This is a guided sitting meditation.
Let those around you know you wish to be left to yourself for about half an hour.
Turn off your phone and arrange to be in a warm,
Quiet,
Comfortable place.
Although this is called sitting meditation,
You may do the practice lying down or standing.
If you choose to sit in a chair,
Sit so that your back is just slightly off the back of the chair.
In whatever position you have chosen,
Attend to your posture.
Lengthen your spine and make any subtle adjustments necessary to align the vertebra.
Allow your shoulders to relax.
If you are sitting,
Place your hands on your knees or fold one gently inside the other.
It is best not to interlace your fingers.
Soften your face.
If you feel comfortable,
Allow your eyes to close.
If not,
Focus on a neutral spot in front of you.
Shift your attention to your internal posture.
Invite an attitude of curiosity and acceptance.
Meet yourself as you are in this moment.
Be gentle and kind.
Follow the instructions to the best of your ability and surrender to your experience of yourself.
When you become aware that your attention has wandered,
Simply return it to the instructions.
Allow yourself to receive the precious gift of your kind attention.
Begin by attending to your breathing.
Feel the expansion of the abdomen with the in-breath and the contraction with the out-breath.
Bring your full attention to the subtleties of the breath,
The rhythm,
The sequence and movement of the expansion and contraction.
Simply observe each breath as it is.
Attend to the breath and open to your experience.
Perhaps you can notice the beginning,
Middle and end of each in-breath and the beginning,
Middle and end of each out-breath.
Perhaps you can rest in the space between the in-breath and the out-breath and rest more deeply in the space between the out-breath and the in-breath.
Attending to each in-breath and each out-breath and resting in the spaces between them known as stillness.
You may return to your breathing and vibrant awareness,
Which while you are stillness is Anchoring yourself in the breath,
Begin to explore the sensations in your body.
In your own time you may wish to do a brief body scan,
Moving breath and attention into your feet and then up through your body at your own pace.
Take your time,
Meet yourself as you are in this moment.
Simply note each sensation as it arises,
Without judging or resisting it.
Be curious about areas of ease,
Regions of numbness and points of intensity.
Breathe and explore the sensations in their exquisite detail.
.
When you are ready,
See if you can note the beginning,
Middle and end of a sensation.
And then dwell in the spaces between sensations known as ease.
.
Anchor yourself again in the sensations of breathing.
.
Expand your attention to include sound,
Noting external sounds and internal sounds,
Cars passing,
Birds singing,
Your own heartbeat.
Listen to your rhythms and the rhythms of the world.
.
Listen.
Listen.
Listen.
.
Perhaps you can notice the beginning,
Middle and end of each sound and rest in the spaces between sounds known as silence.
.
Again,
Anchor yourself in the sensations of breathing and begin to attend to your thoughts,
Allowing thoughts to arise and pass away,
Like the breath,
Like sensation,
Like sound.
.
Simply observe your thoughts and any associated emotions.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Open to your experience as it is.
Open to your experience as it is.
Explore the present moment,
Here,
Now.
Open to your experience as it is.
Open to your experience as it is.
Now allow the phenomena of your experience to recede,
And rest your attention in the spaces between phenomena.
Now allow the phenomena of your experience to recede,
And rest your attention in the spaces between phenomena.
Now allow the phenomena of your experience to recede,
And rest your attention in the spaces between phenomena.
Allow the stillness,
Ease,
Silence,
And peace to predominate.
Now allow the stillness,
Ease,
Silence,
And peace to predominate.
Now allow the stillness,
Ease,
Silence,
And peace to predominate.
Now allow the stillness,
Ease,
Silence,
And peace to predominate.
Dwell here a moment longer.
Note the quality of your breath,
Your body,
Your mind,
And your heart.
Thank yourself for your willingness to sit with and befriend yourself in this way.
Simply engaging in this practice is enough.
The process will unfold at its own pace.
As you move into the activity of your day,
Know that stillness,
Ease,
Silence,
And peace reside within you.
If you become caught up,
Simply follow the breath,
And allow it to return you to the present moment.
May you experience the loving awareness that is your essential nature.
