Welcome.
Let's go ahead and begin by finding a comfortable position of your choice,
Whether it be seated or lying down,
And allow the eyes to close.
Bring your attention to the breath.
Notice as it flows in.
Just allow it to come and go in its natural pattern.
And it just keeps doing this over and over,
Rhythmic,
Therapeutic way.
Now just allow the breath to fade into the background and bring to your mind's eye a stream of water.
This could be a stream you've seen before.
It could also be one that's just entirely in your imagination,
Something new.
And you take a seat next to this stream of water.
Safe,
It's calm.
Just watch the water as it rushes by.
Relax in the shore,
By your feet,
And tumbling away off into the distance.
This environment is warm,
It's comfortable,
Quiet.
It's a spot that's just for you.
Notice that while you're sitting there,
If you look off to the right,
You notice a basket and it's full of paper boats,
Just origami boats.
They have various shapes and sizes and these boats are folded on biodegradable paper.
They're safe for the environment,
They're safe for someone to touch.
You reach into the basket and you pull out one of these paper boats and you realize that these are quite special boats.
Because on these boats you can place whatever you'd like,
Be it an emotion,
Or a memory,
A feeling,
Whatever you'd like.
You have a pen with you and you can write it on the side of the boat and the boat captures that,
Not just the writing but the essence of whatever it is you're feeling,
Whatever it is you're experiencing that you'd like to let go of at this time.
So take a moment to consider what you would like to place on this particular boat.
You think of something,
It could be large,
It could be something very small,
Perhaps it could be a little small,
Perhaps it's the anger,
The person who cut you off while you were driving today.
Maybe it's something a little more delicate,
More difficult,
Whatever feels most comfortable for you.
If it's something you're not ready to let go of,
That's okay,
You don't have to let go right now.
Just whatever it is that you're ready to let go,
Write it down on the side of this boat and as soon as you've written whatever it is that you'd like to let go of on the side of the boat,
You take it to the edge of the stream and you place it in the water.
It lifts the boat and carries it away safely to a place where it will break down and become nothing.
In fact,
It may even be nourishment for the plants,
For any of the animals within the water,
And it is no longer with you for now.
It's gone.
What's nice is this basket has plenty of boats that you can take,
That you can ride upon,
And that you can place in the water to watch them float away.
So add your own pace,
Add your own timing,
Continue this practice of picking up a boat,
Considering what to write,
And writing the name of whatever it is you're ready to let go of,
Placing it in the water,
And watching it float away.
Perhaps even if it feels right,
You can say thank you to whatever it is that you're letting go of,
Because it's possible it was helpful at the time,
But it just isn't right now and it's time to say goodbye.
And that's okay.
Riding these things on the sides of the boat,
Placing them in the water,
Watching them float away,
Continuing to breathe,
Taking your time.
A lot of boats,
You'd like to fill them right up and you can do that.
Or if you just need a little bit of time with each boat,
That's all right as well.
You are free to take the amount of time that you need to.
This exercise is just for you.
Perhaps you've written upon a boat something that you intended to let go,
And upon looking at it and realizing what you've written,
You realize it's not quite time to let this go yet.
And that's okay.
Just place it next to you and go ahead and get started on a new paper boat.
When the time comes,
You can let the other go or just hold it with you.
Whatever you need to do,
Whatever is most comfortable and most healing for you at this time.
Now taking a moment just to sit back,
Working with any more of these boats,
But just sitting and noticing how it feels right now to be you,
While having let go of some of those things you no longer need.
Noticing if you feel any differently,
How your emotions,
Your feelings have changed since the moment when you started this practice.
There's no right or wrong way to feel about this practice.
What's important is recognizing whatever it is you're feeling right now,
Where it is in the body and where it feels in the mind.
And take a moment to take in a deep breath,
Let it all go,
And begin welcoming yourself back to this space.
Perhaps wiggling the fingers,
Wiggling the toes,
Eyes to open,
Welcoming yourself back to this space.
And just so you're aware,
You are more than welcome to repeat this practice throughout the day,
Either with or without this recording.
Just giving yourself space and time to let things go in an environment that is safe,
That is calm and peaceful.
Thank you for being here today,
For doing this for yourself,
And enjoy the rest of your day.
