Welcome.
This is a meditation with Coach Tan.
Today's meditation will help us with hard decisions.
And we will walk through the story of the path between rivers.
But first,
Let's take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale out through your nose.
Now slowly through your mouth.
Let's begin by arriving here,
Wherever here is for you.
Feel your body settle.
Feel the chair or the floor supporting you.
Feel your body.
Release your shoulders,
Drop just a little lower.
Let your jaw unclench and take another slow and steady breath.
Let's inhale and count.
And let's exhale.
You are here.
You have made it here.
And that is enough.
Today we are meditating on hard decisions.
The crossroads,
The moments in life that pull at both the heart and the mind.
Moments when no option feels perfect.
When clarity hides behind fog.
And when all you can do is take one honest step forward.
As you breathe,
Bring to mind a decision you're facing or one you've faced in the past.
Something that still tugs at you,
Your heart,
Even quietly.
You don't need to solve it right now.
Just hold it gently in your awareness as though it's a small stone resting in your palm.
Now the story,
The two rivers.
There was an old story from the Pacific Northwest about a young woman who lived in a village between two rivers.
One river flowed fast and clear,
Cold,
Bright,
And dangerous.
The other ran slow and warm,
Winding,
Safe,
But often muddy.
When she reached the age where she needed to choose her path in life,
The elders told her,
You may follow one river,
But not both.
Each will lead you somewhere different.
The fast river brings growth through challenge.
The slow river brings comfort,
But little change.
The woman didn't know what to do.
She asked the cedar trees for advice,
But they only whispered.
She asked the salmon as they swam upstream,
But they kept swimming.
She even asked the wind,
And it laughed gently and said,
Only you can feel which current your sprint can handle.
For days,
She stood between the rivers,
Afraid to choose.
And each morning,
The sun rose on her indecision.
Each night,
The moon watched her wrestle with her fear.
Now take a deep breath in and exhale without any pressure to know the right answer right now.
Imagine yourself standing with her between those two rivers.
The air is cool.
The sound of rushing water is all around you.
To your left,
The wild,
The bright,
The roaring water that promises growth through challenge.
To your right,
The calm and gentle river that promises peace,
But little change.
Feel what it's like to stand there,
Knowing that choosing one means letting go of the other.
Notice the tension in your chest,
The pull of wanting both,
The fear of losing something no matter what you choose.
Now breathe into that.
That is what real decision-making feels like.
It is not a clean,
Straight line,
But a river that bends where truth meets courage.
The story says the young woman stayed there for three days,
And on the third morning,
She noticed something new.
The sky was mirrored in both rivers.
The same sunlight,
The same reflection,
Just two different paths of the same light.
She realized the choice wasn't about which river was right,
But which one wouldn't help her grow into herself.
Which one would help her grow into herself?
With a deep breath,
She stepped into the fast,
Cold river.
It shocked her body at first,
And it was harder than she expected.
But as she swam,
She found her rhythm.
The current,
Though strong,
Began to carry her forward.
She whispered,
I can't control the river,
But I can control how I move with it.
Now breathe that in.
You don't need to have every answer.
You just need to choose the next honest step.
Sometimes the right choice isn't the easiest one.
Sometimes it's the one that wakes something powerful in you,
Even if it's uncomfortable.
And sometimes the wrong choice will still teach you exactly what you needed to learn.
You are stronger than the moment you fear.
Come back now slowly.
Bring your attention to your body.
Feel the ground beneath you,
The weight of your hands resting gently,
Your breathing steady and calm.
You stood between two rivers many times in your life,
And every single time,
You found your way.
Even when it didn't feel like you did,
You learned,
You adapted,
You grew,
And you will again.
Now take a deep breath in and exhale it slowly.
Say quietly to yourself,
I trust my next step.
Again,
Let's say it.
I trust my next step.
The young woman eventually built her home along the fast river.
She faced some storms and some floods,
But she also found beauty and strength she never knew she had.
And sometimes when she needed rest,
She would walk back to the calm river,
Not to choose it,
But to thank it for reminding her that peace is always an option.
Every choice we make shapes us,
But the courage to choose at all,
That's what defines us.
So when you find yourself standing between your own rivers,
Pause,
Breathe,
And remember,
You already know how to swim.
Take one more deep breath in and slow breath out.
You are grounded,
You are capable,
And you are ready.
Thank you for listening today.
Namaste.
