This is a guided meditation for patience and deep relaxation.
Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath and let go of any tension.
As you feel yourself sinking into the surface you're resting on,
Becoming still more comfortable and relaxed is all you need to do.
Take another slow,
Deep breath and release your thoughts.
Letting them drift far away and take another deep breath and know that in this moment,
All is well.
Imagine you're walking in a lovely valley meadow on a beautiful fall day.
The sun is warm on your back and puffy white clouds float by lazily overhead in the soft blue sky.
A little stream winds its way into the meadow from the hills nearby.
And as you approach the stream,
It's a gentle sounds begin to soothe and comfort you.
You can smell the sweet scent of the stream,
The grass and the wildflowers scattered here and there across the meadow.
You feel peaceful and at home here and find a comfortable place to sit by the stream and relax.
A little further upstream is a majestic oak tree in full fall colors.
It's leaves all shades of yellow,
Orange,
Red and brown.
Now and then a gentle breeze rustles the leaves and sends one drifting down to the water.
One by one,
The leaves float softly toward you on the current until you can make out their shape and color and then watch them float on their way downstream,
Far out of sight.
As you watch,
You feel no concern about how long it takes for each leaf to reach you.
No pressure over when it will finally pass out of sight.
The current carries each one at nature's pace and you're content to simply relax and watch.
As you continue to enjoy this lovely setting,
Take some time to reflect on the following question.
What demands do I place on myself and others that interfere with my ability to relax,
Enjoy the flow of life and be at peace?
Leaves continue to fall and drift by.
Now a yellow one,
Now a red and the stream continues to offer its music to accompany this play of nature.
All is calm.
Bring to mind a situation in your life where you might normally feel pressure or impatience.
How could you modify your attitude or behavior to come into greater harmony with this situation?
Use your imagination to observe yourself and adjust your response.
Watch as you allow things to unfold at their most natural pace without any attachment to the speed or result of the outcome.
If it's your job to participate in the process,
Imagine yourself doing so as simply and directly as possible from a peaceful and neutral state of mind.
Take some time to observe yourself as you soften your response and notice how the results of this change might feel in your body,
Mind and emotions.
Take a closer look down into the water in front of you.
If you concentrate on one spot for a while,
You'll begin to notice a few oblong shadows near the stream bed.
You've spotted some fish and now you can clearly see them facing upstream,
Holding in the current,
Now and then turning off to the side to feed up on something before they reach their destination.
These creatures were born here in the water and they live this way.
Their only job is to remain steady,
Wait for food to float by and catch it as it comes.
Think about something you do that requires you to wait,
Perhaps for other people to do something,
For circumstances to be ripe or for an inspired idea to occur.
Imagine that while waiting,
You're able to drop down into a peaceful state of rest and relaxation where you're perfectly comfortable to simply observe,
Reflect and allow life to unfold in its own timing.
Take some time to notice how this peaceful state of mind might affect you and feel it in your body,
Mind and emotions.
Look across the stream to the other side and you'll see a family of foxes making their way across the meadow,
Looking for dinner.
Softly and patiently they go,
Perhaps finding insects,
Mice or other food to enjoy.
And now and then they stop to play with each other or look around at the stream or the hills in the distance,
Taking everything in.
Now consider another situation in your life,
One that involves a certain level of intensity concentrated effort or hard work over an extended period.
Observe yourself and notice whether you tend to let tension mount to the point where you lose patience.
Visualize yourself doing something to break up the tension in that situation.
Whether that means taking short breaks,
Switching tasks,
Using humor,
Taking slow deep breaths or just relaxing into the work in some way.
Take some time to watch yourself making this adjustment and notice how it affects the way you feel.
Listen to the following affirmations and allow them to resonate deeply within.
Notice whether these affirmations bring up any resistance or discomfort.
And if that happens,
Simply breathe deeply and relax.
I make inner peace a top priority and arrange my life accordingly.
I accept and appreciate myself as I am and enjoy life at my own pace.
I accept others as they are and allow them to go at their own pace.
When others try my patience,
I relax,
Breathe and become peaceful.
When life tries my patience,
I relax,
Appreciate and let go.
I expect the unexpected and easily adjust to life as needed.
When tempted to rush,
I relax and deepen my experience of each moment.
Time is a gift to be enjoyed and I relax and enjoy the journey.
Soon we'll bring this journey to a close.
But first,
Invite a sphere of light to be placed all around you in this experience so that all the positive benefits will stay with you and anything that you've released can be left behind.
Take a moment to thank yourself for giving yourself this gift.
Now bring your awareness gently back to your physical surroundings.
Take your time and when you're ready,
Open your eyes and feel awake,
Alert and refreshed.
Until we meet again in stillness,
Find peace and be well and so it is.
