Welcome to this Just As You Are practice.
This practice asks nothing of you but to simply be here,
No fixing,
No striving,
No trying to get somewhere else.
Just a gentle,
Courageous check-in with your experience,
Exactly as it is,
Right now.
We'll start by touching in with our experience just as it is,
Then settle into the simple rhythm of the breath,
And finally we'll open to all the textures of this very moment.
The heart of this practice is a radical act of curiosity and a fierce gentleness.
Can we just for a moment drop the relentless wanting for things to be different?
Can we release our grip on our preferences and simply allow what is here to be here?
It's not about resignation,
It's about profound relaxation into reality.
So we invite a friendly presence,
An open-hearted willingness to be with whatever arises,
Just letting it be as it is.
So beginning the practice by letting our eyes close or our gaze rest softly.
And then bringing attention to our posture,
Making sure we're holding ourself in a way where we can be alert and present,
Might be seated or lying down,
But also just checking if you can soften into the edges,
Let go of any unnecessary clenching,
Any places where you're holding yourself too tightly.
And now with that spaciousness,
That presence,
Let the light of awareness fall upon your mind.
Just noticing what's happening in there,
It's always some way,
In some condition or other.
So noticing with curiosity how the mind is right now.
Maybe it's still or racing,
Noisy or quiet,
Clear or messy,
Critical or friendly.
Whatever you find,
Whether it's what you hope for or not,
Just acknowledge it as your mind right now.
And seeing if you can let it be just as it is without needing to tidy it up or make it behave in any way.
And then let that same gentle light illuminate your emotional landscape.
So checking how you're feeling,
What's stirring in your heart.
Might be something very subtle,
A quiet hum,
Even a sense of numbness.
Or maybe something much clearer and stronger,
Maybe a joyful fizz and not of sadness,
Sense of ease or resistance.
Just seeing what's there.
And whether it feels pleasant or profoundly uncomfortable,
Whether it feels familiar or strange,
Whether it aligns with your expectations or not,
Just take it in as your emotional truth in this moment.
And seeing if you can allow it to be just as it is.
And finally,
Bring your awareness to the sensations of your body.
What does it feel like to inhabit this very body right now?
Maybe there's some sense of restlessness or stillness,
Heat or coolness.
Maybe a tired ache,
A pain,
Maybe some tension here or relaxation there,
Or maybe a jumble of many different things.
Whether it's how you wish your body felt or not,
Simply noticing it,
Acknowledging this as your body's story in this very moment,
And seeing if you can allow it to be just as it is.
And then moving your awareness to the breath,
Simply noticing the breath coming in and going out.
There's no need to change the breath,
To control it,
To fix it or improve it.
Just letting it be as it is.
What we're doing is bringing that awareness to notice the breath entering the body and notice the breath leaving the body.
And each time you notice your mind has wandered off into a story,
A worry,
A stream of chatter,
Remembering this isn't a failure,
It's an opportunity.
Noticing the wandering means that right now you are present in your life.
So with patience,
With kindness,
Gently escort your attention back to the breath,
Knowing each time you return it's an act of love.
And as you rest with the breath,
Let your curiosity expand.
Can you feel into how tightly you're holding your focus on the breath right now?
There's no right or wrong answer.
Maybe your mind's restless,
It's darting in every direction,
Or maybe it's drifting away in sleepy haze.
If that's the case,
A tighter focus on the breath might be helpful.
You might choose to narrow your attention,
Really placing it on a small distinct area.
Maybe the sensation just below your nostrils or a specific point in your belly.
And the invitation here is to stay closely with each breath as best you can,
Noticing the very start of each inhalation,
The middle,
The very end.
And then with equal precision,
Noticing the very start of each exhalation,
Its middle,
And the very end.
So this isn't about control,
It's just about keeping a steady presence,
A tighter reign when the mind wants to wander.
Or maybe your mind feels quite calm and settled,
Or even spacious now.
Or maybe you feel you're holding yourself too rigidly,
There's tension,
Tightness,
Gripping your body as you try to observe the breath.
If so,
You might want to try softening your focus,
Loosening your grip.
It might be enough to simply sense the broad sweep of the body breathing,
The gentle expansion and contraction of each inhale and exhale.
Or maybe just for now,
You just want to rest your attention on the exhalation,
Noticing each out-breath,
And allowing the inhalation to simply arise on its own.
So really being aware of how you are in each moment and adjusting the practice as needed.
Adjusting your effort like a skilled musician tuning their instrument,
Or a surfer riding away.
You're not forcing anything,
Just feeling these very subtle shifts in this continuous moment-to-moment inquiry of what's needed to stay present.
No matter how many times your mind wanders,
Whenever you notice you've been swept away,
Offering a quiet thank you for noticing,
And from that place of grounded awareness with patience and gentleness,
Bring your attention back home to the breath.
And now for these final moments of our practice,
Let your awareness expand,
Becoming vast,
Open,
Spacious,
Like the wide,
Boundless sky.
And simply notice,
Acknowledge,
And allow whatever arises to come and go,
Just like clouds drifting across that sky.
It could be the whisper of your breath,
Some shifting sensation,
Pleasant or unpleasant in your body.
It could be a distant sound,
Or something loud close by,
Persistent chatter of thoughts,
Or a surge of emotions.
It doesn't matter if the experience is pleasant or unpleasant,
This is the moment to drop the struggle,
To let go of the relentless doing,
And seeing if you can just let things be as they are.
No need to fix,
No need to change,
No need for anything special to happen.
Just being with the raw truth of this moment,
There's nothing more,
Nothing less that's required.
And then as we begin to transition back into the day,
Gently bringing your awareness back to the breath,
Noticing your body breathing,
The rhythm of the breath,
And noticing how your body is being held by the earth beneath you,
How it's supported.
Just allowing yourself to be held,
To settle,
Maybe taking a few deeper,
More conscious breaths.
And as you slowly re-engage with your day,
Carry this possibility within you,
A gentle,
Spacious presence,
A radical willingness to let yourself be just as you are,
Right here,
Right now,
Even if it's just for a fleeting moment between tasks,
Or a breath in the midst of chaos.
This spaciousness,
This fierce acceptance of just as you are,
Is always available.
Bringing a little movement into your fingers,
Your toes,
Stretching the body however you need,
When you feel ready,
Opening your eyes.
This practice is now complete.
