Good morning and welcome to this Monday's Meditation on the Lawn offered by the University of Virginia.
My name is Ken Horn and I am a therapist and consultant with FEEP,
The Faculty and Employee Assistance Program.
And it's a pleasure to be here with you all this morning.
The meditation I will be leading is a lake meditation where we will use the visual of a lake.
This is a meditation that I learned years ago from the book,
Wherever You Go,
There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
It is a wonderful book and it's an old favorite meditation of mine and one that I've been coming back to recently,
Given all of the layers of cumulative stress and the fast-paced nature of the world that we're in.
It's a practice that can have a calming and a grounding effect when you need some decompression.
And I find it to be a nice alternative to a basic breath meditation where you use the imagery of a lake as your primary focus of attention.
So getting started,
I invite you to sit comfortably,
Finding a balance in your posture between awake and at ease.
You can also do this meditation lying down if you prefer.
The element of water is symbolic of receptivity and acceptance.
So it also pairs well with a reclined or a resting posture.
This is a practice that can also be useful at bedtime for relaxation and preparing your body for sleep.
So feel free to use it that way as well.
So closing your eyes if that's comfortable for you or just gaze down softly in front of you.
Taking a moment to connect with your breath,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Begin to imagine a large and peaceful lake in your mind's eye.
This could be a lake that you've been to before or one that you've seen in a photo or a film,
Or it could be a totally imagined or idyllic lake that you'd like to visit.
As you breathe,
Imagine a calm,
Expansive body of water.
This could be a low elevation lake surrounded by woods,
Forest or fields.
Or it could be a high altitude alpine lake surrounded by mountain peaks,
Rocky slopes and wildflower meadows.
Use your senses to imagine whatever lake your mind begins to see today.
Notice how the water is held and contained by the earth and the basin it creates.
As you breathe,
Observe the lake and its environment.
Notice the color of the water.
It might be blue or green,
Dark or clear.
Noticing any sounds you might hear,
Birds,
Frogs,
Any subtle splashing or rippling.
Notice what the weather is doing.
Like us and our busy minds,
Lakes are affected by the weather around them.
A lake can be still and quiet with a mirror-like surface that reflects the trees in the sky,
The clouds above.
Or a lake can be choppy and unsettled with wind affecting the surface of the water,
Causing ripples or waves.
Notice the time of day.
It might be sunny and bright,
Cloudy and gray.
Or perhaps there's a soft rainfall with the sound of raindrops landing on the surface of the water.
Or it could be nighttime,
With darkness all around and only the moon reflecting on the surface of the water.
Be aware of what you are seeing,
Hearing,
Smelling,
And sensing.
Notice the season,
Feeling free to imagine whatever season you prefer,
Or allow your imagination to scan through the changing seasons and times of day as you gently breathe.
Spring might bring new life and energy around the edges of the lake.
Summer might bring animals who come to drink the cool water during the heat of the day.
Fall might bring changing colors,
Reds,
Yellows,
And oranges to the trees surrounding the lake.
Or winter might bring snow,
Bare trees,
A frozen surface.
Though even with a frozen surface,
We know that life still beats and moves below.
As you imagine this lake,
Continue to breathe,
And if you like,
Slightly extend your exhales for relaxation.
Allow yourself to become one with the lake as you sit or lie in meditation.
Imagine your awareness gently holding your thoughts,
Feelings,
And sensations,
Just as the earth holds the lake's water in its basin.
The shape of the earth cradles and accepts the water to rest and be contained within it.
Breathing deeply with the peaceful lake,
From one moment into the next,
Allow yourself to be open and receptive like the water,
Noting and reflecting whatever shows up.
Notice any similarities between the lake and your mind's ability to notice and allow whatever arises and falls away.
A leaf drops and floats by like a passing thought.
A cloud reflects momentarily like a feeling.
A fish swims beneath the surface like a physical sensation.
Notice where your body meets the support beneath you,
And allow your body to be like the lake,
Held in its place,
Grounded by the earth,
Open to the sky.
Notice moments of stillness,
Peace,
And clarity,
As well as moments of movement,
Stirring,
And choppiness,
Accepting and allowing,
One energy moving into the next,
Trying not to judge,
Just watching,
Breathing,
And allowing space.
Through it all,
You rest in meditation,
Simply noting and observing the ever-changing play of phenomena in and on the lake.
Unlike the ripples or waves of thoughts,
Feelings,
And sensations passing through our minds and hearts throughout the day.
If you like,
Take a moment to also drop below the surface of the lake and notice the stillness,
Peace,
And quiet,
Despite whatever might be happening on the surface.
Thoughts and feelings are like ripples or waves on the surface of the mind,
While a deep and vast awareness exists below and beyond the surface of the mind.
We are not just our thoughts,
Feelings,
Stories,
And sensations.
We are also the wide and spacious awareness that holds it all.
In lake meditation,
We sit with the intention to hold an awareness and kindness,
All the ever-changing aspects of the mind,
Heart,
And body,
Just as the lake sits cradled by the earth,
Reflecting the sun,
Sustaining the life within it,
And continuously changed by the atmosphere around it.
Take a few more rounds of breath as we near the end,
Reflecting on this image of the lake,
Noticing the sensory experience of this place and remembering it if you'd like to come back to it as a grounding inner resource that you can return to when needed and deepen over time.
When you are ready,
You may open your eyes and come back,
Perhaps taking a moment to stretch a bit.
And that completes the lake meditation for this morning.
Thank you so much for joining,
And I wish you all a peaceful day.
Take care.
