My name is Larissa.
We're going to practice together for about 15 minutes.
Let's take a few moments here to settle into your body,
A little wiggle in your torso,
Maybe some neck rolls,
A couple of deep breaths.
And when you feel ready,
Choosing a posture that feels supportive.
You're welcome,
Of course,
To close your eyes or set your gaze downward.
Let's take a couple of moments here to settle into your body.
And as we often practice,
Set our intention on,
It's this idea that we're settling in with as much gentleness as possible.
We're all already very good at judging and discerning and planning.
That judgment part is what often comes into our meditation and makes it feel difficult.
It's not about trying to push away judgment,
But just noticing when it occurs.
So to the best of our ability,
When we set our intention towards,
I'm going to be gentle with myself.
It gives us the opportunity to land.
In a place that's stable and steady.
Landing in a place that's open.
And we very often go to our breath because our breath is loving and kind and steady and stable.
And if you've never thought of your breath as loving before.
Breath is quite literally what's giving you life moment to moment.
And if life-giving isn't loving,
I don't know what is.
So it's this turn towards,
This inclination in our mind towards recognizing how much is supporting you in every moment.
Whereas there are many parts in our brain that are oftentimes looking for lack,
Scarcity,
Looking for things that might harm us,
And we need that.
That's a good part of our brain.
And here we just have this opportunity to settle.
Just witness your breath moving through you.
Spend a few moments with that.
Notice how your body is anchored to gravity.
And notice your breath moving through you.
Where do you feel it?
As you slow down and notice your breath,
It's also an opportunity to notice what your mind is doing because almost invariably it moves.
And start to witness the little judgments of the mind that come up.
No matter how small.
It's good that our mind can make discerning judgment.
It's also really important that we witness what are the judgments my mind is making.
So notice again your breath.
Where do you feel it most in your body?
See if you can spend a little concentrated time there.
It's just returning your attention to your breath as many times as you notice.
Your attention wanders off.
Oh yeah,
There goes my attention.
There's thinking happening.
That's right,
Where do I feel my breath?
I'm deeply curious about the expansion of each rib.
So notice the space between breaths.
Just let your intention be on your breath for a time here.
Just notice what you notice.
And just check in.
Notice where your thoughts just were.
Never ever to push them away or to make them wrong,
But just to witness,
Oh yeah,
Thinking what's happening.
And there are times where we might take that thinking and work with our minds.
It's also so important just to be able to anchor back to the breath.
Our mind can so easily take us out.
The returning to the present moment is an important skill that we learn.
More specifically,
We remember.
It's innate,
We know how to do it.
But those habits of mind can get so strong,
Pulling us in particular directions.
Sometimes we forget the ease of just sitting with breath.
Just notice this breath right here.
Notice the fullness of your inhale.
Can you allow the ease of your exhale,
Just a softening?
And then just witness again for a time the comings and goings of your breath.
And almost invariably,
It gives you the opportunity to also notice the comings and goings of your mind.
As you spend time here,
Just spending time with yourself,
Getting to know the rhythm of your breath.
Getting to know the habits of mind.
Always to the best of your ability coming from this place of openness.
Is place of gentleness so that no matter what your mind comes up with,
No matter what feeling happens,
No matter what parts of you show up,
You can be tender with those parts.
It's a little bit like if you're having a hard time.
And you're with,
Say,
A family member or someone you know that points out the hard time and points out the ways that you could make it better.
That doesn't exactly feel supportive.
It normally feels a bit judgmental,
Even if their intention is good.
What does it feel like when you're having a hard time?
Somebody shows up for you and just sits with you in it and listens.
With openness.
That is the part within us that we continue to get to know.
That part of you exists,
It's not.
Separate.
It's not something you have to even cultivate.
Perhaps you're cultivating the ground around your heart.
To make it a little more fertile again.
Perhaps it is a rediscovering,
But it's not some part of you.
You have to make new.
Or find somewhere outside of you.
You have this innate gentleness.
Space within you that can hold pain.
I can dance and laugh and grieve.
And experience joy and take all of those things with the same openness.
And we have that every single time we breathe.
It's your body never judging you.
It didn't do enough yesterday and therefore it's going to restrict somehow your breathing.
Breathing is loving and open.
Even when your body has allergies or a cold.
Not feeling well.
Your body is still trying so hard.
To take care of you.
Every moment that we can slow down and just witness a breath,
We have that reminder.
Where do you feel your breath right now?
Not only a tool for concentration.
To help you get out of all of the movement of the mind for just a moment.
From that concentration we start to witness this deep lovingness within us.
With each inhale you witness the expansion of your body.
With each exhale,
The softening of it.
You might even imagine your heart is opening just a touch every single time you inhale.
Giving yourself permission that when a closing is happening,
The softening is happening,
That's also exactly what you need.
We don't need an open heart all the time.
We can trust in our body,
Our heart,
The soul within us that's naturally loving.
We can trust that part of us to guide us.
Beyond the thinking mind or perhaps even within it.
We don't have to.
Follow every thought we think.
We can slow down and just witness and trust.
Heartbeat.
That experience of ease that happens when our mind slows down just for a moment.
In this witnessing,
In the Buddhist tradition,
It's called pure awareness.
Outside of any judgment of the mind,
Just pure awareness,
And in that pure awareness,
Is where we receive that lovingness that exists within us,
And we start to be able to give it more freely as well.
And in Buddhism that pure awareness.
Thomas Merton from a different tradition,
He called it inner clarity.
Whatever it is,
It's just a slowing down and a remembering.
Sometimes when we slow down,
Our mind reminds us of things that we have to get to,
A little anxiety,
A little frustration.
Beyond all of that,
Deep within you,
You just carry this lovingness,
This steadiness,
This clarity.
I invite you to bring your hands into any of your closing habits or practices.
And I'll share with you a quote from Thomas Merton.
He said,
In a world of noise,
Confusion,
And conflict.
It is necessary that there is a place of inner silence and peace.
It is necessary that there is a place of inner silence and peace,
Not the peace of merely relaxation.
But the peace of inner clarity and love.
And with that,
We'll end with a few loving-kindness phrases,
Just repeating them back as they make sense for you.
May I remember the peace that exists within me.
May I move from my inner clarity today.
Every time I move.
May I choose to move with ease and peace.
And may the merits of our practice ripple out.
To benefit all beings.
And whenever you feel complete,
No rush.
Go slow,
Find a little movement.
Take a moment to thank yourself.
And as always,
Thank you for being here.
Supporting each other in our sangha.
