Welcome,
My friends,
To a brief meditation on mindfulness of the body.
I want you to start by finding a sitting position that allows you to be alert.
A spine that is straight,
But not stiff.
And also relaxed.
Close your eyes,
If that's accessible to you today.
Or simply drop your gaze down to your nose,
If that feels more comfortable.
And establish a simple sense of presence.
Now,
Allow your awareness to scan through your body.
And wherever possible,
I want you to try and soften.
And release obvious areas of physical tension.
You might take a few very full breaths.
And then allow your breath to be natural,
To be organic.
Whatever that means to you.
And then bring your attention to where you most easily detect the breath.
Or perhaps,
Where it's most pleasurable.
And let this place of experiencing the breath be your home base.
Let it be an anchor into the present moment.
The only moment that truly exists.
Notice this breath.
Right here.
And if the breath isn't a good home base for you,
You might instead anchor your attention into the sensations within your hands.
Or the sensations of your whole body sitting here.
Now with a relaxed,
Interested attention,
Start to discover what the sensations of the breath or your chosen anchor feel like.
Moment to moment.
If you're focusing on the hands,
Maybe you notice the heat rising up from your palms.
Where is your attention now?
Each time you notice that your mind has wandered off is a moment of mindfulness.
It's a win.
You might have a thousand wins in one sitting.
It does not matter how many times your mind has wandered off.
Each time you notice that your mind has wandered and you bring it back to the breath,
You are strengthening your mindfulness muscle.
Just like a biceps curl at the gym.
You strengthen this muscle.
The more you come back into the present.
So now gently bring your attention back to the inflow and the outflow of the breath.
Or your chosen anchor such as your hands or your feet.
And offer this relaxed,
Wakeful presence.
Now scan your body and notice if any particular sensations are strong or are calling your attention.
And if so,
Allowing the breath or your home base to recede to the background.
I want you to bring an interested,
Kind presence to these sensations that you're experiencing.
What do they feel like?
You might be aware of heat.
Or chills.
Tingling.
Aching.
Twisting.
Stabbing.
Vibrating.
Whatever it is.
With a soft,
Open awareness,
Feel the sensations as they are.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Notice.
Are they pleasant?
Are they unpleasant?
As you fully attend to them,
Do they become more intense?
Or do they disappear?
Notice how they change.
When the sensations are no longer a strong experience,
Just return back to mindfulness of your chosen anchor.
And if you find it difficult to stay with strong emotions,
I want to let you know that you are not alone.
But,
If you are willing to be with these strong sensations,
To literally be willing to burn up with these sensations,
Then you will notice that the half-life of these sensations are moments.
Maybe minutes.
Definitely not hours.
If we can move away from the content and the stories of our thoughts,
And bring our awareness into our body where we feel these stories or these thoughts,
We can move through them more efficiently and with ease.
So again,
If you find it difficult to stay with strong emotions,
You might breathe with them.
Letting the breath help you find some balance,
Some openness in the midst of potential chaos.
And it can also be helpful to name the sensations,
Seeing if there is a word that describes your experience.
Tightness.
Aching.
Heat.
Pressure.
There is no need to strain or to run through a mental thesaurus to find the right word.
Just notice what word arises in awareness and mentally repeat it to yourself in a soft tone.
Letting the naming be soft in the background,
Think 5% of your attention with 95% of your attention on the actual experience.
You might ask yourself,
What is happening inside me right now?
What is this?
Maybe you notice any sensations that are dominant,
And then ask,
Can I be with this?
Directly feeling the flow of sensation,
Subtle or strong,
Pleasant or unpleasant,
Wonderful or miserable.
Just let life be as it is in this moment.
Now my friends,
Return to your home base,
That beautiful anchor that you established at the beginning of class.
Because this is class.
Offering a calm,
Steady attention.
And if,
During the last minute or so,
Strong sensations call your attention,
Let your primary anchor recede and bring a full attention again to what's arising.
Name what you notice,
Offer your presence.
And if nothing strong is calling your attention,
Continue to rest.
Marinate in this space that you've created for yourself.
Now sensing the breath in the foreground,
Still aware of the field of sensations in the background.
You are learning to be centered,
You are learning to be balanced,
You are learning to be present for the breath and the living world of sensation just as it is.
Wisely aware of this ever-changing,
Impermanent,
Beautiful,
Complex life.
Slowly start to open your eyes,
And we bow.
Namaste,
My friends.
