Welcome to this sitting meditation.
Taking a moment,
Getting comfortable in our seats.
Comfortable yet awake,
Alert,
And stable.
Letting the posture reflect the intention to be present in this moment.
Choosing a preferred position,
Either sitting or lying down,
Whichever is best for your body.
Aligning the head,
Neck and shoulders vertically,
Which allows the breath to flow most easily.
If sitting,
Doing so in a way that allows the spine to be upright,
Hips slightly tilted and a little higher than the knees,
Feet flat on the floor.
Putting a thick book beneath the feet if necessary for comfort.
Feeling grounded,
Straight but not stiff,
Upright but not uptight.
Inviting a softness into the body and into the muscles of the face.
Allowing a gentle smile to surface at the lips.
Closing the eyes if that feels comfortable,
Or keeping the eyes open and gazing softly at the floor three feet in front.
Bringing awareness to the breath.
Simply breathing in and breathing out in the natural rhythm and flow of the body.
No need to alter or control the breath.
Simply following the in-breath,
Breathing in,
And the out-breath,
Breathing out.
If the mind has wandered,
Noticing and gently and kindly bringing the attention back to the breath.
Knowing that this too is not a mistake in meditation,
But a part of the practice.
Now bringing awareness to the place in the body where the breath is felt most prominently.
Perhaps it's the tips of the nostrils where the breath can be felt entering and exiting the body.
Maybe it's the rise and fall of the chest,
Or perhaps the expanding and contracting of the abdomen.
If the breath is not available,
Finding another anchor of choice that can be your island of safety.
This can be anything that feels safe,
Grounding,
Or neutral.
That allows for staying in the present moment.
Perhaps the hands on the lap,
The feet on the floor,
Or softly gazing at an object.
Anchoring into safety and returning to focusing on the breath.
Gently noticing the inhalations and exhalations.
Simply dwelling on the in-breath and the out-breath.
Allowing every breath to bring the awareness back to this present moment.
This breath that is always with us and available at any time of day simply by directing the attention to it.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Being aware of what is here,
Right here,
Right now,
And perhaps being grateful for this breath.
Noticing breathing.
Noticing that there's the inhalation followed by the exhalation and a tiny pause between them.
Bringing awareness to this point of turning.
Like an ocean wave that rises with each inhalation and then recedes with each exhalation.
Allowing the awareness to expand from this part of the body and the breath to the entire body.
Transitioning and expanding the awareness to sensations in the body.
Allowing ourselves to tune into what is being felt in the body.
Noticing what is present.
Scanning the body to see what sensations are present.
Perhaps noticing a tingling sensation or tightness.
Warm or cold areas of the body.
Feeling the clothes on the body.
Feeling the air on the body.
Noticing preferences for some sensations over others.
Inviting a sense of curiosity about all of the sensations.
Noticing sensations present.
Noticing,
Too,
The lack of sensation.
Bringing awareness to what is felt right now and where it is felt.
Narrowing the focus a bit and bringing the attention to the places in the body that are in contact with the surface beneath you.
Noticing the surface providing support to the body.
It may be the feet on the floor,
The buttocks and thighs on the seat,
The back against a cushion.
Wherever the sense of support is felt.
Bringing awareness to these places.
Noticing that body sensations may be pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral.
If sensations are becoming too unpleasant,
Perhaps noticing that unpleasantness.
Maybe staying with it for one more breath.
If the desire or need to move arises,
Bringing awareness to that.
Looking at the sensation being felt with curiosity.
What is the sensation being felt?
What else is there?
Some sensations might become too intense.
If so,
Bringing awareness to this and choosing to move or shift the position mindfully.
It may be that there are no feelings or sensations in parts of the body.
In this case,
Wiggling,
Moving or tightening the part of the body is an option.
Allowing the mind to tune into and get a sense of that body part and what it feels like.
And afterward,
Simply allowing it to be still while sensing into it.
Allowing sensations of the body to move and fade into the background as awareness and attention is shifted to hearing sounds.
Sounds in the room.
Sounds of the room.
Sounds outside of the room.
Sounds coming in from outdoors.
And sounds in the body.
Hearing sounds.
Listening deeply.
Whenever the mind wanders,
Gently bringing it back to hearing sounds.
Assessing the nature of sounds.
Noticing that some sounds begin quickly and end quickly,
While others may come into awareness slowly.
Lingering and then gently fading into the background.
Demonstrating the impermanence of things.
Listening even deeper.
Hearing the silence between sounds.
Perhaps becoming aware of the mind labeling sounds.
Simply enjoying the sound for what it is,
Without having to label it.
And this deep listening to sounds.
Being right here in the present moment.
Listening to sounds.
Listening to the sound of my voice.
If the mind wanders,
Re-centering in the hearing of sounds.
Returning to the present moment and knowing that the deliberate choice of returning is part of the practice.
Bringing the attention back to the breath.
Allowing each breath to invite us to be fully present with the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Bringing awareness to a place in the body where the breath is not the most prominent.
Finding a place where there are subtle sensations of breathing.
Exploring the breath from a different perspective,
With curiosity.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Feeling the whole body as one.
Breathing into the entire body.
Feeling how the breath enters and exits the body.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Noticing once again that tiny little pause in between.
Repeating the process again and again.
Closing this time of meditation.
Opening the eyes.
Gently moving the head,
Neck and shoulders a little bit.
Perhaps stretching a bit.
As we bring this meditation to a close.
