So just begin by finding a comfortable seated position and close your eyes.
And if you don't feel comfortable closing your eyes,
Just gaze down at a nearby object on the floor,
Perhaps at your desk.
And just begin by taking a few deep breaths,
Slow and steady,
Just starting to quiet the mind.
Our minds work so hard for us.
This is an opportunity to relax for just a few moments.
So just give yourself full permission to be here.
As you continue to breathe gently.
And feel your spine tall,
As if you're a puppet on a string.
Feel your shoulders relax down away from your ears.
Feel your feet planted firmly on the floor.
Notice the chair beneath you,
Supporting you.
And bring your attention back to your breath,
Not to change it in any way,
Just to begin to notice what your breath feels like today.
Inviting you now to take a few more deep breaths.
And notice the air as it fills your abdomen.
And notice as you exhale,
How the air travels out of your nose gently.
And if you're not able to breathe through your nose,
Breathing through your mouth is just fine too.
Feeling your chest rise on the inhale.
And relax on the exhale.
Noticing the air and its coolness as you inhale.
And as you exhale,
Just noticing the air and its warmth.
Bringing awareness into your body.
We can go weeks without food.
And days without water.
But we can only go a few minutes without our breath.
So just bringing attention to it now.
I'd like you to draw attention to your mind.
Notice any thoughts that might be present there.
And imagine for a moment that the thoughts that you have on your mind,
It's as if they're on a movie screen in front of you.
So you're not so caught up in them,
But you're noticing them from a distance.
And as you're watching this movie of your thoughts,
I'd like you to bring to mind a challenge that you're currently facing.
And I'd like you to pick something relatively small.
Perhaps it's a challenge you have at work.
Something in one of your relationships.
Perhaps with your body or your health.
Just notice.
And see that challenge in front of you on the movie screen.
Just witnessing the challenge from a distance.
And as you're watching,
Notice if you have any feelings that are coming up around it.
Perhaps a bit of frustration or fear.
Perhaps sadness.
This is perfectly normal.
And just notice those feelings on the screen show up as well.
So you're not becoming them so much as just noticing them with compassion.
Bringing your attention now back to your breath.
And if your mind wanders,
Not a problem.
Just bring your attention gently back to the sensations of your breath.
As you notice those challenges there.
Gently and quietly.
And now I'd like you to imagine that you are in a beautiful forest.
Walking down a path on a warm,
Sunny spring day.
You hear the birds singing.
You feel a gentle warm breeze blowing on your face.
And as you walk down this path,
Weaving along,
You come to a clearing with a river nearby.
And as you're breathing in the fresh air,
See the gorgeous river,
You decide to have a seat there on the riverbank.
You can hear the fresh clean water flowing around you powerfully.
Perhaps after a nourishing rain.
And notice that river flowing beneath you.
As you breathe gently.
And as you look again at the river,
You notice some gray boulders poking out above the water.
And I want you to imagine that these boulders are the obstacles that you're facing in life.
They are completely normal.
And every single person has them.
So just notice them.
Taking a closer look.
Not to make them bad or wrong in any way.
Just quietly observing these boulders in the river.
Hearing the water rush past.
The gentle sound of a bird.
Noticing those boulders.
Perhaps some of them are large.
Some of them are small.
Some might be smooth.
And some might feel jagged.
However they show up for you,
Just notice them.
Notice how the river effortlessly flows around the boulders.
Enveloping them powerfully,
Yet gently.
The river doesn't push the boulders away.
Rather it allows them to be there.
So see this river like your life,
Flowing and moving forward.
The boulders,
Those obstacles are still there.
Yet the river,
Your life,
Can flow around them,
Allowing them to be there exactly as they are.
As you sit here quietly,
A gentle observer on the riverbank.
We may not be able to control what's happening around us,
But we can control our experience of it.
As you continue to breathe here on the riverbank.
Taking just a few more breaths like this on your own as you relax here on the sunny day,
Watching the river below.
This river of life flowing beautifully past you.
Enveloping the obstacles and fully allowing and accepting them to be there.
And if your mind starts to wander,
Not a problem,
That's what the mind does.
So just bring your attention back to your breath.
And noticing that beautiful river below.
Quietly,
Gently accepting the boulders and its path.
Now I'd like you to imagine for just a moment that some of these boulders,
These obstacles may have a gift for you.
Perhaps it's some new knowledge or a new skill.
Or perhaps it's a feeling of self compassion or gratitude for what's working well in your life.
Inhaling a sensation of accepting and allowing.
And exhaling,
Just relaxing into the peace of your true nature.
Continuing to breathe here on the riverbank.
Taking a few more deep breaths here on your own.
Now,
I'd like you to imagine that you're slowly getting up.
Thinking the river and yourself for this time.
As you turn around and gently walk back down the path from which you came.
With the sun shining and the birds singing that gentle warm breeze on your face.
And just begin now to wiggle your fingers and wiggle your toes,
Gently bringing awareness back into your body.
Taking deep breaths.
And just noticing how you feel.
And when you're ready,
You may open your eyes and return to the room.
