This practice will help you learn how to notice your thoughts with openness and curiosity,
So that you can step back from them and do what matters to you in life.
I invite you to sit in a comfortable yet upright position,
Your feet ideally are flat on the floor,
Your arms and legs uncrossed,
And your hands resting gently in your lap.
If comfortable for you,
Allow your eyes to close gently.
Alternatively,
You can soften your gaze and lower your eyes to a point in front of you.
Now take a couple of slow and soft breaths,
Breathing in softly and breathing out slowly.
See if you can notice the sound and the sensation of your breath.
Breathing in softly,
Breathing out slowly.
Now I'd like you to imagine that you are standing by the bank of a gently flowing stream,
Watching the water flow past.
Imagine feeling the soft ground beneath your bare feet,
The sounds of the water flowing past,
And the way the stream looks as you watch it,
Glistening in the sunlight.
Imagine that there are leaves from trees of all different shapes,
Sizes and autumnal colours,
Floating past on the stream,
And you are just watching these float by.
And this is all you need to do for a moment.
Now start to become aware of your thoughts as they come and go.
Each time you notice a thought moving through your mind,
Imagine placing it on one of the leaves,
And letting it float downstream.
Placing a thought on a leaf,
Regardless of whether the thought is positive or negative,
Pleasurable or painful,
Even if it's the most wonderful thought,
Place it on a leaf and let it float on.
If,
Temporarily,
You notice no thoughts,
Simply watch the stream,
Sooner or later,
But usually sooner.
Our thoughts start up again,
And you can return to placing those thoughts on leaves.
Allow the stream to flow at its own rate.
Notice any urges to speed up or slow down the stream,
And let these be on leaves as well.
Let the stream flow how it will.
If you have any thoughts about doing this exercise,
You can place these thoughts on leaves as well,
Simply observing each experience and placing it on a leaf on the stream.
It's normal and natural to lose track of this exercise,
And it will keep happening.
When you notice yourself losing track,
Simply bring yourself back to watching the leaves on the stream,
Noticing the stream,
And placing any thoughts,
Feelings or sensations on the leaves,
And letting them gently float down the stream.
Finally,
Allow the image of the stream to dissolve,
And slowly bring your awareness back to your physical body sitting.
You might take a moment to gently lengthen your spine,
Becoming a slightly taller version of yourself,
Helping you to reconnect to your physical body in this moment.
You might notice sounds,
Allowing sounds to come to you,
Before gently reopening your eyes.
Take a moment to notice what you can see,
Notice the way the light moves in the space that you're in,
Notice colors and shapes.
You might choose to press your feet into the ground and have a stretch.
Notice the feeling in your body as you stretch.
Welcome back.
