We Are Water

It is time for us to remember the importance and preciousness of water.

Water is life. Water is in us - and the foundation of all life. Water flows through us as it does through all plants, animals and life on the planet. Water connects us all from the smallest raindrop to the mightiest wave to the water in our body. "We Are Water" is a meditation journey in which we experience ourselves as a water being in a new embodied way. As within so without.

Developed by the artist and meditation teacher, Helena Petersen, in collaboration with creative director Jeremy Boxer and twelve water stewards from 8 different countries.

*Before we begin please have a fresh glass of water at hand.

Transcript

Have you ever asked yourself what your relationship to water is?

Did you know that many consider water the foundation of all life on Earth?

Did you know that when we look for life on other planets,

We look for water?

Water connects us all,

From the smallest raindrop,

To the mightiest wave,

To the water in our body.

Water flows through us as it does through all plant and animal life on the planet.

We Are Water is a transformative meditative experience.

Immerse yourself in this inner journey and flow with the water that is flowing through your body and in the world around you.

As within,

So without.

You will be guided through a meditation and you will discover water in a new embodied way.

Before we begin,

Please have a fresh glass of water at hand.

Know that if you are uncomfortable or overwhelmed by the experience in any way,

Feel free to open your eyes and exit the meditation at any point.

We begin by finding a comfortable sitting posture where you can allow your body to be awake yet at ease.

With your eyes gently closed or lowering the gaze,

Soften around and behind the eyes and let the brow be smooth.

Bringing your attention to your breath,

Feeling a gentle rise and fall of your belly with each inhale and allowing a long and deep exhale.

And feel how your body is breathing for you.

How the breath flows in and out without you needing to do anything.

Let your eyes and face be soft.

Loosen the jaw from any tension.

Relaxing the shoulders back and down.

Let the arms and hands be soft.

Allowing to let go of any tightness in the belly.

Feel if there is any obvious part in your body that wants to let go.

Invite yourself to be right here.

As part of arriving,

Reach for the water in the glass or the bottle right next to you and take a sip.

And with your next sip,

Hold the water in your mouth for a few moments and become aware of your lips and feel the sensations in your lips.

Noticing what's here.

Maybe tingling,

Pulsing,

Pressure.

The temperature.

Feeling all the sensations inside your lips.

Feeling the whole mouth from within.

Becoming aware of the water in the mouth.

Feel the wetness.

Perhaps coolness in one area.

Warmth in another.

Maybe thickness.

Softness.

As you gently move the liquid around,

Feeling the slightest expanding of your cheeks.

Feel the sensations of your tongue.

Perhaps sense the mineral taste and quality of the water.

Feel the water as it is.

Perhaps you notice an urge to swallow and if you haven't already and it feels right,

Consciously swallow the sip of water and feel the sensations in the back of your throat.

Listen to the sound and become aware of the feelings as the water is running down your throat,

Through your chest,

Into your belly.

So bringing your whole attention into your belly and feeling the belly from within.

From here,

Your belly,

Within five minutes,

This sip of water enters the bloodstream into your body,

Becoming the stream of blood flowing through you.

Feel the sensations as this sip begins to cycle through you.

Any warmth,

Coolness,

A flowing,

Tingling and feel the aliveness this element brings to you as it becomes you.

Follow this flow into your heart space.

Feel how it is pulsing,

Pumping as the stream is flowing through.

Can you feel this flow?

Sense this flow?

Hear this flow?

You might feel warmth expanding through your heart.

And sense the heart's pulsation in different parts of your body,

Even in the tips of the fingers.

Feeling them from within.

Vibrating,

Tingling,

Pulsing.

Feeling your whole hands from the inside out,

As the pulsation of life is flowing through.

Sense if you can feel this flow from your fingertips,

Hands,

Arms,

Your heart space,

Up to your neck.

Even the most subtle sensations.

Following the flow into your head.

And feel the life flowing through your head.

Feel the sensations as this awareness expands to the top of the head,

To the back of the head,

Your forehead,

Temples and cheeks.

Perhaps you can feel the subtle pulsing.

Becoming aware of your eyes.

Soften around and behind the eyes.

Sensing what is here.

Perhaps lightness and darkness.

Sensing your eyes are made up of over 90% almost entirely of water.

Feel this water.

Perhaps as wetness in the corner of your eye.

Or the memory of a tear.

Imagine you have always witnessed the world through water.

Inside,

Outside.

Bringing your awareness down into your shoulders.

And the muscles of your shoulders.

Feeling them from within.

Perhaps opening to the knowledge that all your muscles are made up of 75% water.

And in this moment,

Feel how the water allows movement in that space.

In the muscles of your shoulders.

Perhaps sensing a subtle softening.

And now expand this sensation through your whole upper back.

All the way down into your lower back.

And feel how this flow is running through your whole back.

Tingling.

Perhaps a slight warmth radiating through.

See if you can let sensations float in that space.

In the muscles of your whole back.

Follow the flow from your back into your lower spine and pelvis area.

And feel the flow through the organs of your whole belly.

Feel the aliveness this sip of water brings to you as it has now fully become you.

Perhaps hearing any gurgling sounds or subtle movement in your belly.

Listen and sense from the highest level of awareness.

And resting your awareness here for a few moments.

Listening with your inner ear.

Every time your mind wanders.

Getting lost in thoughts and stories.

Know it's completely natural and okay.

Once you've noticed,

Gently bring your attention back to the aliveness that is right here in this moment in your belly.

Simply be curious about experiencing water as the basis of all life circulating through you as the communicator within.

Regulating all functions in your body.

Floating oxygen,

Nutrients and warmth to every cell and every organ in your body.

And releasing what is no longer needed.

Can you sense the subtle flow that gives life to every cell and every organ in your body?

As you continue the flow,

Sense the length and volume of your legs.

Bringing your awareness inside the legs,

Feeling them from within.

With the aliveness inside the muscles,

Veins and bones vibrating.

Perhaps and most surprising,

Even the bones are made up of 22% water.

Feel the subtle stream flowing through your bones,

From your hips,

Thighs,

Knees,

All the way down into your ankles and feet.

Feeling your toes and perhaps a gentle pulsing.

Now expanding the flow and open your attention to include your whole body.

Feel how this sip of water permeates through your whole body,

Where it emanates and invigorates.

Gurgles and throbs in all parts of your body.

And in this wholeness,

Now sense the skin that covers and protects your whole body from head to toe,

As your body's most expansive organ.

Feel your skin,

Perhaps by noticing any sensations in contact with the space around you.

With the air or the textile of your clothing.

And know that your skin is made up of 70% water.

Regulating your body's temperature and protecting you against dehydration and external influences.

Feel your skin and the aliveness delicately flowing through.

As you experience your body as a whole,

From the inside out,

Perhaps you can open your awareness that your whole body is made up of up to 70% water.

Being one with the water and your body.

Perhaps you can sense how the water in your body perspires at different parts of your skin.

Feel this as it evaporates from the inside out.

As you are experiencing the oneness of water and your body,

Expand and experience the water all around you.

Feeling where your body ends and space beyond begins.

Imagine that you can experience the water around you as you experience the water within.

Bringing your awareness to the water in the glass right next to you.

Sense the temperature of the water without you having to touch it.

Perhaps coolness and warmth.

Feel the sensations,

Perhaps the stillness,

Tightness and wideness.

Pressure.

Wetness.

As you are feeling the sensations in your body.

What does it feel to be this water?

Fully experiencing the water in the glass.

Becoming the taste and quality of this water.

Feel this water as you are feeling the water within.

Where has the water been before it was in the glass,

Entered your body and became you?

And where will it flow in the weeks to come?

Expanding your sensations to experience other bodies of water in the room you are in.

In the air.

Vessels.

And other living beings.

Being the water in the fruits and flowers.

Feel the pumping,

Pulsing,

Perspiring.

Expand and experience these bodies of water.

Become the water in the building you are in.

And feel the water in the veins of this building.

Flowing through the pipes and drains.

Hear the flow.

Feel the flow.

Be the flow.

Extending your awareness outside the building.

Becoming the dew and water in the plants and trees.

In the grass and soil around you.

Feel the water in these bodies pumping,

Pulsing,

Transpiring.

Expand and becoming the water in the nearby wells,

Creeks,

Rivers and lakes.

The waterfalls.

Can you sense the dropping and dripping,

Rippling and rushing?

Expand further.

Imagine to be the water in the nearest ocean.

Become fully this body of water.

How does it feel to be so wide,

So deep?

Can you feel the moon's gravitational pull on you?

Can you feel the ebb and flow?

Be the ebb and flow.

Becoming the waves.

Becoming other bodies of ocean.

The Atlantic.

Pacific.

How does it feel to be these oceans?

Expand further.

Becoming the Indian,

Arctic,

Antarctic Ocean.

All of the oceans.

How does it feel to be the currents in circulations of all the oceans?

Expand further.

Becoming the water vapor in the atmosphere.

How does it feel to float as droplets above the earth's surface?

Carried by the wind across and around.

Becoming the rising as fogs and clouds.

Being this movement.

How does it feel becoming all waters?

Being part of the great cycle of water on earth.

Looking at earth from above,

See the big blue and its myriad water veins.

Like the skin of our bodies,

The surface of the earth is covered with over 70% water.

Can you feel the skin of the earth as you can feel yours?

As you are slowly descending as rain and snow,

Hail and ice.

As the water on earth,

So the water within.

We are one.

We are water.

For the last few moments,

Simply rest in this awareness.

Slowly coming back into the sensations of your body,

Sitting here and feeling the life flowing through.

And now slowly reach for your glass of water and take another sip.

How does this sip of water feel?

Is it different from the first?

Perhaps with gratitude,

Take another sip and remember this current feeling next time you connect with water.

Knowing wherever you are,

Whatever you do,

You can become aware of this aliveness.

And remember you are part of this great cycle on earth.

Slowly bringing movement back into your body,

Your fingers and toes.

Giving your body a gentle stretch if that feels good.

And in your own time,

You can open your eyes.