Find a quiet place in which you can take a comfortable seat.
Sit up tall,
And when you're ready,
Gently close your eyes or lower your gaze to limit visual distraction.
Breathe patiently and fully,
Yet gently and quietly,
In and out,
Through your nose or your mouth,
Whatever feels right for you right now.
And then,
Take a moment to notice why you have chosen to be here today.
What has guided you to this spot,
This space of stillness?
It might be a need for rest,
Or clarity,
Or connection,
Or simply the invitation to just be.
Whatever it is,
Allow yourself to acknowledge it softly,
Without judgment.
This meditation practice invites you to become still,
Giving yourself permission to do nothing,
Giving yourself permission to embrace this moment of stillness,
In which there is nothing at all that needs to be done,
Other than staying here,
Relatively still,
Watching the breath.
Moving in,
And as you watch the breath,
With an easy and relaxed and spacious mind,
Place some small amount of attention on what else the mind or the body is feeling.
Notice your own discomfort in simply being present,
Doing nothing.
Notice if the mind would rather run off towards the future,
A to-do list,
Or planning.
Notice if the mind would rather busy itself with reviewing the past,
Or thinking.
Simply observe,
No need for judgment.
Start noticing the sounds around you,
Allowing them to pass through without holding on.
Let them play softly in the background,
Simply as they are,
And each time you notice distraction,
Acknowledge the pull of movement,
And then with the loving patience of a compassionate elder,
Give your mind permission to rest.
Help the mind settle.
Be at peace.
Be still.
Help the mind be still by guiding towards awareness of body and breath,
Without thinking of breath,
Present with breath,
Feeling the breath,
Without thinking of body,
Present with body,
Feeling the body.
Feel into breath and body as you let the mind rest back.
Allow for the mind to feel spacious,
Open and at ease.
Allow the mind to drop into the joy,
The bliss of no longer needing to do,
The bliss of simply being.
The not doing includes no longer fighting against the movement of the mind,
Or the rising thought,
Or fighting against pain or tension in the body.
Allow this to simply be.
Distraction will arrive,
But there is nothing to do.
Just noticing,
Acknowledging,
Loving,
And you will find yourself again.
In the spaciousness of presence with the body and with the breath,
Feel into the preciousness of this moment,
This very moment as it unfolds.
This relative quiet,
Relative stillness.
Recognize its beauty with your whole body.
The freedom and resting back.
The spaciousness in stillness.
Give yourself permission to stay right here,
Right now.
There is nowhere to go,
Nothing to do.
Nothing more sacred or more breathy than this,
This moment.
You being here in this moment.
Watching,
Noticing,
Being present.
Present with your body and your breath.
Give yourself permission to be still.
As we come to close this practice,
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself for showing up,
For giving yourself this time and space.
Notice the effort that it took to just pause and to be still and honor that with a sense of gratitude.
Allow a feeling of appreciation to rise for yourself,
This moment,
And for the simple act of presence.
As you slowly and gently begin to return to the world around you,
Carry this sense of gratitude and stillness with you,
Bringing this mindful presence into the rest of your day.
Thank you.
