Begin this meditation by making yourself comfortable,
Either lying down or sitting comfortably and paying attention to the sensations of contact and support as you lie here or sit noticing where your body is making contact how your weight is distributed actually sensing your body,
Feeling your feet,
Legs,
Hips,
Lower and upper body arms,
Your shoulders,
And your head and when you're ready,
Bring awareness to your breath the physical sensations,
Feeling the breath as it comes in and goes out letting the breath be just as it is without trying to change it in any way flowing easily and naturally in its own rhythm and pace knowing that you are breathing perfectly well right now nothing for you to do allowing a sense of being complete,
Whole,
And in this very moment just letting your breath be your breath and as you rest here,
Let an image form in your mind's eye of a lake,
A body of water,
Large or small held by the earth itself letting this image gradually come into greater focus and if it doesn't come easily as a visual image,
It's alright to just allow the sense of this lake and feel its presence the lake you're invoking may be deep or shallow blue or green muddy or clear with no wind,
The surface will be flat,
Mirror-like reflecting the trees,
Rocks,
Sky and clouds wind may come and stir up the waves causing the reflections to distort and disappear then sunlight may sparkle in the ripples and dance on the waves in a play of shimmering diamonds when night comes,
It's the moon's turn to dance on the lake or when the surface is still,
To be reflected in it along with the outline of trees and shadows in winter,
The lake will freeze over yet be teeming with movement and life below as you rest,
You establish the image of the lake in your mind's eye and when you feel ready,
Bring it inside yourself so that you merge with the lake all your energies in this moment are held in awareness in the same way as the lake's waters are held by the reception of the earth itself breathing as the lake,
Feeling its body as your body allowing your mind and your heart to be open and receptive experience moments of complete stillness when both reflection and water are completely clear and other moments when the surface is disturbed,
Choppy,
Stirred up and the reflections and depths are lost for the moment and through it all as you lie here,
Simply observing notice your thoughts and feelings,
Impulses and reactions which come and go as ripples and waves,
Noticing their effects when you notice the effects of your thoughts and feelings do they disturb the surface and clarity of the mind's lake?
Do they muddy the waters?
Is that okay?
May it be possible to identify not only with the surface of your lake but with the entire body of water so that you become the stillness below the surface which is at most experienced as gentle ripples even when the surface is choppy and in the same way,
In your meditation practice and in your daily life can you be in touch not only with the changing content and intensity of your thoughts and feelings but also with the vast reservoir of awareness itself residing below the surface of your mind the lake can teach us this it reminds us of the lake within ourselves if you find this to be of value,
You may want to use it from time to time to deepen and enrich your meditation practice you might also invite this lake image to empower you and guide your actions in the world as you move through the unfolding of each day carrying this vast reservoir of mindfulness within your heart dwelling here in the stillness of this moment until signaled by the sound of the bells we can be the lake in silence now affirming our ability to hold an awareness and in its acceptance right now,
All our qualities of mind and body just as the lake sits held,
Cradled and contained by the earth reflecting sun,
Moon,
Stars,
Trees,
Clouds and sky birds and light,
Caressed by the air and the wind which brings out and highlights its sparkle its vitality,
Its potential,
Moment by moment so in the time that remains before the bells which will mark the end of this meditation continue to sustain the lake meditation on your own in silence,
Moment by moment being the lake with its own storms and moments of peace
