Let Go of the Day: A Gentle Forest Stream Meditation

The average person has about sixty thousand thoughts in a single day. In our last time together, we released the day by scanning the body for tension. Tonight, we’ll find a different path to that same quiet, allowing those thoughts to simply drift away. So find a position that feels comfortable for you.

In your bed, ready for rest. Allowing the eyes to gently close whenever you feel ready. And just begin to notice your breath. No need to change it. Simply feeling the air as it enters… and as it leaves. Now, I invite you to imagine a quiet forest path. You can see the soft, dappled sunlight filtering through a canopy of green leaves above.

You can feel the cool, clean air on your skin. The ground beneath your feet is soft with moss and fallen leaves. It’s peaceful here. And as you walk, you hear the gentle sound of a small, clear stream nearby. You follow the sound and find the stream, watching the water as it flows effortlessly onward.

Find a comfortable place to sit by the water's edge. Notice a leaf floating by. Now, bring to mind one thought from your day. Something you no longer need to carry. And gently place that thought onto a leaf, and let it go. Watch as the stream carries it away… slowly… until it is out of sight. You can stay here as long as you like.

Placing any thought that arises onto a leaf… and just… letting it float away. Releasing the day. There is nothing else to do. Nowhere else to be. Just this quiet place. And the gentle sound of the water. Ready for rest.