Hello Brilliant Being,
It's Dr.
Liz.
Thank you for choosing to practice with me today.
This powerful exercise will help you experience that we have the power to observe our thoughts,
Feelings,
And sensations while also mindfully letting go of what is weighing you down.
You may feel more grounded,
Centered,
And as if a weight has been released from your body and mind after completing this exercise.
So ready to release what no longer serves you?
Let's begin.
So go ahead and get into an even more comfortable position that honors your body and mind.
Have your palms facing upwards toward the sky and focus on your breath that's always there for you,
Guiding you in this present moment.
Now allow your creativity and imagine that you are standing near a river.
This may be a familiar river,
One that you've visited before,
One that's close by,
Or even an imaginary one.
Whatever feels right and safe for you today,
You can go there now.
Be the river as broad or narrow,
Straight or winding,
Or maybe it even has rocks and fish and sticks.
Whatever comes to your mind is perfectly fine.
Perhaps even hearing the gentle,
Soothing sound of the bubbling creek,
The wind rustling,
And the trees around you.
These are beautiful,
Sturdy,
And strong trees,
With leaves of all different colors,
Shapes,
And sizes.
And as you see these trees in even more detail,
You notice that the leaves effortlessly floating down,
All by itself,
And touch the river.
And the stream takes that leaf and floats it away,
Far far away that it disappears from your view.
And you can take a stroll along the riverside,
To find a safe spot to settle down and stay for a while,
To just observe the stream and absorb the wonderful nature around you.
Maybe there's something special there,
Like a comfortable bench,
Or a comfy pillow,
Or a sturdy stone that you can sit on.
Whatever is right for you in this moment.
So take a few moments to observe what is going around you,
And what is happening within you.
And the interesting thing is,
Is that you can place each thought,
Emotion,
Or sensation on a leaf,
And have it float down on the river until you lose sight of that leaf.
So go ahead,
Continue to place your thoughts and sensations and emotions on a leaf,
And watch it float away,
All the way down downstream,
Further and further away,
Until you can't see it anymore.
You may find it helpful to take a deep breath in as you're placing a leaf on the stream,
And a cleansing breath out as you let that sensation go.
Other things you might observe and place on a leaf,
And this can even be judgment on this experience itself,
Or distractions around you in your room.
But the amazing thing is,
Is that you can label each one too,
And put it on a leaf,
And see it drift down the stream,
Easily and effortlessly.
Then your thoughts may stop,
Or sooner or later,
Thoughts will start up again.
And that's completely okay.
And if,
Perhaps perchance,
You notice your mind wandering,
That's a good sign.
That's what minds do.
So again,
Gently notice where your mind was,
What you were thinking about,
And you can put it on a leaf,
And watch it float away downstream.
And I wonder,
If you are wanting to speed up or slow down the pace of the river in front of you,
Allow the stream to flow at its own pace.
There's no rushing the stream of life.
And see what it's like to allow the river and the leaves to come and go at their own pace,
Letting go of control,
And simply observing what happens.
And if a leaf gets stuck on a rock,
Allow it to hang around until it's ready to float on by.
And even if the same leaf or thought comes up again,
You can watch it float on another time,
Just noticing,
Just observing,
And the power to simply witness what is expanding.
Now notice that there are two parts of you involved in this process of observing.
There's your thinking self that's doing a few different things right now.
Creating imagery of the stream and the leaves,
Creating the thoughts,
And even putting those thoughts onto leaves,
And maybe even making judgments on these thoughts too.
And then there's another part of you that's observing and holding this whole experience,
That continuous you,
That capital S self that observes and holds everything in its awareness.
Now stand back and observe the stream in its entirety.
This path and pace of the stream,
And everything in the stream itself,
Can be leaves,
Twigs,
Rocks,
Whirlpools,
Even fish and other creatures.
And now notice how those things are carried by the stream and flow with it.
However,
The things in this river aren't the stream itself.
The stream merely carries these objects,
Like a stream of life,
And a stream of consciousness.
Ever-changing,
Ever-flowing,
Ever-shifting,
Ever-moving.
And isn't it curious that one leaf,
One stick,
Or even one fish does not define the stream itself?
And so taking this wisdom with you to this moment and the next,
That you are more than a single thought,
A single emotion,
A single event,
Or a single sensation,
Allow this to be absorbed even more in your body and mind.
Taking this wisdom with you to this moment and the next.
Now thank yourself and the river for being there to hold and carry all the leaves and all the things,
And say goodbye to this beautiful scenery,
Knowing you can come back here anytime you wish to practice observing,
Letting go,
And witnessing your power.
Now whenever you're ready,
Slowly bring your focus back to the room.
Feel yourself sitting on your cushion or chair,
Listening to any sounds in the room,
And at your own time and at your own pace,
Open your eyes and stretch back into your space.
Notice the shifts in your body and mind.
Feel free to use this exercise,
Leaves on a stream,
Anytime you wish.
I hope you join me next time.
Take care.
