Just taking these first few moments to settle into your body.
And settling in,
I literally mean sometimes moving your body to find a bit of settling.
Just a little will in your torso to help you settle into your cushion.
Maybe a neck roll.
Maybe a couple of big deep breaths.
Maybe even a yawn escapes you.
But physically checking in,
Does my body have the right amount of support?
You're welcome to close your eyes or just simply set your gaze downward,
Just letting your eyes be still.
It's all of these little choices you're making to take care of yourself.
And as your body takes on this invitation to slow down a bit,
We'll also start to invite our mind to do the same.
We're never trying to force ourselves into stillness,
We're never trying to force our mind into stillness.
That's why there's so many forms of meditation.
Walking meditation.
Or you might be really paying attention to how your foot is touching the earth,
What part of your foot,
How you're pushing off the earth.
Just being so curious about the movement itself.
We can use breathing meditation.
We can utilize many forms of concentration or visualization.
There's no one right way.
And I say that because it often gives us permission to just be exactly as we are.
Sometimes we have so much energy in our body,
Whether it's agitated or excited,
That standing up feels like the best supportive posture.
Most often our familiarity feels the most soothing.
But it's this reminder to truly check in today.
And there are moments where I put in my headphones and I just do a walking meditation while I'm listening to my favorite song,
Because I need a little more support.
And there are other days where I don't even set a timer.
I just sit until I'm done sitting.
And there's nothing good or bad about any of that.
It's just practice.
So right here,
Just taking a few moments to either settle a little deeper,
Or perhaps you're choosing something slightly different than your most familiar posture.
Whatever you choose.
So notice the earth beneath you.
The gravitational support that's quite literally holding you.
And then all of the subtle movements that your body makes.
You can start to notice as we slow down.
What are you feeling in your body?
Notice how the stillness you invite in allows you to experience the subtle movement of breathing.
In the eight limbs of yoga,
There's a practice called pratyahara.
And it's very often translated as sense withdrawal.
And with this word,
The etymology of it,
It can mean sense withdrawal.
It can also mean withdrawing from anything that we tend to take in.
It can mean food.
It can mean a podcast.
It can mean our intention to go outward.
And we don't always set that intention consciously.
It's very often the world that is pulling our attention because there's so much going on.
So much to pay attention toward.
And so this drawing inward,
It's not about withdrawing from the world and disconnecting.
It's about reconnecting with your inner world.
It's taking a moment to drive in the car in silence instead of the automatic habits we have.
Not to say that if you have children in your car that it might never be silent.
But to take these moments where we're consciously choosing to draw ourselves inward.
Not trying to withdraw from the world,
But drawing inward.
So that we can notice what's happening in my inner landscape.
I think most of us,
If I can make a safe assumption,
Most of us at this point have had a moment in time where we were on technology and didn't want to be there anymore.
Whether it was doom scrolling or too long of a session trying to answer a million emails.
And there's nothing wrong with any of that.
Sometimes a Netflix binge is exactly what we need to find a little rest in our little bodies and minds.
But we know what it feels like when our attention is being taken from us and we don't want to be doing this thing anymore.
Very different than allowing it to help us rest.
And that is the drawing inward.
Just the simple action of closing our eyes in meditation is a drawing inward.
Purposeful turning inward.
So as we meditate and we notice all of these little subtleties,
That conscious sensory withdrawal,
Closing my eyes on purpose,
Very often helps enliven all of these other experiences that we might not notice when we're busy,
When our eyes are constantly vigilant.
And so as we stay here in our meditation,
This conscious drawing inward,
Can we look at ourselves through the eyes of kindness?
So that we're not judging anything that we see.
I see a tender emotion.
I see some agitation,
I see some excitement,
I see some sleepiness.
And I'm just witnessing these things,
I'm not becoming them just because I feel them.
And then to the best of my ability,
How do I tend to myself?
And no matter what I'm feeling,
Even if I'm feeling difficulty in a moment or in a season of life,
That tending gives me a bit of softness.
That turning inward allows me to seek tiny moments of comfort,
Even when I'm in a season of difficulty.
Just the comfort of being able to take a deep breath.
And right now there's not anything that I need to do,
Fix,
Or change.
I can simply receive this breath.
What does it feel like?
Noticing the movement of your breath,
Not only enhances our ability to concentrate,
But it helps you get to know yourself.
These subtle sensations where our body is asking for some sort of tending.
When the mind and the world is so busy and filled with information,
Sometimes we miss those tiny requests from our body.
But here we just listen deeply.
I'll share here a poem.
It's called Happiness.
It's by Elie Baumann.
And it says,
Happiness is a few pounds heavier.
It's accepting being tired,
Being older,
Being softer,
Being more reaching oak and less wildflower.
Happiness is taking days to bask in silence,
Not doing,
Just being.
Happiness is no longer shrinking.
It's releasing the guilt,
Regret,
The weight of the past,
The fear of the future.
It's discovering the joy in simplicity,
The beauty in the little things,
The power in the everyday.
And I'll invite you to bring your hands into any of your closing habits or practices.
And just discovering this simple joy of hands,
A warmth,
A coolness,
The weight of your own hands reminding you of your own support,
The beauty in the little things,
The beauty,
The connection,
And this opportunity to take a deep breath.
We'll end with a few loving kindness phrases.
Repeating them back as they make sense for you.
May I remember the power of slowing down.
May I remember the joy in tiny things today.
When action is needed,
May I choose to move with ease and peace.
And may the merits of our practice ripple out to benefit all beings.
And go slow if you can.
Just whenever you feel complete,
Find a little movement,
Flutter your eyes open,
Take a moment to thank yourself.
As always,
Thanks for being here,
Supporting each other and our sangha,
Our community.
