Imagination Meditation - Tubing On The River

This meditation begins with deep breathing and a body scan, bringing awareness to and releasing any tension. Using guided visualization, you will float down a tranquil river in an inner tube. Experience peace and relaxation as you observe nature and feel the water caressing your skin. The meditation comes to a close with a renewed awareness of your physical surroundings and a light stretch.
Music Credit: “Spiritual Dreams” by Jeff Woodall

Transcript

Hello, Welcome to Imagination Meditation. I'm your host, Diana. Let's settle in for some nice relaxing time together. We'll be starting with a body scan and then we'll head off to our destination. Now let's get started. Settle into your seat. Get comfortable. You can choose to sit on a chair or on a couch with a cushion if you prefer. Sit back in your seat so that you're well supported. You may sit with feet planted on the floor, Feeling the ground beneath you. Or you can sit with legs crossed in front of you in lotus style. Sit up tall with a straight spine. Put your shoulders back, Opening up the chest and the heart space, Presenting your heart to the sky. Close your eyes. Allow yourself to take a deep breath in and release it back out. Another deep breath in and exhale out. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Feel the air as it enters the body as it fills your chest and your belly. And then feel the air as it leaves. You can place a hand on your belly if you like, Feeling the stomach expand with a breath in and feeling it diminish as you breathe out. Feel your belly expanding like a balloon and then the air is released. A few more deep breaths. Inhale and exhale. Once more inhale and exhale. Now let's do a little body scan. We'll get in touch with the body and how it's feeling. Let's start with the very top of the head, The crown of the head. Notice if you feel any sensations at all. Focus first on your forehead, On your eyebrows, Your eyes behind their closed lids, Your nose, Your cheeks, Ears, The back of your head at the base of your skull. Notice if you feel any tension. If you do, Acknowledge it. It's okay if any area holds tension. Just notice it and then release it away. Let it go. Soften the muscles. Notice how your neck and your throat feel. Are you holding any tension in your jaw? If so, Let's go ahead and relax those muscles. You can move them around if that will help. Release your shoulders if they're hunched up at all. Focus on your arms, Your forearms, Your elbows, Your wrists, Hands, Fingers. Notice any sensations. If they're tingling or clenched, Then soften the muscles. Release tension. Move to your chest, Your belly, Your hips, Your legs, Thighs, Knees, Shins, Ankles. Bring all the way down to your feet, Your heels, The arch of your foot and your toes. Notice any particular feeling that you may have in any part of your body and focus on releasing any tension you may be holding. If you need to, You can actively clench your muscles and then relax, Letting go of all of that stress. Now let's move on to our journey. Open your eyes closed, Let's whisk ourselves away to this week's destination. We find ourselves on the bank of a lazy river, The water gently moving downstream at a slow pace. It's a sunny day, Warm, Almost hot, As in mid-summer. The sun's rays beam down on us with a blue sky above and a few large puffy white clouds scudding along on a light breeze. We feel the air is hot but not too steamy. We can hear the water gently lapping against the riverbank. It looks so inviting as the sun is climbing higher in the sky. Wouldn't it be so nice to get into that water and feel its coolness lightly washing over your body? You look down at yourself and notice you're in your most wonderful bathing suit. You also now see a circular inflated inner tube along with an attached cooler. You go over to it and open the cooler and find cold drinks inside. Whatever your favorite cold beverage is, It's in there ready to be enjoyed. A life jacket is also next to the tube. Go ahead and put on the life jacket if desired. Now you push the tube towards the water. The entry into the river is so nice and easy. The earth is wet but solid. The water is cool to the touch. It's perfect. The water moves at an easy pace, Not too swift. You sit down in the middle of the tube and push off from the bank. You drift as the river starts to carry you forward. The surface is completely smooth, No rocks to maneuver around. A wide open path for your inner tube. You lay back, Feeling the inflated tube supporting you, Letting your hands softly caress the surface of the water, Your legs gently dangling over the tube. The water laps against the tube, Making soft splashes against your legs. You let the water gently run over your feet, Feeling the light, Wet coolness against your skin. Each time a small wave splashes your arms and belly, The sun quickly dries you off so you're never cold. You reach over to the cooler and open it to peruse the drinks inside. You take an ice cold bottle out and feel it in your hand. Perhaps you rest it against your forehead for a second. Then you open it and indulge in the beautifully cold liquid inside. You put the cap back on and place it back in the cooler. And then you lay back, Letting the sun warm your face, Feeling the cool water gently rushing over your hands and feet. You look around and see the sun's rays glinting off the surface of the water. Tall trees line the riverbank, Along with water lilies and cattails. You may hear some birdsong in the trees around you. If you look towards the bank, You can see a slender white heron as it looks for fish. You see a ripple as a fish jumps out of its way. As you keep drifting lazily along, You see a couple logs that have come to rest next to the bank, And a few turtles sunning themselves on one of the logs. All is tranquil and peaceful, Just as it should be. You may see a few turtles sunning themselves on one of the logs. And now, As our meditation is coming to a close, We'll magically whisk ourselves back up in a cloud and come gently back down to our comfy couch or chair. Feel your seat underneath you. Touch the cushion with your fingers and take a deep breath in and let it out. One more, In and out. Stretch out your arms and legs. Know that you can always come back to this lazy river retreat whenever you need a break or just some time for you. Whenever you're ready, You can open your eyes. I'd like to thank you for joining me today for this imagination meditation on the lazy river. I hope peace and calm accompanies you throughout the rest of your day. Until next time.