This meditation is done lying down or in a reclined position And it begins by paying attention to the actual sensations of contact and support as you lie here Noticing where your body is making contact How your weight is distributed on the floor bed or recliner?
Actually sensing into your body feeling your feet your legs your hips Lower and upper body your arms your shoulders and your head You you When you're ready bringing your awareness to breath We're not thinking about breathing here,
But the invitation is to be with the actual physical sensations Feeling each breath as it comes into the body and goes out You don't need to breathe in any particular way just letting the breath be as it is Without needing to change it fix it or regulate it in any way Just allowing it to flow easily and naturally with its own rhythm and pace Knowing you're breathing perfectly well right now nothing for you to do Allowing a sense of being complete Whole In this very moment just letting your breath be your breath As you rest here Letting an image in your mind's eye form of a lake a body of water large or small Held in a receptive basin by the earth itself Noticing it in your mind's eye and your own heart That water likes to pool in low places it seeks its own level to be held and contained Letting this image gradually come into greater focus Even if it doesn't come as a visual image at first Just allowing the sense of the lake feeling its presence however that might look for you If the lake you're evoking may be deep or shallow Blue or green muddy or clear With no wind the surface may be flat mirror-like Reflecting trees rocks the sky clouds holding everything in itself momentarily Wind may come and stir up waves Causing the reflection to distort and disappear The sunlight may sparkle in the ripples and dance on the waves in a play of shimmering diamonds When night comes the moon turns to dance on the lake Or when the surface is still to be reflected along with the outline of trees and shadows In winter the lake may freeze over Yet be teeming with movement and life below the surface As you rest here breathing as you establish this image of the lake in your mind's eye in your imagination Allowing yourself when you feel ready to bring it inside yourself completely So that your being emerges with the lake and becomes one with it So that all your energies in this moment are held in awareness with it With a sense of openness and compassion for yourself In the same way as the lake's waters are held by the receptivity and the accepting basin of earth itself Breathing as 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 or to be clear all the way to the bottom Allowing yourself to experience moments of complete stillness when both reflection and water are completely clear And other moments perhaps when the surface is still When the water is completely clear And other moments perhaps when the surface is disturbed choppy stirred up reflections and depth lost for the moment And through it all as you lie here simply observing the play of various energies on your own mind and heart The fleeting thoughts and feelings,
Impulses and reactions which come and go as ripples and waves Noting their effects In contact with them just as you are in contact with the feel and various touches In contact with them just as you are in contact with the feel and various changing energies that play on the lake The wind,
The waves,
The light,
The shadows,
The reflection,
The colours and smells Noticing the effect of your thoughts and feelings Do they disturb the surface and clarity of the mind's lake?
Do they muddy the waters?
Is that okay with you?
Isn't having a rippling or a wavy surface a part of being a lake?
Might it be 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 which at most experiences only a gentle undulation even when the surface is choppy and ragged And in the same way in your meditation practice as in your daily life you can be in touch not only with the changing content and intensity of your thoughts and feelings but also with the vast unwavering reservoir of awareness itself residing below the surface of your mind The lake can teach us this Remind us of the lake within ourselves If you find this image to be of value you may want to use it from time to time to deepen and enrich your meditation practice You may also invite this lake image to empower you and guide your actions in the world as you move through the unfolding of each day carrying this vast reservoir of mindfulness within your heart Dwelling here in the stillness of this moment until signalled by the sound of the bell we can be the lake in silence now affirming our ability to hold awareness and in acceptance right now All our qualities of mind and body just as the lake sits held,
Cradled contained by the earth,
Wind,
Reflecting sun,
Moon,
Stars,
Clouds,
Sky,
Birds and light caressed by the air which brings out the highlights and it sparkles,
Its vitality,
Its potential moment by moment So in the time that remains before the bell which will mark the end of the meditation continue to sustain the lake meditation on your own in silence moment by moment being the lake with its own storms and moments of peace you
