Welcome to this Leaves on a Stream guided meditation.
Today you'll practice letting go of thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations,
And come back to the present moment through the anchor of imagery.
You'll strengthen your mindfulness muscle by returning back to the object of awareness.
So let's begin by finding a comfortable seated or lying down position.
Take a few deep breaths,
Breathing in through the nose and gently out through the mouth.
Letting go of anything that happened before this and any thoughts about what will happen after this.
Just keep focusing on slowing down the breath.
And if you haven't already done so,
On the next out breath,
Let the eyes gently close.
Now let your breath return to a natural pace,
Letting go of any need to control.
Let the body breathe itself.
Let the breath be however it may.
And begin to bring your awareness to the mind's eye.
Imagine you are outside in nature.
Begin to imagine all the plants,
The colors,
The shapes.
Imagine a gentle stream flowing.
Imagine the breeze dancing on your skin.
Imagine the sun hitting your skin.
Is it hot?
Is it warm?
Is it cool?
Imagine the sounds of nature.
Birds chirping,
Wind blowing,
Water flowing.
Feel yourself standing here in nature,
Connecting to Mother Earth.
Feel your feet on the grass,
Bringing in energy from the ground.
Now turn your attention back to the stream.
Visualizing its path,
Its colors,
Its movement,
Its sound,
Its smell.
Imagine trees blanketing the stream as leaves fall down one by one.
Watch the leaves of all shapes and colors fall and pass along down the stream.
Each time you have a thought,
Imagine placing this on a leaf and watching it float down the stream.
Each time you notice a sensation or feeling,
Imagine placing this on a leaf and watching it float down the stream.
All you are doing is observing the stream.
And each time you have a distraction,
Imagine yourself placing it on a leaf and watching it roll down the stream,
Letting it pass into the distance.
You may notice judgments about the distractions or even this exercise itself.
Just go ahead and place those on a leaf and let them float down the stream.
All you are doing is observing,
Watching the leaves pass by.
If a leaf gets stuck and won't budge down the stream,
See if you can just let it be.
Just observe and let it pass in its own time.
And if you continue thinking,
Just place all of those thoughts on a leaf and let them float away in their own time.
Do not try to control the stream.
You are just the observer.
The river will flow how the river flows.
It is not your job to control,
But just to observe.
Place it all on a leaf and let it go down the stream in its own way.
Each time you have a thought,
A feeling or a sensation,
Place it on a leaf and watch it float down the stream.
Now just for a moment,
Let go of any control and simply watch the stream.
No need to place distractions on leaves right now.
Just let the mind be.
Let the water flow how it will.
And let yourself rest here in loving awareness.
Now when you are ready,
Start to imagine the nature scene dissolving.
Feel yourself in this space,
Feeling the points of contact between yourself and the ground.
Feel the breath,
Letting it be in its natural rhythm.
Pay attention to any sounds you can hear in your environment.
Begin to bring movement back into the body by gently wiggling the fingers,
The toes.
And begin to gently blink the eyes open.
Take a moment to rest here and just notice how you feel.
Remember this experience throughout your day.
You always have the stream within you.
Throughout your day,
If you're lost in thought,
Simply notice the thought,
Place it on a leaf and let it flow down the stream.
May you be well.
