After the water

The first hour

• For Everyone, after every session
• Time The first hour

1. Stand up slowly. Sit on the steps or a chair for a minute first. Warm water can make you light-headed.
2. Drink water. Your body loses more fluid in warm water than you notice.
3. Warm up. Dry off, dress warmly, and have something warm to drink.
4. Don’t drive until you feel clear and alert, at least ten minutes. If you feel faint, lie down and raise your feet.

Safety. If you feel dizzy for more than a few minutes, short of breath, or have chest pain, get medical help right away.

What’s normal to feel

• For Everyone

• Light-headed when you first stand up. Sit, breathe, and stand again slowly.
• A little motion-sick after being rocked. Sit down and look at something still, like the horizon or a wall.
• Water in your ears. Tilt your head to each side and dry gently with a towel.
• Sleepy or deeply tired. Rest if you can.
• Tearful or emotional. The water can loosen what we hold. It’s normal, and it passes. In Amal Lana’s words, tears can come “not from sadness, but from release.”
• Light and loose, as if you are still floating.

The first evening

• For Everyone
• Time 15 minutes

1. Go to bed a little early if you can.
2. Write three lines: What did my body notice? Where did I feel held? What do I want to keep?
3. Listen to one of Amal Lana’s thirteen teachings, read beside the river.
   Listen ↗