Welcome,
Prepare to relax and enjoy a visualization meditation to be as peaceful as a lake in any season.
This meditation is done in a lying or reclining position and begins by paying attention to the actual physical sensations of your breath.
Noticing the cool breath entering the nose and slightly warmer breath exhaling.
Following the path of the breath in and out of the body,
The chest rising and falling as you relax with the natural rhythm of your own breath.
Allowing it to flow easily and naturally without trying to change it in any way.
Nothing for you to do.
In a sense of being complete,
Whole in this very moment,
Just letting our breath be our breath.
As you rest here,
Bring to mind an image of a lake.
A body of water,
Large or small,
Held in a receptive basin by the earth itself.
Noting that water likes to pool in low places.
It seeks its own level,
Contained and safe.
Even if it doesn't come as a visual image,
Just allow the sense of the lake and feel its presence.
You can see the blue sky,
Clouds and surrounding trees reflected in the lake like a mirror.
The lake may be deep or shallow.
Blue or green,
Muddy or clear.
With no wind,
The surface will be flat.
Then wind may come and stir up waves,
Causing the reflections to distort and disappear.
But then sunlight can create sparkling,
Shiny ripples on the windy lake.
When night comes,
The moon is reflected.
In winter,
The water may freeze.
Yet below,
It is teeming still with activity and life.
As you rest here,
Establishing the image of the lake in your mind's eye,
Allowing yourself to bring it inside yourself completely,
So your being merges with the lake,
Becoming one with it.
Allow yourself to feel open and receptive,
Moment by moment,
To reflect what comes near or to be clear all the way to the bottom.
Experiencing moments of stillness.
Our lives are like the lake.
Sometimes it is still and calm.
And other times the surface can be choppy,
Disturbed by the weather,
Maybe some ducks stirred up and muddy,
Making it hard to see to the bottom.
During a violent storm,
We know we can retreat to the deepness of the lake below where all is calm.
And in the same way,
With your regular meditation practice and in daily life,
You can acknowledge the changing content and intensity of your thoughts and feelings.
Their temporary nature among the vast reservoir of awareness residing below the surface of your mind.
The lake can teach us this and remind us of the lake within ourselves.
If you find this to be of value,
You may use it from time to time to deepen and enrich your meditation practice.
Use the lake image to empower you through your day,
Helping you carry this reservoir of mindfulness as you become the lake with its own storms and moments of peace.
Allowing it all to come and go with awareness and acceptance.
Dwell here in the stillness of the lake as long as you like.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes and stretch,
Ready to handle anything that comes your way with responsibility and calm clarity.
