So,
Again,
Find a comfortable position where you can relax your body,
Keep your spine straight and supported.
Feel your feet on the ground or on the cushion.
Follow your gaze,
Either closing your eyes or with your eyes slightly open,
Gazing in front of you.
Relax your hands in your lap.
Bring your attention to your breath and notice it moving in and out of your body.
Pay attention to the rhythm and the pattern of your breath today,
Just as it is,
With no need to change it.
Now imagine yourself standing beside a stream.
Notice what's around you.
What can you see?
What do you hear?
And how do you feel?
As you watch the water flowing slowly along the stream,
You notice a small beach in front of you,
A sandy area.
And you sit down there to watch the stream.
You notice on the shore the water lapping in and out.
Notice your breath moving in the same time to this water,
Lapping at the shore,
Coming in and going out.
The sun is shining and you feel its warmth on your back,
On your skin.
You can hear birds singing in the trees.
You get up and you start to walk along the side of the stream.
As you walk,
You notice the stream is becoming bigger.
The flow of water is getting stronger.
As you walk,
You reflect back over your life so far,
From when you were born to being a child,
A teenager,
An adult.
And you start to imagine your life also being like a river,
Continually flowing and changing.
As you walk,
You reflect on times where you've experienced difficulties and challenges.
Like the river rocks,
The water slowly has passed through and around these.
Once at the time,
You felt they would never change.
But as you look at the river,
You notice how the water is fluid and continues to run over the branches,
Through the stones,
Just as you have been able to move on,
To move through these difficult experiences and times.
You feel the water,
Like your emotions,
Moving and flowing.
As you walk along the river,
Turning the bend to a new stretch,
You reflect on times when you've been very happy and felt satisfied and in the flow.
Again,
You may have felt that these things would never change.
But notice how in these times of your life too,
Things were still changing and moving.
And how these times also passed,
As you walk and watch the river continue to flow.
As you reflect,
You might recall situations or people or things that seemed very important to you at the time,
In the past,
That are now no longer seeming important to you.
Similarly,
There may be other situations or people or things that meant little to you in the past,
That now seem very important.
And observe that these things,
These people,
These situations,
Just like the river,
Are also constantly moving and changing.
As you walk further along the river,
It gets wider and stronger.
You notice the current flowing and the different eddies of water moving through the wide river.
You notice a wooden bench beside the river and you sit down for a while.
You relax with the warm sun on your back.
You observe the strength and the beauty of the river.
And you feel a deep acceptance of the impermanence and change in all aspects of your life.
You may also notice fear.
Acknowledge this fear.
And like an old friend,
Invite it to sit beside you on the bench as you watch the river together.
As the last part of your journey approaches,
You get up and walk further to where the river meets the sea.
The water here flows out into the vast ocean.
You watch as the water from the river becomes one with the ocean.
And as you look out to the horizon over the sea,
This beautiful ocean,
Imagine that your mind and life expand out also and become one with this ocean.
Feel the depth of the ocean and its infinite space.
Feel how it connects you to all of life,
All lands,
All people,
All animals and plants.
And your mind feels peaceful as you dwell in the deep blue ocean.
And you know that whatever happens in your life,
You're always connected to this river and this ocean.
Recognise its beauty and majesty.
And that this also lives in you.
Constantly moving,
Changing,
Living.
As you raise your gaze back to the horizon,
You notice the moon coming up as the day ends.
Slowly rising above the sea.
You feel the pull of the moon on the water and the tides as it comes in and out.
You notice your breath also coming in and out of your body.
Coming back to your body,
Back to your breath.
Try to remember this peace as you go into your day,
Into your week.
You can carry it with you.
And you can share it with whoever you choose to.
Coming back to the room,
Sitting on the chair or on the cushions.
Wriggle your fingers and toes.
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
