Find a comfortable posture,
Whether you want to sit in a chair or in the ground,
Or perhaps you want to lie down.
And this is an invitation to let the mind rest,
Listening to the sound of the ball and settling in today's practice.
Start with the alignment of the body.
Step one,
Get the alignment of the body right.
And that might mean you just kind of shift around a little bit.
So the body is supported at the same time attentive and open.
And notice how you don't necessarily need any instructions.
Actually,
It is the opposite.
Just tune into the wisdom of your own body.
Feel the alignment,
Whether you're sitting or lying down.
An alignment which is aware and open.
Step two is to relax into the alignment.
So notice parts of the body that you could soften or relax more.
The body is still attentive.
But notice you can hold yourself less effort.
And you might feel breathing.
Notice the movement of breathing.
So welcoming breathing into your practice.
Notice the feeling of breathing.
Can you just allow and relax with the quality of your breath as it is?
Feel the gentle movement of the body breathing itself.
And please stay with the light attention in the breath.
Light attention in the breath coming into the nose and going out through the nose.
And we will bring a visual into the breath.
As you breathe in,
Please,
Can you feel as though you are breathing in a dark or heavy sense of breath?
Texture of heaviness,
Perhaps dark or perhaps black.
And as you're breathing out,
Can you feel as though you are breathing out spacious white light?
Just staying with the breathing and working with the texture of this light.
Breathing in heavy or dark texture and breathing out a light,
Spacious,
Open texture.
Keep working with the sense of texture,
Dark or heavy in and white and spacious in the out.
Breathe in dark or heavy texture.
Breathe out open,
White,
Spacious light.
Staying with the breath.
And now,
I would like you to bring someone into your mind's eye,
Someone who's struggling or someone who is going through a difficult time.
Perhaps someone is experiencing a rough time in their life right now.
And the word often used is suffering.
As though this person is in front of you right now.
Keep awareness in your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
See that person in front of you and they are looking right back to you.
Perhaps this person is a loved one or someone you met.
Or could be an animal or a tree.
Staying with the texture of the breath.
As you breathe in,
You breathe in that person's suffering,
That person's challenge.
And feel it for yourself,
That sense of dark heavy texture.
And as you breathe out,
You breathe a wish,
That person or animal has peace,
Ease and relief in their life.
Working with technique,
Working with the breathing.
Breathing in the challenge,
The heaviness,
The suffering of other.
And breathing out,
Release and ease for this person.
Stay with the breath,
Stay with the texture.
And you might want to expand this quality too.
Notice that suffering or a challenge is a shared experience.
You might wish that everyone having the same experience as the person sitting in front of you.
Everyone that is experiencing the same suffering right now in the world.
Can you breathe in for them too?
So you are expanding this quality.
You are breathing in for all those who are suffering.
This specific challenge or this specific pain.
And you're breathing out wishing that all sentient beings be in peace and ease.
May all sentient beings experience peace,
Relief and ease.
Breathing in for others.
And breathing out for others.
Breathing in for others.
And breathing out for others.
Just allow yourself to soften you.
Allow yourself to open your heart.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Just a couple of more breaths.
Staying with this visualization.
Noticing the texture of the brain.
And growing the seeds of compassion,
The seeds of empathy.
Just abiding the felt experience.
What is present feeling-wise right now for you?
What can you feel?
Abiding the feeling of the practice.
Just as potential is the feeling of the practice.
To harden the blame.
Notice the potential to soften and ease,
To open and to relax.
To feel empathy and compassion for self and others.
To contact that soft spot,
That softness within.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Gently let go of this technique.
And return to your natural flow of your breath.
And noticing the feeling in your body.
Let go of any technique now.
And once again,
Let the sound of the ball settle you into this moment now.
And it feels right for you.
You might wanna blink your eyes open and close a couple of times.
To come back to a seeing space around you.
And when you're ready,
You could lift off the gaze and relax.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
Namaste.
