Flowing With Change

Change is an inevitable part of life. Sometimes we embrace it, other times we fear it. This practice is for those seeking inner guidance. Using visualization, we embark on a journey along the river of change. May this track bring you wisdom, knowledge, and ease.

Transcript

Hello friends and welcome.

If you're here you may be in the midst of change.

Maybe it was self-initiated or externally driven.

Change may bring joy and it can bring grief.

The stages of change range from pre-contemplation,

Contemplation,

Preparation,

Action,

And maintenance.

There is no right or wrong in how we navigate change.

This visualization practice was used previously in a live Insight Timer talk.

Make this practice yours.

If you don't like rivers,

Stay on the path.

If you don't like being in water,

It's okay.

Find something that works for you.

If my words bring unease,

Alter them with words that bring ease.

This is your time.

This is your practice.

Let this be yours.

Let's prepare and find our seat.

You can be laying down,

Standing up.

If you're sitting,

Notice your seat.

Notice your sit bones and start to notice your spine and see if you can make yourself a little bit taller,

The spine a little bit straighter,

And then relax down from the shoulders to the belly,

Into the hips,

Settling the pelvis into the seat,

Feeling the feet on the floor or wherever they may be,

And starting to take a breath in and take a breath out.

And as you take that breath in,

Bring the breath all the way down into the belly,

Soften the belly,

And exhale it all the way out.

And take another breath in,

All the way down into the belly,

And exhale it out.

And begin to bring to mind a change,

A life circumstance,

A situation,

Something related to change,

And notice the sensations in your body.

Maybe there's tension,

Maybe there's anxiety,

Resistance,

Procrastination,

Just noticing.

And take a breath in and exhale it out,

Soften the belly.

And imagine yourself in a room,

A dark room.

Maybe it's cool,

Maybe it's warm.

And just notice the sensations in the body,

Your thoughts,

Maybe the emotions,

Maybe you feel a little restless.

It's okay.

And as you're in this room,

You notice a bright,

Colorful light.

It's coming from underneath a door,

And you walk towards the door,

And you open the door.

And when you open the door,

It opens to this most beautiful place with trees and fresh air comes towards you.

And you notice a path.

So you start to walk this path,

And maybe the path is dirt,

Gravel,

Or grass.

And as you step on the path,

With each step you feel the sensation of what's underneath you.

As your legs move,

And as your feet touch the ground,

Notice the sensation of walking.

And as you're walking this path,

You come to a river.

This is the river of change.

Notice the river.

This is the change that's happening before you and with you.

Is the river fast or slow?

Is it high or low?

You look to your left,

And you see a vessel next to the river.

And that vessel could be a raft,

A boat,

A canoe,

Your choice.

You walk towards it,

And with a slight push,

It goes into the water,

And you step in.

And if being in a vessel on the water is not for you,

Then go ahead and continue on the path next to the river.

Notice the sensations of being in the vessel on the river.

This river of change that's happening with you,

To you,

Around you.

Maybe this life change,

This momentary change,

Relationship change,

Feels as if you're being tossed and turned.

Maybe it's soothing and rhythmic.

What does this change feel like in your life?

And I want you to think about what would this change feel like if the river was working in your favor?

If this river of change was going to bring ease,

How would this river feel?

Would it be soft and flowing?

Would it be fast?

And just feel the river,

And feel this river of change carrying you forward.

Breathing in,

And breathing out.

We breathe in.

This river of change works in my favor.

We breathe out.

This river of change works in my favor.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Feeling this river carrying us forward.

Noticing as we're being carried forward,

What's passing by?

Are there feelings of angst,

Fear,

Stagnation?

Is there turmoil,

Agitation,

Avoidance?

See it all getting left behind.

This is the river of change taking you forward.

It's constant and flowing.

Breathing in,

And breathing out.

Up ahead there's a corner,

A bend in the river.

You can't see around the bend.

This is the unknowing part of change.

We may never know what's ahead.

And as the bend gets closer,

Maybe you notice some sensations regarding the unknown.

Apprehension,

Fear,

Avoidance.

It's okay.

Let the water,

Let the river carry you.

Breathing in,

And breathing out.

As you come around the bend,

You see the most beautiful sunrise.

This is the beauty of change shining down on you.

Let the sunlight warm your skin.

Let the breath breathe in warmth,

And breathe out warmth.

Breathing in the sunlight,

And being the sunlight of change.

Let the sun and its warmth move from the crown of your head down to your toes.

Feel the sun moving down your back,

Down the spine.

This warmth down into the hips,

The pelvis,

All the way down to the feet.

Feel the warmth of the sun behind you,

Pushing you forward.

The river is carrying you,

And the sun is supporting you.

This beautiful change.

Let the river carry you,

And the beauty of change warm you.

Breathing in,

And breathing out.

Breathing in,

Softening,

And exhaling,

Releasing.

Next we come to a fork in the river.

Maybe you can steer steer your vessel toward one side,

The left or the right.

Maybe not.

The river carries you to one side of the fork,

The right side or the left side.

And as it carries you towards that side,

This is the fork of universal knowing.

And no matter where you go,

The river of change will carry you,

Support you,

And move you forward.

Take a moment to feel that knowing within you.

Where do you feel your knowing?

Maybe it's in your heart,

Your stomach,

Your mind.

This place of knowing from within,

Your internal guidance.

And as we navigate this fork in our path,

On this river of change,

We breathe in,

And we breathe out.

We breathe in,

And we breathe out.

Feeling the river underneath us,

The sun supporting us,

And that internal knowledge,

That knowing that's guiding us,

This universal guidance.

As we're moving along this river,

The river of change,

It comes to an area in the river where the water is low.

And over to the side of the river,

There are three people.

Your vessel gets closer,

And you recognize them.

They're your past self,

Your current self,

And your future self.

The vessel comes to a stop beside them.

You get out of the vessel and walk towards them.

Walking up to your younger self,

With the change you're experiencing,

Ask your younger self,

What do you need to navigate this change right now?

And allow your younger self to answer that.

And then see yourself giving what your younger self asked for.

If it was acceptance,

If it was love,

Flowers,

A hug,

See yourself giving your younger self what they need to navigate this change.

Next,

We stand in front of our current self,

And we ask our current self,

What is it that you want to know about this change?

And ask yourself,

What is it that you want to know about this change?

Acknowledging the answer,

And looking yourself in the eye,

And nodding,

And gratitude.

And moving on to your future self,

And saying to future self,

You've seen my past,

You know my present,

And you have the wisdom of my future.

What is it that you want to tell me?

Dearest future self,

You see my past,

My present,

And my future.

You have wisdom.

What do you want to tell me?

And looking your future self in the eye,

Nodding,

Acknowledging,

Appreciating.

Take a step back,

And thank all the parts of yourself.

Maybe you take a bow to them,

Maybe you hug them.

All the wisdom,

Knowledge,

And information they gave you.

Place this wisdom,

Knowledge,

And information in your pocket,

Or your backpack,

And take it with you.

Thanking them,

Appreciating them.

And come back to the vessel next to the river,

This river of change.

Place all your fears,

Angst,

Worries,

Agitation,

Whatever is internal that you no longer need,

Place it into the vessel.

And push this vessel into the river.

Let the river take what no longer works for you.

It knows what to do.

And watch this vessel with what no longer works for you,

Go down this river of change,

And let it go.

And take a few breaths.

We breathe in,

And we breathe out.

Maybe we breathe in gratitude,

And we breathe out ease.

Whatever works for you,

Breathe in,

And breathe out.

And turn away from the river,

And walk back towards the path.

And on that path,

You'll find a seat.

Maybe it's a log,

A tree trunk,

Or a rock.

And take a seat on that log,

Tree trunk,

Or rock.

Looking at this river of change,

Give thanks for it carrying us.

Appreciate the sun for nourishing us,

And the universe for the guide that it is.

And lastly,

Appreciation towards self and all the parts of you.

We need all those parts of ourselves to sustain and thrive through change.

Breathing in,

And breathing out.

Just noticing any sensations,

Thoughts,

And starting to bring your attention back to your body,

Back to the room.

Awareness of the floor of the room,

The ceiling,

The walls,

And your chair or seat within the room.

Starting to move the fingers and the toes.

Opening your eyes,

And looking around the colors,

The items,

Bringing awareness and perception and knowledge.

Dearest friends,

It's my hope that this has been beneficial.

Each time you take this trip on the river of change,

There will be different answers.

You may return anytime.

Feed the parts of you that need to be fed.

Ask for what you want,

And listen to your inner wisdom.

Loka Samastha Sukhano Bhavantu.

May all beings be free,

And may our thoughts,

Words,

And actions contribute to the freedom and happiness of all beings.

Many blessings,

Friends.

Sending love and light.

Until next time.