Okay, it’s time for another exercise! Come, let’s play in our minds! Read this first, then you can close your eyes to practice cloud skipping as often as you like.
I see too much stress in the world. Don’t we all? It’s everywhere. Let’s take a moment to relax into our peaceful soul, deep within ourselves, to find some tranquility within. For what happens within will mirror what happens outside of us.
What I like about this exercise is that you don’t need any tools to do it, and you can do it anywhere you want, morning or night, alone or in the middle of a crowd. All it takes is some breathing and concentration. You can do it! I have faith that you can. Okay, ready? Let’s go.
Breathe in the Sky
Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes and see the sky. The sky is a clear light blue, bluer than blue, so blue you can see for miles and miles into the heavens. There are lots of clouds in the sky, whiter than white, fluffy and soft. It’s a beautiful warm day, the sun is shining on you, and it warms your soul into a place of complete surrender to yourself.
Skip
Now, as each cloud floats on by, place any thoughts you have on the cloud and let it carry your thoughts away. Keep emptying your thoughts on the clouds, for they can hold anything you have to give them. They are strong and mighty. See the shapes of the clouds and how they keep changing. Allow your mind to float into the sky and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. It’s okay if your thoughts keep coming, just keep allowing them to flow and place them on the clouds as they skip on by. Stay as long as you like — this is your sky, your clouds, your time to unwind.
Download
Now, here comes one darker cloud in the sky. It’s okay — it’s not going to rain. This is a special cloud that carries all of your hurts and worries, anything that makes you feel bad, any past experiences, any thoughts, anything you would like to pile upon it and send off into the distance, never to return. Each time you place something on this darker cloud, relax and allow your shoulders to drop down, on each exhale. Now keep piling things on this cloud, for nothing is too great a weight for it. Pile it higher and higher, empty yourself on the cloud. Keep allowing your shoulders to relax on each exhale, over and over.
Release
Now, see this cloud move off farther and farther away from you. As it floats away, forgive it, over and over again until you feel relief. This does not mean you agree with any of it, just that you are forgiving it so it will go farther away from you. And as you forgive it, it floats away off into the distance, farther and farther away, getting tinier and tinier until it becomes a speck. It’s so far away that it is hard to see, and now…it is gone! Leave it gone, as the soft wind continues to float it away from you. Feel the warmth continue to grow around you, slowly inhale, hold for a count of three and drop your shoulders more and more as you slowly exhale.
Refresh
Now, look up and see the clouds above you. They are soft and white, and the sun is warmly shining behind you, smiling and cheering you on. See these clouds get whiter and whiter until they glow a soft Light in the sky. The Light surrounds you and wraps you in healing love, and it feels so good and welcoming. It refreshes you each breath you take and you relax deeper into yourself. You feel as light as a soft baby feather floating on top of the clouds. You are refreshed and ready to continue on with life.
Continue
Now, open your eyes and see all that surrounds you is still there, as it was when you went cloud skipping into the sky. You haven’t lost any time. You have gained yourself in this time, and so you can relax back into life more energetic and refreshed as you go about your life, knowing that you can cloud skip anytime you like. You can stay with the clouds for as long or short as a time you like, as many times as you want, day and night. It just takes some breathing and imagination.
I know you can do it!
