Hi,
I'm Rachel Herning,
And I'll be your guide for the Essential Meditation Practice.
This recording is perfect if you are just starting out,
Or if you appreciate some gentle reminders while you meditate.
In our time together,
You aren't trying to achieve a particular state of mind.
Instead,
You are trying to be somewhere.
To simply be with whatever circumstances are arising.
Since you are sitting with the direct experience of the present moment,
There will not be any music,
Mantras,
Or visuals.
You will be sitting comfortably with your eyes gently open.
You will focus your attention on the feeling of your breath.
If you find yourself lost in thought,
You will silently label that thinking,
And gently return to your belly breath.
Take comfort that you are not flying solo here.
Although there is a fair amount of silence,
You will receive verbal reminders to help you stay on track.
I invite you now to get into position.
Find a comfortable seat.
This can be in your car,
Or a chair,
Or even on your couch.
Sit with your back straight,
But not rigid,
Allowing a natural and relaxed posture.
But please take your seat with dignity,
Like a glorious redwood tree,
Rooted and reaching toward the sky.
You may sit with your legs uncrossed,
Feet flat on the floor,
Or crossed if you are on a meditation cushion.
Place your hands on the front of your thighs,
Palms facing up or down,
Whichever way feels good.
And this is optional,
But consider placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
Position it just behind your teeth.
This will help control saliva if you plan to sit for an extended period someday.
Now let your eyes be soft and open.
Maintain a gaze about three to four feet or one meter in front of you.
Now that you are in position,
We are going to get in touch with the object of meditation.
Your belly breath.
This is what you will keep coming back to when distracted.
It is your anchor to bring you back to the present.
Take a moment now to notice your breath.
Can you feel your belly rising and falling with each in and out breath?
If you can't,
That is okay.
Just place awareness on what is naturally occurring.
Sometimes just paying attention to the breath changes its state.
Speed or intensity.
That is normal.
You do not have to alter it or ask it to do anything different than what it is doing.
You are just being with your breath as it shows up,
Or perhaps doesn't,
In your belly.
Your job right now is to just be aware of what is happening.
That is all.
Spend a few moments here just being with your breath.
Great.
Yes,
That's it.
Just being with the sensation of your breath.
You are not thinking about your breath.
You are simply paying attention to its natural rhythm.
That's it.
Yes,
Just being.
If you have found your mind really wondering,
Perhaps thinking something about what happened earlier today,
Or you're replaying a conversation,
Or maybe you're thinking about something in the future,
Like wondering what you will make for dinner,
Or you're planning an event,
This is normal mind meandering.
Whenever you notice yourself caught up in a thought,
Silently label it thinking and escort your attention back to the sensation of your breath.
There is no need to do this harshly,
Just a polite escort whenever you need it.
You may catch this wondering the instant it occurs.
You may not even notice until a long time has passed and many,
Many thoughts have come and gone.
That is fine.
At whatever point you notice it,
Just label that thinking and bring your attention back to the rise and fall of your belly.
No need to even let these thoughts go.
Just labeling and returning to the breath is the practice.
Yes,
That's it.
Even thoughts like,
What am I even doing right now?
Or am I doing it right?
Or even if you've had a brilliant idea,
They all get the same treatment.
Label those thoughts,
Thinking,
And return to the sensation of breath.
Now,
If you notice other sensations,
Like having an itch on your shoulder,
Or a feeling in your gut,
Like nerves or hunger,
The process is the same.
Those also get the label,
Thinking,
And then softly escort your attention back to the belly breath.
If you feel an itch,
See if you can also notice what the urge to scratch it feels like.
And if after a while that itch won't go away,
It is okay to just scratch it.
So let's spend a few moments here just using the label,
Thinking,
When we are distracted and return to the sensation of breath.
That's it.
Doing great.
Let's do a few more moments here.
Okay,
And that completes the essential practice of meditation.
Open your eyes fully,
Drop the practice,
Widen your awareness to include whatever is surrounding you.
May it be the floor,
The walls,
The sky.
Just notice what you see.
Yay,
You did it.
You've given your body and mind a space to simply be.
No need to think of this again today.
The benefits will spill over off your meditation seat and into your daily life with consistent practice.
Take care of you.
