In this moment,
I invite you to sit in a comfortable position,
Whether that be sitting in your chair or lying down,
And gently let your eyes close if you're comfortable,
Or fix them on a point in front of you.
Allow yourself to take a couple of gentle breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth,
Noticing the sound and feel of your own breath as you breathe in and out.
Now,
I'd like you to imagine that you're standing by the bank of a gently flowing stream,
Watching the water flow.
Imagine feeling the ground beneath you,
The sounds of the water flowing past,
And the way the stream looks as you watch it.
Imagine that there are leaves from trees of all different shapes,
Sizes,
And colors floating past on the stream,
And you're just watching these float on the stream.
This is all you need to do for the time being.
Start to become aware of your thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations.
And each time you notice a thought,
Feeling,
Or sensation,
Imagine placing it on a leaf and letting it float down the stream.
Do this regardless of whether the thoughts,
The feelings,
Or the sensations are positive or negative,
Pleasurable or painful.
Even if they are the most wonderful thoughts,
Place them on a leaf and gently let them float by.
If your thoughts stop,
Just try to watch the stream.
Sooner or later,
Your thoughts should start up again.
Allow the stream to flow at its own rate and gently notice any urges to speed up or slow down the stream,
And let these be leaves on the stream as well.
Try to let the stream flow how it will.
If a leaf gets stuck or won't go away,
Let it hang around.
For a little while,
All you're doing is observing this experience.
There's no need to force the leaf down the stream.
If you find yourself getting caught up with a thought or feeling such as boredom or impatience,
Try to simply acknowledge it.
Say to yourself,
Here's a feeling of boredom or maybe here's a feeling of impatience,
Then place those words on a leaf and let them float on by.
You're just observing each experience and placing it on a leaf on the stream.
It's normal and natural to lose track of this exercise,
And it will keep happening.
When you notice yourself losing track,
Try to just bring yourself back to watching these leaves on the stream.
Finally,
Allow the image of the stream to dissolve and slowly bring your attention back to the present.
Open your eyes if they were closed.
Notice what you can hear.
Allow yourself to stretch in whatever way would feel most helpful for you right now.
Welcome back.
