Salmon meditation.
Get yourself super comfortable,
Preferably on your back,
But you can also do this sitting up,
Lying or sitting.
Become aware of touch,
Where your body meets the floor or the seat.
How your clothes feel as they touch your body.
What do the different surfaces feel like as they touch your body.
Now notice your ears,
The shape of them,
Your instruments for hearing.
What can you hear?
Far away sounds,
Close sounds.
Now come to your eyes.
Can you see anything behind your eyelids?
Sometimes it's all black,
Other times there are different shades of grey or colour or even images.
Notice your tongue,
The tip of the tongue sides of the tongue and the root of the tongue,
The bottom of the tongue,
The bottom of the tongue which is at the back of your throat.
Can you notice saliva in your mouth?
Swish your tongue around.
Do you taste anything?
You can imagine the taste of your favourite food and swallow the taste.
Lastly your nose,
Your sense of smell.
What can you smell?
Again you could imagine your favourite smell.
Breathe it in and enjoy the scent.
Now take a deep breath in through the nose and breathe out your mouth like a sigh.
Two more times,
Breathing in.
One more.
Let's just relax a little bit more.
Scan through your body and notice anywhere you might still feel some tension.
Your face and your head.
Relax.
Relax your temples and your jaw,
Your neck and your shoulders.
Relaxed.
Your arms and hands.
Heavy relaxed.
Your chest and belly.
They move when you breathe.
Notice this and let them just relax.
Your whole back.
Relaxed.
Your buttocks and hips.
Your legs.
Heavy,
Soft and relaxed.
And your feet.
Your whole body.
Relaxed.
Now if your eyes aren't closed,
Close them now.
It's easier to relax and imagine that way.
But if you feel safer to keep your eyes open,
That's okay too.
So with your eyes closed,
Try to picture the image of the salmon from this card.
Picture the strong,
Supple and brightly coloured body of the salmon swimming briskly through the river.
The sun's rays refract through the water and sparkle off salmon scales as he flicks his tail from side to side,
Effortlessly gliding him through the water.
At times he seems to disappear and reappear like magic.
His underwater home is cool and vast.
When salmon wants to,
He can just float and bask in the warmth of the sun in the still,
Shallow waters.
Just quietly daydreaming.
Or for fun,
He can speed through the flowing waters as they transport him and connect him to the many different areas of his home.
Over waterfalls and through rapids,
Leaping into the air.
His intuition always guiding him safely around obstacles.
When needed,
Salmon can dart to safety under a moss-covered rock or log.
The water is ever-changing.
As salmon matures,
He no longer lives in the rivers.
His journeys have taken him to the wide universe of the ocean.
Here he swims in the deep blue in schools with his mates,
Frolicking and plunging to huge depths.
An abundance of foods that weren't available to him in the river and streams is available in all varieties in his new home.
This food is vital for making him grow big and strong.
It nourishes him,
Prepares him for his sole purpose.
This purpose is a knowing that can be felt in his heart.
He is to spawn with his mate at the very top of the river,
Many,
Many miles from the ocean.
From a salty universe to a freshwater stream high in the mountaintops.
Not all of his mates will survive the journey,
But with salmon's creativity,
Adaptability and pure pleasure for what he does,
Sees him easily navigate from depths to shallows,
Through calm still waters,
To fiercely strong currents that seem determined to halt his progress.
He uses these currents to his advantage,
To almost surf at angles across the river.
Rocks,
Logs and alcoves in the riverbanks assist him with areas to rest.
As he travels further and further up the river,
It begins to narrow and become cooler.
At times it seems there is no way forward and salmon has to jump over rocks or wiggle and squirm over pebbles and sand beds to find a way through.
The water is freezing now,
But salmon continues effortlessly to move forward,
As if he is made from water himself.
His goal is far too important to give up.
He knows that if he goes that little bit further than everyone else,
He will make it.
And there she is.
Her colors not as bright as his,
But the hue has a higher luminance and a velvety texture,
More translucent.
She has also traveled great lengths to be here.
Salmon and his mate join side by side.
Both their hearts are flooded with pleasure and fulfillment.
The sound,
VAAAM,
Gently echoes around them.
Both their hearts are flooded with pleasure and fulfillment.
Their purpose and dream is simple compared to humans.
They only wish to spawn,
To create new life as their souls unite.
Their soon-to-be baby salmon will begin their lives at the heights of the river,
In the safety of near dry sand and pebbles.
Salmon and his mate have already left their bodies behind to nourish their babies and to nourish all river life.
The cycle is complete.
You are like salmon and water.
Adaptable,
Creative,
Fluid and intuitive.
Whenever you are feeling stuck and not sure,
Remember these qualities are always with you.
All you need to do today is to go with the flow,
Trust your instincts,
Dream and have fun.
Just begin to wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes,
Blink your eyes,
Blink,
Blink,
Blink.
Have a stretch and a wiggle.
Big breath in,
Breathe out.
Move in whatever way you need to and return to your day,
Be it morning,
Evening or night.
