Find a comfortable position and close your eyes or soften your gaze.
This practice helps you to find some space around your thoughts.
Notice that your mind never stops creating thoughts.
They may appear as words,
Images,
Memories,
Lists of things to do,
Beliefs,
Worries,
To mention but a few.
Imagine that you are sitting by the side of a gently flowing stream and there are leaves flowing past on the surface of the water.
Imagine it however you want to.
For the next few minutes,
Take every thought that pops into your head,
Place it on a leaf and let it float by.
Do this for any thought,
Whether it's positive or negative,
Pleasurable or painful,
Even really lovely thoughts,
Just place them on a leaf and let them go.
If your thoughts stop,
Just watch the stream.
They will start up again shortly.
Allow the leaves to float by at their own rate.
Don't speed them up or slow them down.
You're not trying to push the leaves away,
Just allowing them to come and go in their own time.
If your mind says things like,
This is ridiculous,
Or what a waste of time,
Or I can't do this,
Place those thoughts on a leaf.
If a leaf gets stuck,
Let it hang around.
Don't force it to float away.
If a feeling arises like boredom,
Just acknowledge it and say to yourself,
Here is a feeling of boredom,
And then place those words on a leaf and let the leaf float on by.
Now and then your thoughts will pull you in and you'll lose track of the exercise.
That's fine.
It's to be expected.
It's normal and natural and it will keep happening.
Whenever you notice that you have drifted off into your thoughts,
Just notice where you have been and come back to placing your thoughts on the leaves.
Again and again your thoughts will hook you.
Just acknowledge what has happened and come back to the leaves on the stream.
Now whenever you are ready,
Bring your awareness back into the room and open your eyes.
End of exercise.
