Hello,
My friend,
And welcome to your practice.
We humans are very good at trying to change,
Judge,
Push away,
Or control our present moment experience.
I personally noticed this tendency in myself,
Especially around uncomfortable physical sensations and emotional states.
But when I started learning to sit with it all and let it move through me,
I experienced profound shifts in my well-being.
So nowadays,
This is my primary meditation practice,
Which we will explore together today.
So let's begin by finding a comfortable seated position.
Whether you're seated on a cushion or a chair,
Let yourself settle in a way that feels both relaxed and alert.
Imagine the earth beneath you as a source of support,
Grounding you.
Feel your body rooted yet open.
Take a nice deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Find one area of tension that you can soften.
Release your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your forehead.
Unclench your hands and let go of the belly.
With each deep,
Full breath,
Invite in more openness,
Softness,
And ease.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm,
Simply observing its flow.
Notice the gentle rise and fall of your abdomen,
The subtle expansion of the chest,
The coolness as the air enters your nostrils,
And the warmth as you exhale.
There is nothing here you need to change,
Nothing you need to control.
Just accept and allow things as they are right now.
For these next several minutes,
Give yourself permission to let go of striving,
Releasing any need to manipulate your experience.
Remind yourself it is safe to be here.
It is safe to be in your body.
It is safe to feel emotions and sensations.
Whatever is here right now,
Allow it,
Without judgment,
Without fear.
Meeting your experience with an open,
Curious,
Courageous heart.
You may notice your mind starting to wander,
Perhaps ruminating about the past,
Planning for the future,
Or creating judgments about this moment.
Whenever this happens,
Gently notice that the mind has wandered.
And without criticism or frustration,
Simply guide your awareness back to the felt sense of the body.
Now expand your awareness to include any sounds around you,
Both nearby and far away.
And rather than analyzing or labeling the sounds,
Simply hear them.
Let each sound enter and exit your awareness,
Just as the breath flows in and out.
Imagine yourself as a vast,
Open space,
In which all these sounds,
Sensations,
And thoughts are free to rise and fall away,
Gently,
Lovingly,
Bringing back the attention if it has wandered.
And remember,
In this practice,
We aren't resisting anything.
We are allowing each moment to be exactly as it is,
Observing it with kindness.
Any sensations,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
Sounds,
Just being with it all.
No fear,
No grasping,
No contraction.
Just soft,
Spaciousness.
Observe each thought,
Sensation,
And emotion as it rises and falls away,
Much like waves in the ocean.
The waves come and go,
But beneath the surface,
There is a vast,
Unchanging depth.
In this practice,
We come to realize our ocean-like nature,
A deep awareness in which all experiences ebb and flow.
Stay here,
Letting yourself float in this open awareness for a few more moments.
As we near the end of this meditation,
Take a moment now to bring gratitude to the heart.
Gratitude for the opportunity to simply be,
For each breath,
For each sensation,
For the stillness that lies beneath it all.
Gratitude for this moment of quiet presence.
You can bring a soft upward turn to the mouth,
And imagine the same easy smile in your heart.
And when you feel ready,
Take a nice deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Bring your awareness back to the space around you.
Gently open your eyes,
And take a moment to stretch and orient to your environment.
Remember that being with what is,
Is not limited to this meditation.
It's a state you can return to in any moment,
Simply observing what is here without resistance,
But with openness,
Curiosity,
And compassion.
So thank you so much for practicing with me today.
Wishing you joy and ease,
And I will see you next time.
