Gotta Dance

Here's a visual and musical treat.
No matter how many times I watch this, my toes start tapping and I find myself smiling.

Turn up your speakers and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYL3j27sSH8

Birdbath

When you look at this photo – what do you see first? The bird, its reflection, the frog, the water, the birdbath?

Now take a closer look. What else do you see? Notice the other more subtle things, the reflections of sky and trees on the water, and the ripples on the surface – as if the bird has just taken a drink or jumped out after taking a quick bath. What else do you see? Some tiny blossoms in the right corner or the photo, and others over on the left, the green of the surrounding garden, the twigs of plants that will soon have bright green leaves. It's so much more than a birdbath.

Settle in and listen – what do you hear? It's quiet and tranquil here, except for some birdsong. The sweet sound of the little sparrow, calling to other birds that it's safe to come over and enjoy the water. Nothing else here but a stone frog..... it's safe and peaceful.

The air is cool, refreshing and clean. It's as if it's been cleansed by a spring rain. Take a deep breath of that sweet smell, fill your lungs with that delicious scent of fresh, clean air.

You might even close your eyes now and notice that the scent becomes sweeter with your next breath in - and now you hear the sounds of other birds flying in – the quick flapping of their little wings, their cheeps and excited twitters as they happily join their friend at the birdbath. In a few moments, the birdbath is a busy place, and you hear their wings splashing in the water - and then just as quickly as they arrived, they scatter and gently settle into the surrounding trees.

And you've enjoyed a few moments of serenity.

Photo credit: T Hopkins

The Dock

Imagine that you are standing at a lake shore, looking out towards the calm water and this sturdy, solid dock. It's a gentle summer morning, and you've arrived at this place early enough in the day that you are the only person here. This is your personal dock. You smile and stretch. Ahhhhhh. What a beautiful place to be. The air is fresh and clean here. As you inhale, you notice that there's a touch of moisture in the morning air. It's so soft, so refreshing, you take another deep breath in.

This is a peaceful place. There's a gentle breeze and the only thing you hear is the water lapping against the shore, and some birdsong off in the distance. Take a moment and enjoy the quiet.

You take another deep breath in and begin to walk towards the end of the dock. You can see that the water is calm, with tiny waves moving along the surface of the water. You feel safe and continue to walk comfortably along this well-built dock. With each step you take, you hear the wood creak gently under your feet and you begin to feel even more relaxed.

After four or five strides you find yourself at the end of the dock. From here, you look down into the crystal clear, clean water. You can see all the way to the bottom of the lake and notice some big fish swimming lazily past, small fish darting around, plants waving with the current, rocks and sand lining the lake floor. You marvel at all of the things you can see under the surface of the lake.

You sit down comfortably on the edge of the dock and take your shoes off (if you're wearing any). Dangle your feet over the edge of the dock and notice the initial chill of the water against your toes and the soles of your feet. It's revitalizing, and after a little while, you find the temperature becomes perfect, so you relax and let your feet and ankles slip under the surface of the water. Ahhhh. That feels good. Your feet feel refreshed. You begin to kick your feet and splash water, seeing droplets fly through the air. Some land on your skin others end up on the dock and others return to the lake. This is fun! Your skin is tingling from the water, and you feel happy and rejuvenated. This is a place you can come back to whenever you want to recharge your batteries.

The Bee

Take a moment and look at this photo.

Imagine that it's summer time and you are sitting in a field of lavender, the sun is shining warmly, the temperature is perfect; perhaps there's even a slight breeze. It's ideal. The bee is so interested in the flowers and doing its job of collecting pollen that it doesn't even notice you. You can watch the bee comfortably and safely from where you are.

Notice the scent of the flowers – take a deep breath in and enjoy the calming scent of fresh lavender. You might see yourself reaching towards another lavender plant; touching the leaves and blossoms, and releasing the fragrance of the plant. Take another deep breath in of that calming scent. Now imagine reaching down and grasping some soil with your hands, feel the texture of it, hold it in your palms and notice that the sun has warmed it. Open your fingers wide and allow the soil to fall back to the ground. Notice how good it feels to be sitting on the earth seeing the flowers from this angle. Finally, take note of what you hear. The breeze might be bringing some faint sounds of laughter along with it, but it's so quiet here, so peaceful that you can hear the buzzing of the bee's wings. You can hear the bee's wings humming.

The bee is doing what bees do best.

Watch the bee as it zips from blossom to blossom. Notice its focus and attention to each flower. Then, when its collected all it can, see it fly off, as it returns to the hive and leaves you enjoying this quiet, fragrant, peaceful garden.

You've just given yourself a gift. You've taken a step towards learning how to relax, how to refocus your attention to something peaceful.