Leaves On A Stream

This is a guided meditation integrating our senses as we walk through the leaves on a stream guide. This is designed to let go of sadness, anxiety, troubles, worries, stressors and so on. You will take a walk through a meadow, landing at a stream where you will let things go.

Transcript

Welcome to meditation. Begin finding yourself a comfortable position. Allow yourself to settle in, Nestle in, And remember throughout this meditation if your mind wonders it's normal, It's natural, Just bring it back without criticism or judgment. Just re-anchor in to my voice. Make any adjustments that you need to in your seated or lying position, Maybe even if it makes you 5% more comfortable. Try to make that adjustment now as we attempt to refrain from movement through the meditation. Welcome to Leaves on a Stream. We're going to be very imaginative in our meditation today, But let's begin by bringing presence to self with our eyes already closed. Begin noticing any sensation in your body. Notice if any sensations come up. Release any tension from any area of the body and then turn to focusing on the breath as we anchor inward. Focus on the breath. Follow it from beginning to end. One of the easiest things we can do, But also quite difficult. Do your best. Follow your breath. Follow your breath from beginning to end. We're going to go on a journey today. We're going to go on a beautiful walk that is going to incorporate Leaves on a Stream. To let go, To let go of burdens that we may be harboring. So we're going to begin by picturing ourselves in a beautiful meadow. Imagine yourself standing in this beautiful meadow and pause right there. Look around. Take it all in. Imagine the tall grass, The colors, The trees. Look up and see the sky. Blue, Maybe some clouds passing by. Maybe you hear birds, A slight wind. Before we begin our walk, We take a moment just to absorb gratitude. Absorb gratitude for ourself and everything around us. And then we begin our journey. We feel ourselves walking through the meadow, One step at a time. Our hands are grazing through the tall grass. It feels so soft on our hands. The sun is shining in a soft, Easy, Comforting way. There's a gentle breeze. We are feeling so calm and so peaceful. And so very attuned to the beauty around us as we are walking step by step. And then we come to a break in our meadow and the grass gets shorter. It's still so soft, So green. And we walk to the edge of a small creek. Take a moment and build this picture in your mind. This creek, This babbling brook, If you will. It's got that long kind of turned over soft grass all around it. The water is crystal clear. It's running over beautiful, Rounded rocks. Maybe there are rocks of all different colors. Maybe there are more neutral colors. Picture yourself sitting down right next to this creek, Taking in the scenery. Again, Feeling the sun in a gentle way. Hearing the birds. Seeing all the beauty that is offered to us in this world. And you notice some leaves streaming down. And you recognize, You realize, That this is my moment to take these things that are bothering me, That I'm harboring, To take them and set them gently on a leaf and watch it float away. I want you to identify a worry, A stressor, Problem, Whatever it might be. And I want you to imagine yourself placing it in your hand. You can see it right in front of you. So that way you can take a moment to acknowledge it, To take a look at it, Whatever worry or stress this is. Maybe it's sadness, Anxiety, Maybe it's a particular problem in your life. But you take a minute and you place it on your hand again to acknowledge it, To look at it, And to find that affirmation within yourself that I can take a moment to acknowledge it and to look at it. And I can sit with that. And then we're gonna let it go. We're going to place that worry right on a leaf. That worry is sitting right on that leaf. And we're gonna watch it gently float away down the stream. You're gonna watch that worry get smaller and smaller as you feel lighter and lighter. You're welcome to pause this at any time and repeat it with as many things as you need to. But let's take a moment and identify another source of stress, Worry, Problem, Whatever it might be. And again, Imagine it being placed right in your hand where you can acknowledge it, You can put a label on it, You can say to yourself, I have the confidence to hold this and look at it for a moment and investigate it. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Where do I feel it in my body? And then you take that problem and you set it on another leaf that's getting ready to pass by. And you watch it float away. You watch it get smaller and smaller as you feel lighter, Relieved, Calm, Happy. And you take in a nice, Slow, Elongated breath in through the nose, Out through the mouth. Take a minute and deeply observe how you feel right now. Take in the scenery, Hold it in your heart for a moment, And know that you can come back here at any time you need to. Knowing that, You're able to stand up, Take one last look around, And begin walking your journey back as you move into the meadow in the tall grass, Taking a step at a time, Feeling the soft, Tall grass grazing along your fingertips. And you feel so light, So relieved, So peaceful and calm. And you pause for a moment in the meadow just to soak that in one last time in this experience, Just to feel it once more. And to reassure yourself, Again, You can always come back here. Let's breathe in the gratitude of this exercise, Out the problems. Breathe in the exercise, Out the problems. Once more, Breathe in the gratitude, And out the other stuff. Very good, Very good. Begin waking yourself back to the room, Becoming present again, Moving fingers and toes, Rolling wrists and ankles, Slowly batting the eyes open. Thank you so much for being here and listening.