My name is Larissa and we're going to practice together for about 15 minutes.
Let's take a couple minutes here just to settle into your body.
You might close your eyes or set your gaze downward.
This settling in oftentimes involves a little bit of movement.
A little wiggle to settle your hips a bit more into your cushion.
Maybe making a couple of neck rolls,
Ankle rolls,
Wrist rolls.
The settling in,
Oftentimes this movement that we invite in,
Allows us to feel where might there be a little tension in my body.
We have positive tension and positive pressure,
Like the pressure beneath us as a form of support.
That slight tension in your core container to keep you seated upright.
But then also looking for ease.
Is there a tensile quality in your shoulders that you can soften a bit?
It's no longer needed in this moment.
Even your breath itself.
Can you let it be a little more free,
A little more spacious on the inhale?
Invite in some slowness as you exhale.
Notice again your breath.
The supportive pressure beneath you.
And the spaciousness you create within you with every single breath.
It truly is just one breath at a time that we stay.
We have these time constructs.
And we made them up according to how we see the world.
A 24-hour cycle is the way that we see the sun.
And these rituals are so helpful for us,
Trusting that the sun will come up the next day no matter what.
Trusting that even on the cloudiest and stormiest of days,
The sun is still behind the clouds.
And that trust we can build as we have these rituals and habits that we can trust,
Helps us settle in moments.
Just like you can trust no matter how many times your mind wanders off,
Your body will still breathe for you.
Even though we can trust the cycle of the sun and its coming and going,
We can trust the rhythmic movement of our breath and its comings and goings.
We can also soften and let go of this idea of time being a very firm container.
We all know what it feels like when an evening just flew by because we were having the best of times.
We also know what it's like when every second feels like an eternity if we're waiting for something,
Especially if it's challenging.
And so in our practice,
We just practice one breath at a time.
Sure,
We set aside 15 minutes.
But so much can happen,
And at the same time,
Nothing might be happening.
And those two things might be happening at the same time,
Nothing,
Everything,
All at once.
We might slow down into these easeful moments of meditation,
But still feel a flurry of anxiety because our mind is still moving.
The opposite can also be true.
We can be in the busiest and most challenging of seasons of life,
And we can still find steadiness and slowness and comfort and contentment.
Nothing is really linear in the way that our brain likes to think.
So we just come to the moment.
Give your mind permission to rest in your exhale.
And that's it.
That's the only thing that's required in this moment is just to simply notice your breath.
You're softening any other responsibilities of mind.
Here in this breath,
I can just rest a moment.
Just one breath at a time.
Our mind can be so quick,
Wanting to jump to the next thing.
But our body is ancient and slow.
So we just land back in our body again and again,
No matter how many times our mind wants to leap.
And not because we're trying to tether our mind or wrestle it into a little cage.
We're just inviting our mind to also trust the slow wisdom of our bodies.
Society can train us that time is a commodity.
And we have languaging around that.
We talk about spending our time as if it is a commodity.
Time is actually quite spacious.
It's the constructs of mind that keep us trapped.
It's right here in this moment.
How long can you just linger with the sensation of breath?
This luxurious,
Slow time to just appreciate your body and all of its work.
And you might witness your mind doing a hundred other things.
You might even witness your mind judging your body at times,
Judging yourself,
Judging your others.
No matter what your mind is doing,
Your body is just right here,
Present.
As nature always does,
Just slowly doing its work.
And just as you settle into this exhale,
There's a moment of timelessness.
So let your exhale linger into that spacious emptiness between breaths.
And you just notice what that feels like in your body,
That spacious emptiness.
And then that full rush of air that comes back in again as you breathe deeply.
Just allow yourself to settle in,
Trusting the change of breath,
Trusting you'll just be able to receive this next breath without any thought.
It's just a gift to be received.
So notice again the spaciousness that you have as you breathe in.
And just linger in your exhale,
Inviting in this quality of not being rushed.
So when you tell your body,
We're not in a rush,
What kind of response do you receive?
What does it feel like to just invite that in?
I'm in no rush.
Just get to linger in this exhale.
And then I'll invite you to bring your hands into any of your closing habits or practices.
These rituals are so beneficial for our mind,
Our nervous system,
And just notice how your hands land.
You might receive some small comfort just by this little ritual that you land in.
And we'll end as we often do,
A few loving kindness phrases.
Just repeating them back as they make sense for you.
May I invite my mind to rest in my body today.
May I give myself permission to not be rushed.
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,
This continued invitation to not be rushed,
To notice what it feels like when you do rush yourself.
And as slow as you can,
Just whenever you feel complete,
Take a moment to thank yourself.
Maybe you're ready to find movement.
Maybe you're still going slow.
As always,
Thank you for being here.
Supporting each other.
Being part of our sangha,
Our community.
