Okay welcome.
Today we'll be doing a visualization exercise called the waterfall.
All you'll need to do is follow my instructions and visualize or imagine in the mind's eye a beautiful waterfall.
Don't worry about the strength of the visual image that you create in the mind,
Just try and accept that whatever comes up is the right thing for you in this particular session.
Okay let's begin.
So making sure that you're sat comfortably,
Either on a seat or a cushion on the floor perhaps.
Closing your eyes.
Beginning by checking in with the state of the mind,
Just getting a sense of how the mind feels in this moment.
Not trying to judge or push away,
Just accepting this is how the mind feels right now and that's perfectly fine for the purposes of today.
Taking a brief moment to feel grounded,
So feeling the points of connection between your legs and the chair or your feet and the floor.
Really connecting to a sense of being supported by the ground beneath you.
Letting go of the focus on grounding.
Instead move towards creating a visual image of a beautiful waterfall.
This could be a waterfall that you've seen in person before or on the tv or it can just be an imaginary one you're making up right now.
Just trying to imagine it in as much detail as possible.
Getting a sense of its power,
Its height.
Perhaps it's carving through a valley.
Maybe there's mist emanating from the bottom of the waterfall.
It could be large cliff sides on either side of it.
Whatever works for you.
As you keep this image of this majestic waterfall in the mind's eye,
I'm going to ask you to place yourself at the very center of this visual scene.
So imagining that your body is where the waterfall currently lies.
So you can imagine your head and shoulders being at the top of the waterfall.
Where your torso is,
You can imagine the sheer volume and power of the water rushing down through the torso and body.
And then you can imagine your feet or legs being at the very bottom or base of the waterfall.
Getting a sense of being the waterfall.
Trying to imagine the water rushing all the way from the top to the bottom of your body in this scene.
Maintaining a sense of being the waterfall,
We can imagine that it's summertime.
So surrounding the waterfall,
It's sunny with clear skies.
Trees are green and the landscape surrounding the waterfall seems vibrant and alive.
And amidst this backdrop,
The waterfall continues to flow.
Autumn comes around.
If there are any trees surrounding the waterfall,
Their leaves are starting to go orange or yellow and some are starting to fall off the trees.
It's getting colder and the sky is gray.
Despite the changing seasons,
The waterfall continues to flow.
And we move into winter.
Perhaps it's snowy surrounding the waterfall.
The water is icy cold.
The sky is gray and the landscape seems barren.
But still,
The waterfall continues to flow.
And finally,
Spring comes around and the waterfall flows even more strongly as the snow melts further up the mountain.
So the water is rushing and flowing freely.
As the birds are singing,
Flowers start to come out and there's a sense of vibrancy in nature.
Despite the changing seasons,
The waterfall continues to flow,
Unmoved by the changing surroundings.
This waterfall metaphor can be useful to think about our meditation practice.
Even though life will have its ups and downs and there will be challenges and difficulties as we face the changing seasons of our lives,
We can still tune into this sense of flow.
This sense that even though life is defined by constant change in some ways,
We can touch into this feeling of peace and a sense that we can keep moving forward,
Keep flowing,
Even as we face the changing seasons and challenges of our lives.
Now just allowing the visual image of the waterfall to gradually fade into the distance as you start to reacquaint yourself with the room that you're in,
Noticing any sounds that surround you.
Checking in with your mind,
Just seeing how it feels now compared to earlier,
Not judging it if it feels different or the same.
And then when you feel ready to,
Opening your eyes,
Congratulating yourself for practicing,
And I wish you a fabulous day.
