in the middle of the guided imagery, she says the words, “like a lake with no ripples.” even now – really, anytime – i can hear the rise and fall of her voice, the rhythm of these words, the feeling of them as they fall upon my mind’s eye.
guided imagery is a form of meditation that seems to work better for me than silent meditation – which is a field day for my mind to wander. i know i need more practice, for i do not have a quiet mind. instead, i am list-making, worrying, fretting over details. guided imagery takes me on specific paths and i try to steer away from distraction accordingly.
in these times we have found that – at the end of our daily exercise regimen – listening to an evocative piece of music helps us. the cinematic painting the music creates flushes out some of the other stuff – the stuff that’s nagging us. following the music we turn on the guided imagery. i mean, eighteen minutes on a yoga mat just laying and listening is not to be underestimated.
if i have any trouble with the “like a lake with no ripples” my mind conjures up our lake – on days like this.
glassy-like – ever so gently – i hold this tenderly – the sky low on the horizon the color of mango sorbet, the aquamarine and navy blue water seemingly waiting for the slightest pin-drop, the tiniest movement, with the softest waves rolling into the shoreline.
my sweet momma and poppo – in their last years together – lived on a little lake. they would sit for hours and watch the lake, the waterfowl, rain on the surface, any rippling result of wind passing over the body of water.
neither of them did any sort of meditation. but this was – indeed – their form of seeking peace, seeking quieted minds. i have no doubt that their little lake was a panacea for them in many ways…for contemplation, musing, reflection. though mindfulness may not have been an active or conscious pursuit, they – unknowingly – pursued it nonetheless.
with everything that is happening around us these days – in these times, in our life, in this country, in this world – we find we must proactively and intentionally set about finding ways to quiet our minds and bodies.
i am still working at it, but – i must say – finding my way to that place of mind-body balance feels like one of the most important things. it’s called a practice for a reason, i suppose. there is always a place to reach for that stills the wandering of your mind and brings focus back to your breath.
there is always a place where my mind might reflect this beautiful lake with no ripples and where my body might breathe as gently as the waves that lap on this shoreline.
*****
download music from my little corner of iTUNES
read DAVID’s thoughts this K.S. FRIDAY
like. subscribe. share. support. comment. – thank you. xoxo
