Letting Go Of The Meditator

This is a gentle invitation for you to let go of the meditator. That one who tries to get it right, makes effort in meditation, who constantly judges experience as good or bad. Come back to your true self beyond thought, beyond the fearful, anxious one that never feels safe or that their life is enough just yet. I hope this meditation meets you where you need it the most. This is an extra special meditation as I have written new music for it : )

Transcript

Today I'd like to invite you to let go of the meditator,

That one who's trying to get it right,

The one that wants a calm mind or to feel more relaxed.

Today I invite you just to sit,

Even letting go of the word meditation.

Sit and be alongside whatever comes your way in this space.

Sitting on a chair,

A cushion,

A sofa or you can lie down on a bed.

Now take a deep breath in,

All the way down into your belly.

Breathing out and gently close your belly.

And begin by just noticing,

How is your body right now?

Is there any tension or tightness in particular areas?

Also tune in to those neutral or soft areas in your body that might not hold any emotional weight.

Maybe noticing the tingling in your hands,

Coolness or warmth in different parts of your body.

And not trying to search these areas out,

Just allow them to bubble up,

Show themselves to you and then they stay around or they gradually fade away and move back.

And as you do this,

Softening a bit more,

Allowing the weight of your body to go down into the surface you're sitting on.

Allow gravity to push your shoulders down to relax your face.

And other things might come in as well,

Thoughts and feelings,

Welcome them in as well.

So if your attention is taken out to sounds,

Allow your attention to go there.

And then a thought,

Your mind's there.

If you find you're getting caught in thoughts,

You're playing an active part in adding to a story,

That's okay.

Thoughts are a bit sticky,

They like to pull us in and they often think they're very important.

So if you notice that,

No need to do anything,

Just notice there I was in that thought.

There's no detaching to be done,

There's no correction to be made.

Here you are,

Aware,

Aware of this experience.

Allow yourself to be present,

To be with what it is.

Letting go of that one who is trying,

Trying to get it right.

Trying to follow the guidance correctly.

Trying to find a state of peace,

Of calm.

Letting go of that one,

Being with your senses,

Sensing the world as it appears and doing this with kindness.

Letting go of that one,

Being with your senses,

Sensing the world as it appears and doing this with kindness.

Letting go of that one,

Being with your senses,

Sensing the world as it appears and doing this with kindness.

So meditation isn't about being a robot and shutting ourselves off,

Pretending everything is okay.

It's about being real and kind.

So if difficult thoughts arise and pleasant sensations,

Maybe an underlying static of anxiety running in the background,

Being kind to yourself and acknowledging that's difficult sometimes.

And if you do find yourself lost in any of these experiences,

Doing what you need to do,

You can come to your breath,

Notice your breathing,

Intentionally for a few breaths.

Or as an act of kindness to yourself,

Put your hand on your heart,

Feel the warmth of your hand in the centre of your chest.

And you can say to yourself,

It's okay,

Whatever's here is here right now,

It's not my fault,

I haven't created it,

I haven't chosen it.

And then when you feel centred and grounded,

Allowing yourself to step back,

Step back from that effort,

Doing almost nothing,

Sitting with yourself just as you are,

Sitting with sounds and thoughts and feelings,

All the things that arise each day,

All the things we often miss,

Avoid or react against.

What's it like just right now not to add anything to this moment?

What's it like not to be the meditator?

What's it like not trying to get it right?

What's it like to be with your experience without judgement?

To feel difficulty with openness and trust?

And inevitably,

Things that come up will hit our stuff,

Stuff we've stored over many years,

And that's okay,

Allow it to pass through as best you can,

Just being a witness of experience,

Of kindness and care however you find yourself right now.

Allow yourself to fall back behind the judging self and continuing to do this in your own way,

Knowing that you will be carried away from time to time and this too is just part of your experience,

You can leave it alone,

Let it be,

You are the stillness underneath all of this.

If Christ is not hungry,

Then there is some You You You You What's the true nature of this moment?

What's here if we had no memory?

No past No future to worry about or plan for What's truly here in the present moment?

You You You You You You You You You You You You Now noticing how you are right now Having spent this time in in presence,

In awareness,

Or whatever word fits with your experience.

It is how your mind is,

How your body is,

How you might be in relation with the outside world,

Of sounds,

Of movement.

And you can just take a few deep breaths if you want to.

Feel your body on the surface you're resting on.

Feeling grounded and held,

Feeling safe,

Maybe feeling a sense of trust in the world,

Maybe feeling a sense of instability,

The constant movement of phenomena,

Always moving,

Always changing.

But know that you are the stillness underneath all of this.

It's not always clear to us in our daily lives how this stillness is always here,

When so many things can make us react,

Judge ourselves,

Things that go wrong.

Meditation or this non-meditation is a way to fall back and be aware of being the awareness behind all this stuff.

And it can help to stop in your day sometimes,

Just to sit with your eyes open and look at what's true in this moment,

What objects are in the room,

What feelings are present,

What's the true nature of this moment.

In this moment anything is possible,

It's just this moment,

And it's here.

So now ending our meditation,

So you can take a deep breath in,

Breathe out,

Gently open your eyes,

Take your time to adjust into the world with eyes open,

Be aware of any thoughts rushing in your mind,

Into the world with eyes open,

Be aware of any thoughts rushing in,

Telling you that you need to get on with your day,

Or any guilt that that wasn't time spent well enough.

Letting all those thoughts be there as you transition.

Have a lovely day.

Reviews

Very helpful. I needed this reminder this morning. Thank you!

Thanks so much Andy. So helpful yet again. Your meditations always are so gentle, soothing and soulful. You have a real gift for helping others with your talents! Many blessings to you!

I love the gentle encouragement of this one. I recently started a new job and have had a busy mind, most days, as there has been so much to learn. This meditation helped me be at peace with having an active mind. It was just what I needed. Thank you!

I really enjoy this meditation and am always peaceful just being in your presence Andy. 🙏

As usual, so peaceful. Mix of quiet music and verbal guidance. Excellent start for my day.

Gentle guidance to be aware of what is, no judgment. In gratitude

exquisite guidance, supremely relaxing! For real, this track is totally for real, highly recommend this track and teacher I do.

Thank you Andy! I like and enjoy all of your meditations for many years now. Thank you for sharing with us.

I'd never thought of myself as being the stillness underneath my turmoil. The turmoil fades and the stillness becomes all there is. Thank you, Andy. That was brilliant

I liked that alot! Quite intense but at the same time very calming. Seemed longer than it was. Thank you!

This is different than what I’m used to doing (which is the point), but I loved taking a break from trying to get it right.

Such a beautiful moment! Your music and voice are relaxing and provided a safe space. Thank you 🙏🏼💙

Loved this! I do find myself striving too hard, even in meditation. This was a good reminder to just be and not try. The moments of silence and calming music were wonderful. Thank you!🙏

Wow just wow. Another excellent meditation just right when I needed those words. Thank you 🙏

I love Andy’s meditations. I try others but miss the effective simplicity of Andy’s and I am always and so happy I came back.

An incredibly powerful practice in it’s simplicity. The music is a perfect accompaniment. Thank you.

Thank you. Quite helpful and very needed! I’ve been using the music only..can’t remember when/why picked it..and today decided wanted the guidance because of circumstances just now. Curious what went with that music I use so often. Grateful I did.

Thank you 🙏🏽 beautiful and loving meditation that was so helpful in calming my body and mind. Music is really relaxing 💚

This was phenomenal. Stopped my anxiety in its tracks and returned me to a beautiful Peace. Thank you.

I loved this meditation, it was so good! A great way to start my day, letting go of the past, not worrying about the future and just ‘being in the present’ Beautiful…This was just what I needed today, thank you 🙏🏼✨💫