This is the Leaves on the Stream meditation.
The purpose of this exercise is to notice the shift from looking from your thoughts to looking at your thoughts.
And as you're looking at your thoughts to notice that you don't need to control or change those thoughts in any way.
Those thoughts will just come and go naturally without any need to control or stop those thoughts.
So I'd like you to get as comfortable as you can.
Hopefully with both feet on the ground.
Perhaps sitting comfortably in a chair.
And just allowing your eyes to close.
Then as you settle into the chair,
I'd like you to take three deep breaths.
And with each inhale,
Notice how the air feels a little bit cooler.
Maybe cleaner as it goes in.
And with each exhale,
Maybe the air is a little warm.
Maybe it's filled with a little more tension that you're able to breathe out.
And now I'd like you to turn your attention to your body as it is just sitting in the chair.
Notice where your body is touching the chair.
Some places more lightly.
Some places more fully.
Notice that it doesn't take any effort at all just to be where you are right now.
And now I'd like you to picture in your mind's eye,
As best you can,
A beautiful field.
Noticing that it's a warm,
Sunny day.
Maybe you can feel the sun upon your skin.
And maybe you can feel a little breeze in the air.
A little bit of coolness in the air.
And as you look across this field,
At the far distant end you see a tree.
And so you start walking towards that tree.
And with each step you become more and more present with where you are.
And finally you start to approach that big green tree.
And you go over to it.
And you have a seat there.
And you look down and there's a stream.
And the water flows gently over rocks,
Around roots,
Descending downhill.
And every once in a while a big leaf drops from the tree down into the stream and floats away down the river.
Can you picture yourself sitting there beside that stream on that warm,
Sunny day,
Just watching the leaves float by?
Now I'd like you to become conscious of your thoughts.
Each time a thought pops into your head,
I'd like you to imagine it's printed on one of those leaves.
And if you think in words,
Then the words are on the leaf.
And if you think in images,
Then put the images on the leaf.
The goal here is to simply stay beside the stream and allow the leaves to keep flowing by.
And without trying to make the stream go faster or slower,
Not trying to change what you find on the leaves or in the stream.
So every time you have a thought that goes on a leaf,
Maybe you have a thought,
This is really relaxing and that indeed goes on a leaf.
Maybe you have a thought,
I don't know if I'm doing this right.
And indeed that thought goes on a leaf.
When your mind wanders and you notice that you stop having thoughts,
Just notice that.
And try to bring yourself back and put that thought on a leaf as well.
Continue this process of watching your thoughts go by on leaves on the stream in front of you.
Gently noticing when your mind wanders and bringing it back once again.
Notice that it doesn't take any effort at all.
Without any struggle your thoughts will come and then they will go.
Notice what it is like to watch your thoughts from this more detached place.
Notice what it's like to look at your thoughts rather than from your thoughts.
I'd like you to see maybe the last few leaves as they come down the stream.
Put your final thoughts on those leaves.
And then I'd like you to bring your awareness back to your body.
Having a sense of what it feels like to be sitting there on the bank of the stream.
You stand up feeling more present and grounded.
And you start to walk back across the field.
Back to where you started from.
Now bringing your attention back to your breath.
Taking a couple of deep breaths.
And without opening your eyes just bringing your awareness back to where your body is now sitting in the chair.
Picturing in your mind's eye what the space around you will look like when you do open your eyes.
And then when you're ready I'd like you to open your eyes with the intention to carry this feeling of being more present and grounded through the rest of your day.
Now bring your awareness back to where you started from.
Bell bag
