Welcome to the practice of Lake Meditation.
This practice may be done either seated or lying down.
So finding your comfortable position for your meditation practice,
Making sure that you've adjusted so that you can be fully comfortable and as much as possible remaining still for the duration of the practice.
So go ahead and take just a few moments here to set up your space,
To set up your body,
Getting yourself into a physically comfortable position.
And then as you arrive in your final position,
Start to pay attention to the sensations in your body and the areas of your body that are making connection with the earth,
The areas of support.
Sensing how your weight is distributed and sensing,
Feeling into your body.
Finding your feet,
Your legs,
Your hips,
Spaces on your back,
Upper and lower arms,
Hands,
Shoulders and your head.
As you settle in here,
Start to shift your awareness,
Bringing your awareness to your breath.
Noticing the physical sensations of your breath,
Feeling each breath as it comes in,
As it goes out.
Feeling the sensation of your natural breath without the need to manipulate it,
Without the need to change it,
Without the need to regulate it.
Just noticing your breath,
Allowing it to flow easily and naturally with its own rhythm,
With its own pace.
Knowing that however you're breathing right now is perfect.
There's nothing for you to do.
Allow a sense of being complete,
Whole.
And in this moment,
Just letting your breath be your breath.
As you rest here,
Begin to allow the image in your mind's eye form of a lake,
A body of water.
It may be large or small.
This body of water held in a receptive basin made of the earth.
Noting in the mind's eye and in your own heart that water likes to pool in low places.
It seeks its own level,
Asks to be held.
Letting this image gradually come into greater focus,
Even if it doesn't come as a visual image,
Allow the sense of the lake to be felt,
Feeling the presence of the lake.
The lake you're visioning may be deep or shallow,
Blue or green,
Muddy or clear.
And with no wind in the air,
The surface is flat like a mirror,
Reflecting the trees,
The rocks,
The sky,
The clouds,
Holds everything within itself momentarily.
Winds may come and stir up waves,
Causing the reflections to distort and disappear.
But as this occurs,
The sun may sparkle on the ripples and dance on the waves and play like shimmering diamonds.
And one night comes,
It's the moon that turns to the dance on the lake,
Or when the surface is still to be reflected in it along with the outline of the trees and shadows.
In winter,
The lake may freeze over,
Yet still teeming with movement and life below the surface.
As you rest here breathing with the image of the lake in your mind's eye,
Allowing yourself when you feel ready to bring it inside of yourself completely so that your being merges with the lake,
Becoming one with the lake,
So that all of your energies in this moment are held in awareness with openness and compassion.
And the same way as the lake's waters are held by the receptive and accepting basin of the earth.
Breathing is the lake,
Feeling its body as your body,
Allowing your mind and heart to be open and receptive moment by moment to reflect whatever comes near,
Perhaps reflecting what is all the way at the bottom.
Sensing moments of complete stillness,
When both reflection and water are completely clear.
And other moments,
Perhaps when the surface is disturbed,
Choppy,
Stirred by wind,
Reflections in depth lost for the moment.
Through it all as you lie here simply observing,
Observing the play of the various energies of your own mind and heart.
The fleeting thoughts and feelings,
Impulses,
Reactions,
Coming and going as ripples and waves,
Noticing their effects.
In contact with them just as you're in contact with the feeling,
The energies that play on the lake,
The wind,
The waves,
The light,
The shadows,
The reflections.
Notice the effect of your thoughts and feelings.
Do they disturb the surface and clarity of the mind's lake?
Do they muddy the waters?
Isn't having a rippling a part of being a lake?
Is it possible to identify not only with the surface of your lake,
But with the entire body of water so that you become the stillness below the surface as well?
Even when the surface is choppy and ragged,
There's a quiet and gentleness beneath.
And the same way in your meditation practice and in your daily life,
You can be in touch with not only the changing content and intensity of your thoughts and feelings,
But with the vast unwavering reservoir of awareness itself,
Residing below the surface of the mind.
The lake can teach this,
Reminding us of the lake within ourselves.
We find this image to be of service,
To be of connection.
Use it as you need,
As you deepen,
Enrich your practice.
You can invite this lake image to empower you and guide your actions,
Carrying this vast reservoir of mindfulness within your heart.
Staying here for a few more moments of stillness,
Of quiet,
Taking in the silence of the lake,
Promoting your ability to hold in awareness,
Hold in acceptance.
Right now,
All of your qualities of mind and body,
And just as the lake sits held,
Cradled and contained by the earth,
Reflecting the sun,
The moon,
The stars,
The trees,
The clouds,
The sky,
Birds and light,
Caressed by the air and the wind.
So are you.
So you are held.
Beginning to shift your awareness back to your breath and slowly bringing some gentle movements into your physical body.
Just starting to take a bit of a stretch.
And as you feel ready,
Beginning to slowly open your eyes,
Gently taking in the light and the space around you.
I thank you so much for joining me for this practice.
I hope that you find a bit of peace,
The space of centered and calm.
