This,
Being human,
Is a guesthouse.
Every morning a new arrival,
A joy,
A depression,
A meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor to welcome and entertain them all,
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture.
Still,
Treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought,
The shame,
The malice,
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
Sitting with difficulties to practice.
Noticing the points where the body makes connection with whatever's supporting you.
Perhaps the feet,
The legs,
The sit bones,
The hands.
Noticing those points of contact with the earth.
You may like to allow your awareness to remain here,
Resting with the body on the earth.
Or if it feels open and safe to you today,
You might like to move your awareness to the breath.
Noticing the gentle rise and fall.
Noticing the movement of the breath.
The body breathes in,
Pauses,
Breathes out,
Pauses.
Bring awareness to the point where you notice the breath first enter the body.
Noticing where this is now.
It might not be where you expect.
Maybe it's the tip of the nose,
The lips,
Back of the throat,
Somewhere else.
Noticing where you first sense the breath.
Gently resting your awareness here.
And when you notice the minds wandered off,
Celebrating this noticing.
Knowing that this is the moment of mindfulness.
Minds will wander off as many times as the mind wanders off.
Gently and kindly guiding your awareness back,
Back to this moment,
Back to the breath.
Gently moving your awareness to the chest.
The rise and fall as the body breathes.
Sensing as the chest fills with air and then releases the air.
It no longer serves.
Releasing what's no longer needed.
Gently moving your awareness now to the abdomen.
Gentle rise and fall.
Noticing if there's any tightness or holding here.
Noticing how the abdomen moves with the breath.
Removing your awareness now.
The point where you are able to sense the breath most strongly in the body.
Where is the breath felt most clearly?
Resting your awareness gently on this point.
And either allowing this point to be your anchor,
To be your support in this practice or allowing the body on the earth,
Perhaps the feet on the ground,
To be a support you can come back to.
And bringing to mind now,
Troubling thought or situation,
A difficulty.
Bringing that to your mind.
Nothing too big.
Noticing.
Noticing what's happened to the body.
Noticing the thoughts.
Noticing if there's any feelings arising in the body.
Dancing into the body.
Does it feel like to bring this difficulty to mind?
Notice this inner part of the body and bring your attention to this part of the body.
Perhaps there's a bracing,
A tension,
A tightness.
Maybe a tingling,
An energy.
Gently resting your awareness here.
You may like to say to yourself,
It's here now.
It's okay to be open to it.
Whatever it is,
It's already here.
Let me open to it.
And breathing in and out of this part of the body.
Knowing if it feels too much,
You can always ease off.
Always return to the support you've chosen,
The breath,
The body on the ground.
Perhaps resting here and then coming back if it feels right to this part of the body that you're sensing,
Sensing this difficulty.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing into this space,
To this place in the body.
As you breathe out,
Open in and soften in.
You may like to say to yourself,
Soften,
Open on the out breath.
Soften,
Open.
Noticing the bodily sensations in detail.
How does it feel happening right now?
And if there's no bodily sensations,
Then simply staying with the body.
And when the mind wanders,
Exploring this,
Noticing this,
Gently coming back,
Back to the body,
Back to this moment.
I'm starting to release awareness of this difficulty now.
Letting the thoughts of it dissolve in the mind.
Letting it release from the body.
Perhaps taking a deep breath in as you rise up and releasing,
Soothing breath out.
One more of these,
Breathing in and releasing,
Letting go of the out breath.
Returning either to the body on the ground or that point where you notice the breath most strongly is clearly in the body.
And we begin to come towards the end of this practice.
Turning to the body,
Bringing some slight movement to the body,
The fingers,
Toes.
When you're ready in your own time,
Starting to open the eyes.
