Meditation for the Water

This meditation is a focus on present time awareness with a body scan and the imagery of water as a mirror for ourselves.

Transcript

Thank you for joining me today for meditation for the water.

Find a comfortable way to sit on a cushion or the ground.

You also may lie if that is good for you without falling asleep.

Gently close your eyes and place your hands where it is comfortable.

Sit with your back straight,

Erect,

Strong,

But not stiff.

Remember to be easy with yourself if your mind wanders.

When you notice your attention is off somewhere,

Gently come back to the breath and realize all of us experience this,

Both new and longtime meditators.

Most importantly,

Treat yourself with compassion and kindness.

Now slowly take a deep breath down into your belly and hold it for just a moment.

Then release it as slowly as you took it.

At the end of the exhale,

Hold it again for just a moment.

Now do this one more time.

A nice,

Deep,

Slow inhale through your nose and into your belly.

When full,

Hold for a moment and then release just as slowly.

And at the end of your release,

Hold it again just for a moment.

Exhale from your regular breathing.

And now we're going to focus on your toes.

Wiggle them,

Squeeze them together.

See them in your mind.

Feel what your toes feel like.

Then we'll move to the soles of your feet,

Your heels,

Your ankles.

What is the experience of those parts of your body?

What do they feel?

Now we move on to your calf,

Your shin,

Your knee.

How does it feel to be your shin?

Traveling upwards,

Your thighs,

Your hips.

What do they feel like?

Let them all relax.

Now feel your belly,

Your rib cage,

Your torso,

Your chest.

What do they feel like?

What is the experience of your rib cage?

Moving still farther,

What does your collarbone feel like?

Your neck,

Your throat,

Your chin.

We don't give much attention to many of these parts of our body,

But take it now.

Think about what it feels like to be your chin.

Continuing up the face,

Feel your nose,

Your eyes,

Your brow,

Your jaw,

Your ears,

Your scalp.

So much tension is held in our face,

Head and neck.

Exhale and let all of that relax.

Dropping up this short body scan,

Feel your biceps,

Triceps,

Your elbow,

Your forearms,

Your wrists,

Your hands.

What do your hands feel like?

It's hard to just let them relax as we spend so much of our time grasping,

Physically grasping tools,

A steering wheel,

Bicycle grip,

Whatever it may be,

We hold on tight.

And the Buddha said,

Suffering is caused by grasping.

Our hands suffer the fate of all that grasping.

Let them all relax each and every finger,

Your thumbs.

Let it all just relax.

Now pay attention again to your breath.

Just breathe normally and watch it.

Inhale through your nose.

Hold for a moment.

Exhale.

Hold for a moment.

Now listen to the sounds around you.

Imagine you're at a beautiful lake,

Somewhere near the shore,

Maybe sitting on a rock or a fallen log.

Maybe you're sitting on a sandy beach with your feet in the cool water.

Wherever you imagine yourself,

Listen to the sounds around you.

What do you hear?

The air,

The wind,

Birds.

Maybe there are leaves rustling in the trees.

Pay attention to these sounds and really hear them.

Feel them.

Visualize all the beauty around you and take it into your heart.

Let it warm your heart.

Nature's beauty.

Let it warm.

Now,

We move on to one of the other five senses,

Our sense of smell.

Pay attention to the smells around you,

The smell of the lake,

The aroma coming from the trees,

The musty odor of the forest floor,

The essence of humidity sitting in the air,

Feel that,

That's water,

Oxygen and hydrogen.

It is us.

Remember,

You are predominantly water.

Your heart and your brain are 73% water.

You are the lake.

You are the river.

You are the stream.

Now,

Imagine a lake.

Imagine the peace and tranquility of the water.

It could be the lake that you already imagined or possibly another one.

Imagine yourself as peaceful and tranquil as this lake.

Feel the calm ripples,

The coolness of the water.

Feel the water on your skin,

The wet,

Cool,

Life-giving water.

Now,

Visualize the reflection in the mirror-like surface of the water.

What do you see?

Mountains,

Trees,

A flock of birds overhead.

Imagine yourself,

Imagine your mind as reflective as the lake.

Thoughts,

Feelings,

Attitudes reflect in that beautiful mirror of your mind,

But they don't penetrate.

They reflect and move on like clouds overhead.

Now,

Imagine the hidden wonders in the water.

What treasures are hidden in the depths?

Imagine your own hidden wonders,

Your treasures deep within yourself,

Far from the surface.

See how still the lake is,

The smoothness of the water,

The lake's ease and calmness.

Feel the same stillness inside yourself.

Feel the ease and calm inside of you.

Now,

Let the lake go.

And again,

Watch your breath,

The rise and fall,

The expansion and contraction while you breathe.

Enjoy the calmness of this moment and take it with you.

Then take a minute and when you are ready,

Slowly open your eyes.

And thank you for sitting with me today.

Reviews

Very inviting imagery. I also noted the comment about the hands, how they are almost always involved in grasping, and practicing letting them go and relax.

Very calming and helped me be still for the first time in ages! Thank you :)

Gentle. Nice. Very relaxing. Thank you.

Certainly is relaxing.

A good simple meditation with no weird music. Bookmarked.

Thank you very much!

Love the pace, thanks 🙏

very relevant imagery, soothing audible
voice, non destractive, peaceful & calm 🏳️

Thank you for this wonderful meditation. 💜

We are water. Water is a teacher. Thank you for adding an instruction to my practice, Cary!