I know what it's like.
Getting constantly pulled out by thoughts in our meditation can be so disturbing.
It's very common and in fact never stops happening.
We will always think thoughts and we need thoughts to be in this world in a healthy way.
And thoughts themselves are not the issue.
They're just thoughts.
Their nature is that they arise,
Move through and dissolve away all on their own.
If we don't interfere with them that's what they will do.
It's our reaction to them and our entanglement with them that really pulls us out of the meditation.
And this is a deeply habituated pattern that we've developed over our lifetime.
So what we need to get used to doing is just leaving them be,
Not bothering with them.
And this starts to untangle us from them a bit and allows them to pass through.
In this meditation we're going to see if we can let go of the thoughts like you're letting go of a helium balloon.
So if the clinging to the thought is you holding on to the bottom of the balloon and then as you notice the thought see if you can just let go of the balloon,
The thought,
And let it fly off into the sky to wherever it wants to go.
And then come back to your body and notice any holding or contraction within your body.
More than likely distractions will be accompanied by body tension.
And then gently allow that holding to soften and relax again.
There's nothing else to do,
Just that.
Just keep seeing if you can let thoughts go like a helium balloon and come back to your body.
But I will guide you through it.
As we move into the meditation,
Find yourself somewhere comfortable to sit.
Somewhere you can sit with your back straight and tall,
With fresh air coming in your lungs.
But please don't be too rigid.
Allow a sense of movement in your body.
I will give you some guidance and then I'll leave some spaces of silence.
Some space for you to really be with your own experience and feel what is happening for you.
So as you relax in your seat,
Start to bring your awareness in to become aware of your breath.
Be aware of your breath within your body.
You could notice the feelings of the air coming in and out of your nostrils or your throat.
Or notice the feelings and sensations of your lungs,
Ribs and abdomen rising and falling,
With each in-breath and each out-breath.
And see if you can really allow yourself to just be present in your body and be inquisitive of feelings and sensations in your body as you breathe.
When you realize you're distracted,
At that moment,
See if you can for now just let go of the thought,
Like you're letting go of a helium balloon.
Let it drift off to where it wants to go and then gently bring your awareness back to your breath,
Without too much fuss or judgments or trying.
And now shift your awareness slightly to become aware of your out-breath as a resting and settling breath.
And really follow each out-breath down and feel yourself relax deeper and deeper with each out-breath.
When you become distracted,
That's okay.
Just see if you can let go of the thought,
Like you're letting go of a helium balloon,
And at that moment gently come back to your body and notice any holding or contraction that is there.
Allow that to soften and relax and open.
And then gently bring your awareness back to your breath and back to notice the feelings and sensations within your body as you breathe.
Move your awareness now to the ground of your being.
Notice the sensations of the weight of your legs.
Notice the feelings and sensations of the ground or the chair pushing up from below you.
Notice the feeling of it really supporting you as you relax.
And see if you can allow yourself to trust that sense of ground and deeply relax and let go into it,
Breath by breath.
And whenever you become distracted again,
Try not to judge yourself or and try not to push it away or stop it.
See if you can let go of the thought balloon again.
Notice any holding or contraction in your body and then gently allow it to soften,
Relax and open again.
You'll probably notice your awareness rest more easily back on your breath,
Allowing yourself to rest back into feelings and sensations in your body and allow your whole body to deeply relax into your ground again.
And as you rest there,
You could have the sense that your whole body is breathing,
Like your skin is permeable.
So as you breathe,
Let your whole body breathe and let yourself open to a sense of spaciousness.
When you become distracted,
Again see if you can let go of it for now.
Notice any holding or contraction in your body and then gently allow it to soften,
Relax and gradually become more spacious and open,
Allowing your whole body to soften and let go and breathe.
While you're resting in the spaciousness,
You will again and again notice distractions,
But that's okay.
There's nothing to do except gently letting them go and then gently bringing yourself back to notice your breath,
Notice feelings and sensations in your body and allow your body to relax and let go as you feel yourself melt down into the ground again.
Remember to hold your space with a sense of compassion.
Anytime you notice yourself judging yourself or trying too hard or trying to stop thoughts,
Just let each of them go all the same and come back to what resources you.
The breath,
The body or the ground.
And I know it can feel frustrating at times,
But I promise you as you become more comfortable with letting the distraction go and coming back to what resources you,
You will find that you will gradually rest more and more and find that it's okay to let thoughts be there.
And then when you're ready,
You can open your eyes and come back into the room.
