Then practice regularly.
The Leaves on a Stream meditation teaches you how to allow difficult thoughts or feelings to arise without reacting in a problematic way.
This is a reminder that just because you have thoughts does not mean you have to react or that you have to identify with those thoughts.
Before we begin our meditation,
Take a moment to reduce any distractions,
Silencing your phone,
Turning off alerts,
Or closing the door to the space you are in.
Feel free to journal your thoughts after your meditation,
So have pen and paper nearby.
Body temperature tends to drop during meditation,
So you may wish to have something to cover yourself so you remain comfortable.
Choose a comfortable position.
This may be seated in a chair or on the floor,
Lying down or standing.
Throughout the meditation,
Feel free to continue to move in a way that makes you feel comfortable as your body begins to slowly relax and settle.
There will be moments of silence throughout the meditation.
Please know I will guide you out of the meditation and back into waking awareness.
Let's get started.
If you are seated,
Sit with your spine and front body lengthened.
You may have your eyes open or closed.
Our breath will be in and out through the nose.
Do your best to keep your jaw,
Throat,
And tongue relaxed.
Allow your shoulders,
Upper back,
And arms to soften,
Resting your hands comfortably on your lap,
Palms up or down if you are seated.
If you are lying down,
You may have your arms a comfortable distance from your body with the palms facing upward.
Now begin to visualize yourself sitting beside a gently flowing stream with leaves floating along the surface of the water for the next few minutes.
Take each thought that enters your mind and place it on a leaf,
Then allow it to float by.
Do this with each thought,
Whether joyful,
Painful,
Or neutral.
Place them on a leaf and let them float by.
If your thoughts momentarily stop,
Continue to watch the stream.
Sooner or later,
Your thoughts will start up again.
Allow the stream to flow at its own pace.
Don't try to speed it up and rush your thoughts along.
You are not trying to rush the leaves along or get rid of your thoughts.
Allow them to come and go at their own pace.
If your mind tells you that this is dumb,
Or maybe I'm bored,
Or you question I'm not doing this right,
Place those thoughts on leaves too,
And allow them to float by.
If a leaf gets stuck,
Allow it to hang around until it's ready to float by.
And if the thought comes up again,
Simply watch it float by another time.
If a difficult or painful feeling arises,
Simply acknowledge it.
You may say to yourself,
I notice myself having a feeling of impatience,
Anger,
Sadness,
Frustration.
Place those thoughts on leaves and allow them to float along.
From time to time,
Your thoughts may hook you and distract you from being fully present with this exercise.
This is normal.
As soon as you realize you've become sidetracked,
Gently bring your attention back to this visualization.
As you begin to prepare your transition out of meditation and into the next activity of the day,
Remember this connection to yourself and the way you want to show up for yourself and others.
Make your transition gradual and intentional.
Feel the support of the surface beneath you.
Gently stretch or wiggle your fingers and toes.
Tenderly blink your eyes open and close a few times.
Take in the colors,
Shades,
And movements of the space around you,
Even as you transition out of meditation.
Be gentle and gradual with yourself as you transition out of a deeply meditative,
Relaxed state and enter into waking awareness.
Until next time,
Sending you love and light.
Namaste.
