Lake Meditation

The Lake Meditation Meditation Posture So just beginning by settling in to your meditation posture Noticing those contact points where your body meets the surface that you're resting on And just allowing your body to be supported and held by the ground Maybe just scanning through your body,

Just noticing how you are beginning this meditation Noticing any areas of tension,

Tightness Noticing any areas of tension,

Tightness Noticing any areas of tension,

Tightness Noticing any areas of tension,

Tightness And as best you can,

Letting go of any judgements about how you should be feeling right now If you do notice any unpleasant sensations in the body Just allowing them to be there as best you can And also knowing that at any point during this meditation you can move if you need to If any discomfort arises So now taking a deep breath in,

All the way down into your belly Breathing out and just letting your body melt into the ground Letting go of any worries about the future or any thoughts about the past Just settling into the here and now,

Into this moment The only moment that really exists Taking another deep breath in,

All the way down your body All the way down into your feet And breathing back out And letting your body sink a little bit deeper into the ground And letting go a bit more as best you can And as you do this,

Making the clear intention to stay with this practice And giving each moment a quality of attention And each and every time your mind wanders off Just gently noticing it's happened and bringing yourself back to the guidance Or to your own experience of this meditation Remembering that you can always tune out my voice if you need to And now shifting your focus to your breath,

Your breathing Noticing where it's most vivid in your body So it might be in your nostrils,

Down at your belly,

Or maybe somewhere else So focusing on your nostrils,

Just feeling the cool air coming in and the warm air going out Or if you notice it down at your belly,

Just gently noticing it rising and falling as you breathe Really tuning in to the subtle nuances of your breath The short pause between your in-breath and your out-breath and your out-breath and your in-breath Noticing if your breathing feels alive or laboured,

Very prominent in your awareness Or very gentle in the background So just being with your breathing for a moment or two And knowing that each in-breath is a new beginning and each out-breath you can let go a bit more as well So now we're going to move on to the next meditation So we're going to start with the long breath So we're going to start with the long breath So we're going to start with the long breath And this is going to be the middle breath At this point let's stabilize等一下 So we can bring the qualities of a lake to our meditation practice.

Lakes like to gather in low places.

They like to find their own level.

They are held by the earth's surface.

And this low abiding gives them their humility,

Stillness,

Calmness,

Openness and flow that can move with whatever arises.

So now picturing a lake in your mind's eye.

Maybe it's a lake you know,

Or from a photo.

Or maybe it's an imaginary one.

Noticing how big your lake is,

How deep,

How wide.

Does it have a colour?

Is it clear or muddy?

Maybe there are plants and trees and rocks and mountains or hills surrounding your lake.

Noticing if there are streams or waterfalls flowing into your lake from the mountains.

So just continuing to picture your lake now.

Nervous?

He's looking,

Stop joking around!

Nervous?

Now bringing the image of your lake into your body,

Becoming the lake.

And if it feels unnatural to do this,

You can just continue to pitch the lake in your mind's eye if you prefer.

So becoming one with your lake.

And your lake is very still and calm.

You can see the sunlight sparkling over the surface of the water,

Shimmering.

And your lake is like a mirror,

Reflecting the plants,

Trees and rocks at the edges and the clear blue sky above.

And your lake just rests,

Held,

Supported as a deep pool of awareness and aliveness.

And as you breathe with your lake body,

Just letting go a bit more of anything that you might still be clinging onto,

From the past or future.

Just remaining with your lake body.

And now the wind begins to pick up.

And that shimmering mirror-like surface turns to ripples.

Storm clouds begin to gather.

And your lake gets a bit darker.

The wind gets stronger.

The water becomes choppier.

And small waves arise,

Crashing into the surrounding rocks and the plants on the edges.

But deep under the surface,

Your lake remains calm,

Peaceful and held by the earth.

And the life underneath the surface is unaffected by the storms above.

And just abiding in the depths of the lake,

As an observer of the storms above.

Abiding in calmness,

Peacefulness,

But not turning away from the unsettled surface above.

Embracing the entire experience.

And now the wind begins to pick up.

And now the wind dies down,

And rain begins to fall on your lake.

Droplets of water to leave ripples,

To move outwards and connect and reflect off each other.

And the rain begins to ease,

The clouds move on.

And the sun slowly goes down as the night comes.

And the light changes on your lake.

And the moon and stars appear,

Reflecting with a shimmering presence on its once again mirror-like surface.

And the trees and plants,

Rocks at the edges,

Create silhouettes that dance in the water with the gentle breeze.

And your lake constantly changes,

But remains alive and still underneath,

Grounded,

Receptive to all change.

Within the depths of your lake,

There is a deep awareness and understanding of all that happens on the surface.

And continuing to be in your lake body,

Resting,

In tune with its peaceful presence,

Stillness,

Aliveness and wakefulness.

Breathing with your lake,

Moment by moment.

Like a And now the moon and stars melt away into the hazy sky as dawn begins.

The surface of the lake is shrouded in a soft mist.

And the sun begins to rise and beams of golden light flood across your lake,

Lighting up even the darkest areas.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new beginning,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

The lake once again calm,

Still and reflective,

Abiding with all change.

So now continuing to rest and breathe with your lake body,

With openness,

Kindness to yourself and awareness as the sun continues to rise.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

And as the sun continues to rise,

It's a new dawn,

A new dawn,

As the lake comes to life.

Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music End this meditation.