So finding your way into as comfortable a

position as possible for this meditation.

And then allowing your

eyes to gently close.

And as a way of arriving and settling

here a little more fully, just taking

three deep, slow, full breaths now.

So breathing in.

Breathing out.

And then taking two more

breaths in the same way.

And with each exhale, can you get a

sense of really relaxing here into the

present moment a little more fully?

Arriving right here and letting

everything else go for a while.

And after the next exhale, just letting

go of any control of the breath.

And bringing to mind a picture of

yourself sitting on the banks of a stream.

And you're sitting in a grassy,

comfortable place, just watching

a stream flowing by you.

And there's trees all around you

and the leaves fall gently from the

trees and land in the stream, and

then float gently by you one by one.

So when you notice a thought arise

in your mind, picture it landing

on a leaf on this stream and

then watching it gently float by.

Just trying that practice.

So there's no need to control your

thoughts in any way or push them away.

Just let any thoughts come and go

freely and just witnessing the thoughts

with a curiosity and acceptance.

You know, the mind is a thought generating

machine, so we're learning to observe

these mental events that it produces and

just watching them arise and float by.

And you might find yourself

thinking I don't have any thoughts.

Well, that's a thought.

So picture it as a leaf and watching it

float by on, like a leaf on a stream.

And every now and then you might find

you're no longer watching from the banks

of the river, but actually you've become

caught up in the current of thinking.

No problem.

As soon as you notice that, just note

the thought that pulled you in and then

coming back to sit on the banks of the

river and beginning again to observe

thoughts, like leaves on a stream.

And as this practice now draws to a

close, just taking a deep breath in.

And as you breathe out, gently

wiggling fingers and toes.

And take a moment to notice how you feel

after taking some time out for meditation.

And when you're ready,

you can open the eyes.

So don't worry if you found yourself

a little caught up in the stream.

In time, with a little more practice,

you'll naturally cultivate more

presence and inner calm and stay

grounded on the banks of awareness.