Simple Appreciations: Breath And Gravity (Jan 23, 26)

Our mind tends to focus on the pleasant and unpleasant, tending to try to hang on to the pleasant, and push away the unpleasant. We sometimes miss all the beautiful normal parts of a day, those moments that are still and regular, and this is often where tiny joys can arise. Take some time to settle in, and notice your regular, consistent, and brilliant breath, using the earth and your breath as focal points to remember the tiny joys that exist in slow time, on a normal day.
"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, savor you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow." ~Mary Jean Irion

Transcript

We're going to practice for about half an hour today.

Just taking a little bit of time in the beginning here just to settle into your body.

So you're of course welcome to make any movements that make sense.

Very often as we get situated for meditation we already know our familiar postures.

But just remembering that checking in in this moment is also a really supportive way to set yourself up for gentleness and support rather than forcing yourself to stay.

Just noticing maybe a neck roll,

Maybe shifting forward or backward ever so slightly so you can find that wise balance of effort and ease.

If you're seated upright there's that wise effort in your core to keep your spine long but not so much effort that you start to feel rigid or that it restricts your breathing.

You're welcome to close your eyes or just set your gaze downward so your eyes are still,

Not needing to take in new information,

Just giving your body permission to start to settle into the earth,

Into gravity.

Just remembering there's never been a moment in time where you haven't been held.

Just noticing right now how you're being held by a chair or the floor beneath you and how everything is being held by the earth.

Just noticing this foundation beneath you and allowing that wise ease to soften.

Wise effort and ease,

Not so much effort that we have to find tension in our body.

And then that wise ease,

Allowing yourself to rest.

These next couple of exhales,

Just curious,

Can my jaw soften a bit?

And then noticing another exhale,

Can my shoulders soften?

And notice your hands and your legs,

Is there anything there that can just release a little heavier into the earth?

And noticing even your eyelids,

Whether your eyes are closed or your gaze just softly downward.

Is there a softening that can come?

And this balance of effort and ease is one of the first things that our breath teaches us,

Reminds us of.

To simply have this slow time to witness your breath is one of the greatest gifts that we can have.

It's very often reminding our mind that our mind can slow as well.

And we sometimes have the opposite,

Where our mind gets a little dull and sleepy.

And so again,

There's the wise effort of gentle concentration.

So we always choose a focal point in our body because our body is present.

We often go to breath because our breath is always with us.

But just that simple beginning,

Noticing your foundation,

You can always go to that.

It's this steady and stable anchor.

When our mind is like a balloon whipping around in a fierce wind,

You can come back to your feet.

You can come back to the parts of your body being held.

And just notice the stability here.

So breath by breath,

Every breath an opportunity to notice present awareness.

And remembering that we've invited in this intention of gentle awareness,

Gentle concentration,

Kind awareness.

So as we observe our feet touching the floor,

Our breath moving through us,

We're witnessing all of it through the eyes of kindness,

To the best of your ability.

And our mind will do all kinds of things.

It's just this invitation to come back to this steady anchor of your body.

And there's sometimes pain points in our body,

Pain points in our emotional landscape,

Pain points that our mind is bringing up,

Reminding us of.

And no matter what is happening in our mind,

It's inviting your mind to travel back down those few inches to land right in your body.

The incredible warmth in that space where your heart and your lungs meet.

And that space is always here for you,

Just waiting,

A gentle landing pad for your mind to rest.

And when there are pain points,

When there are moments of difficulty,

Those are the moments we need that warm invitation the most.

These pain points are information that are being shared with us,

Little data points that our body is asking for tending or support.

Sometimes we might sit for a moment with a small irritation,

A tiny itch that arises.

And instead of immediately reacting to it,

We just notice,

What does that feel like?

And then if the urge is too great,

Or the irritation becomes more than irritation and starts to become difficult and pain,

Then you tend to it.

And gently brush that hair from your face that's giving you that little tickle.

Or you adjust your knee that's turning from interesting sensation into pain.

And this is the exact same way that we tend to our emotional landscape when something difficult arises.

Turn to it with curiosity.

Witness it.

And instead of following the story in our mind,

Invite your mind to travel a few inches downward and land in that soft space between your heart and your lungs.

And witness with kindness.

Hold with tenderness,

Whatever comes up for you.

And from that warm space where your heart and your lungs meet,

Just witness that movement of the inhale,

Spaciousness creating.

And from that spaciousness,

Our body wisely,

Innately softens into emptiness.

Spaciousness and softness,

Just breath by breath.

Notice the foundation beneath you.

Use your next exhale to invite your body to soften.

Invite your mind to rest for a moment.

Using your wise effort to gently concentrate on the foundation beneath you and the life moving through you as you breathe.

So,

One breath at a time.

One of the reasons that we can notice movement is because we also notice stillness.

The reason that rest can feel so wonderful at the end of a long day is because we know what effort feels like.

So,

We need these contrasts in our life.

But very often our mind will judge as quote-unquote wrong or bad when we're not feeling quote-unquote good.

And that's just simply a judgment that's happening.

So,

Remembering that every moment brings information.

Every moment brings an opportunity for us to decide,

How do I tend to myself?

Can I just simply receive this breath and allow?

When my mind gets caught in dullness,

A bit of disconnection,

Or caught in a thought that feels like velcro and it feels sticky and hard to let go of,

Instead of the effort of trying to let go,

Can you land again in that warm space in your chest and just simply allow a softening?

So,

We notice movement because stillness exists.

We notice sound because silence exists.

We notice joy because difficulty exists.

And often these things are happening in conjunction with each other in every moment.

So,

We can hold both stillness and movement within one single breath.

Which reminds us we can hold both difficulty and joy in that same breath.

And very often in our meditation,

Especially because we've set aside time to be here,

We've set aside responsibilities so we can be still for a few moments.

It's very often it's not the high highs or the low lows.

We just start to notice these big moments of neutrality.

In Buddhism,

It's these three frames of pleasant,

Neutral,

And unpleasant.

And our mind is constantly seeking unpleasant in order to keep us safe.

We tend to notice the pleasant and the unpleasant,

The opposite ends.

But can you also notice just the moments of normal?

It's these moments where nothing big is happening.

Sometimes our mind is creating something.

But right here in this moment,

What's happening is breathing.

I'm sure there might be sounds around you.

And yes,

There are things happening in the world.

But in your inner world right here,

Breathing is happening.

Blood is flowing.

Sound is moving.

Your heart is beating.

All of these things constantly happening.

And we just have this opportunity in this slow time to simply witness the movement and stillness of your breath,

Life moving through you.

And is it possible just to invite in some appreciation for this normal,

Everyday breath?

And here comes another normal,

Everyday breath,

One of the thousands of breaths you'll take in the next 24 hours.

And yet,

It's also incredibly unique.

No one else will ever have this exact experience as you being able to take this breath right now.

This is where those broad swaths of neutrality can burst into spontaneous joy.

There is a saying in Buddhism that spontaneous joy arises in stillness.

From stillness,

Spontaneous joy arises.

We're not trying to force ourselves to feel that way,

Especially on days when our emotional landscape is heavy.

We're not replacing or trying to find a future version of us.

It's just this remembering,

Appreciating this one normal,

Everyday breath.

I get to take this breath right now.

And I don't even have to work hard for it.

My body just is taking care of me in this breath.

I just get to witness it.

And I'll share here,

This inspiration for this remembrance of appreciating one average breath.

And this is from an author.

She wrote this in the 70s.

It's Mary Jean Irian.

And at the time,

She was an English teacher,

Didn't even consider herself an author.

She wrote this little article.

And it touched on so many people because it's so relatable.

She shares in this little essay about how when we're in suffering,

When we're dealing with illness from ourselves or a loved one,

When there's difficulty in our lives,

We crave the average,

Everyday,

Almost mundane day.

And she creates this offering to a normal day.

She says,

So normal day,

Let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you,

Love you,

Savor you,

Bless you before you depart.

Do not let me pass you by in some quest of a rare and perfect tomorrow.

Let me hold you while I may,

For it will not always be so.

One day I might dig my nails into the earth or bury my face in my pillow,

Stretch myself taut or raise my hands to the sky and want more than all the world for your return,

Normal day.

Then I will know what now I am only guessing,

That you are indeed a common rock and not a jewel.

But that this common rock is made of the very mass substance of the earth and all of its strength is right here for me to hold.

Just noticing again for a moment,

It's your average,

Normal,

Everyday breath.

And also remembering the delight that you get to take this average,

Normal,

Everyday breath.

Even when there's pain in our body,

In our emotions,

In our mind,

Your body still cares for you by simply taking this breath.

And instead of fighting against pain,

To remember the reason we feel joy is because difficulty exists.

Not because we're inviting it in,

But because we can allow both.

And that spaciousness,

That warm spot between our heart and our lungs,

Is vast.

We can feel the spaciousness of it every time we take a breath.

Can you notice it right now?

Let your breath be deep and full.

And invite everything in your life to just land softly in that warm space.

And just receive again this average,

Incredible,

Brilliant,

And beautiful breath.

I'll invite you to bring your hands into any of your closing habits or practices.

Pulse together your hands over heart,

Just contacting yourself with your hands.

We'll end with a few loving kindness phrases.

So offering these well wishes back to yourself,

Carrying these intentions with you.

May I remember the innate goodness of every normal breath.

May I pause to appreciate my breath today.

May I seek and find small moments of joy 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 then go slow if you can.

Just taking this first moment just to thank yourself for showing up.

When you feel complete,

When you feel ready,

Find a little movement in your body.

And as always,

Thank you for being here,

Being this sangha,

This community of support for each other.

I always appreciate your time and attention.

It's good to be with y'all.

Reviews

Oh the great blessing of the ordinary moments! Thank you for this gently powerful session. I just want to say that I have a special appreciation for the way you shape the closings of your Guided meditations, the way the invitation is to find your own closing gesture, and the way you give language to merit rippling out. Beautiful.