Hello,
My name is Alonzo,
Also known as the Life Lama,
And I'd like to welcome you to this Insight Timer meditation.
Let's begin by getting into a comfortable posture.
Have your spine gently upright,
Your head balanced,
And let your shoulders relax.
Now let your hands rest easily either on your lap or your knees and begin to slowly and softly close your eyes and turn your attention inward.
I would like for you now to bring your attention to your breath.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breathing.
Don't try to control it and don't try to force any particular depth.
Just observe.
Breathe in calmly and breathe out,
Letting go each time.
With every breath,
Allow your body to settle and your mind to soften and please know there is no right or wrong way here.
It's only observation and awareness.
Before we start this meditation today,
I'd like for you to share the theme of the meditation and that theme is you are not on the cushion to control your thoughts.
You are on this cushion to not allow your thoughts to control you.
We're going to explore three common distractions to your meditations.
They are your emotions,
Your feelings,
And thoughts about what you have to do.
With each of these,
You'll be invited to observe without judgment.
At the start of each of the contemplations,
I'll invite the sound of the bell to help you guide yourself through the meditation.
Let's begin with emotions.
Emotions differ from feelings.
Emotions often have a powerful energy and are deeply tied to our past experiences or our expectations about the future.
Unlike feelings,
Emotions can linger and resurface and they can influence our perspectives for long periods of time.
I want you to take a moment to bring awareness to the emotions going on within you.
Listen for the bell and let yourself observe any emotions that arise.
Notice if they shift,
Notice if they intensify,
Or notice if they just fade as you sit with them.
You'll have a minute to explore.
Notice how your emotions just come and go,
Constantly changing,
And sometimes they change very unpredictably.
You don't have to become your emotions,
And you certainly don't have to push them away.
Emotions arise,
Move,
And dissolve.
Your emotions are not you.
Now we turn to feelings.
Feelings are usually physical sensations like warmth,
Tingling,
Or tension.
Feelings are transient,
And they usually arrive in response to something happening in the present moment.
While emotions may persist,
Feelings are generally brief,
Like ripples on the surface of water.
Bring awareness to the feelings going on in your body.
Feelings come and go like waves on the shore.
When you hear the bell,
Observe your feelings,
And again,
Don't become attached to them,
And don't resist them either.
Just notice.
You'll have a minute to explore.
Just like your emotions,
Your feelings are constantly moving and arising,
And they pass away all on their own.
There is no need to attach yourself to feelings,
And no need to push them away.
Just allow them to flow.
You are not your feelings.
Finally,
We take a look at thoughts about what we have to do.
Our mind often pulls us into the future,
Filling us with tasks and lists,
And we're constantly worried about outcomes.
These types of thoughts also interrupt our meditation and our peace,
But they too are constantly changing.
As you hear the bell,
Bring awareness to any thoughts you may have about what you have to do.
Observe how these thoughts arise,
And notice just how fleeting they are.
Let yourself watch these tasks without any need to act on them.
You'll have a minute to contemplate.
Just like emotions and feelings,
All thoughts about what you have to do come and go.
If you try to chase these things,
You create past and future.
But if you allow yourself to set with these things,
You'll allow yourself to remain in the ever-changing and ever-present now.
As we end this meditation,
I'd like for you to consider that emotions,
Feelings,
And thoughts of tasks are all passing experiences.
They come and go like clouds across the sky.
If we chase these things,
We leave the present,
And we create an illusion of past and future.
But by observing them,
We live fully in the now.
Remember,
You're not your emotions,
Your feelings,
Or your thoughts about what you have to do next.
You are both the doer and the witness.
You are the universe becoming aware of itself.
This awareness is the reality of who you are.
Let yourself rest in that awareness for a few more breaths.
And when you're ready,
Gently bring your awareness back,
Open your eyes,
And return to your day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to meditate with me.
