simply place them on a leaf and allow those new thoughts,
Those deeper thoughts or feelings to pass you by.
If a leaf gets stuck or won't go away,
Let it hang around.
For a little while,
All you are doing is observing the experience.
There's no need to force the leaf down the stream.
Give it time to move and to drift and to float off of its own accord without forcing.
If you're struggling with the visualization and there's impatience,
See if you can attach the impatience to the leaf.
Let it float down the stream.
You're just observing each experience,
Placing it on a leaf,
On the stream and allowing it to be carried away.
It's normal and natural to lose track of this exercise and it will keep happening.
When you notice yourself losing track,
Just bring yourself back to watching the leaves on the stream.
As more thoughts arise,
Sensations,
Feelings,
Keep attaching,
Allowing them to leave,
Coming back to those glimpses of emptiness and resting in them.
When you feel this practice has reached its conclusion,
Allow the last leaves to disappear.
Take a moment to thank the river for the flow of life.
Take a moment to observe your surroundings once more.
Take a moment to feel that sense of safety,
Acknowledging that this is a happy,
Safe place for you and then standing up,
Continuing your journey.
Then coming back to your breath,
Feeling the sensation of your body back in the room that you're practicing in.
Returning to the feeling of being supported by the chair or the floor.
Again taking in a deep breath,
Filling up the belly and the chest.
Hold.
Exhale,
Releasing tension.
Breathing in.
Hold.
Exhale,
Releasing tension.
Breathing in.
Hold.
Exhale,
Release.
And then slowly opening the eyes,
Allowing the eyes to become accustomed to the light.
Making sure you're fully back in this room and in your body.
And then slowly finishing and closing off the practice.
Thank you.
