Welcome and thank you so much for choosing to spend these minutes with me.
It is a gift every time we come together.
It is a gift we give ourselves.
It is a gift we give one another.
It is a gift we give the world.
So wherever you find yourself seated or lying down,
Make sure that you're very comfortable and warm.
Committed or not committed to this time,
You're just going to notice what arises.
Not making anything wrong or making anything bad.
Not making anything better or worse than anything else.
So let's take a deep breath in together.
Let it out with some sound and feel yourself sink into the chair or surface that you're on.
And just notice the entire bottom of your body.
This body.
I'm just really going to take our time today.
No rush,
Nowhere to get to.
Nothing to see except what arises right in the present moment.
Invite and appoint and you will be present to whatever experience you are having.
If the mind is busy today,
Just let it be busy.
If the body is producing so much sensation,
Pain,
Constriction,
Discomfort,
Just allow that.
If the heart is aching or heavy or even bubbling over with enthusiasm and joy,
Just allow it.
And the invitation is not to follow any of it,
Not to get lost in any of it.
It's all just appearing,
Appearing to awareness.
And so place a bit of attention in the area of your head or maybe a little bit behind your head so you can just sense this,
This awareness that is watching it all.
Being present to it as it arises,
Maybe slightly distant from it.
Like it's a movie appearing on a screen.
Curiosity coming forward.
What's going to happen next?
What might appear next?
What thought?
What sensation?
What feeling?
We're noticing,
We're opening and we're just watching.
This can be a difficult practice because we want to do something.
We really want to make something happen.
We really believe that that's important.
Nothing is further from the truth.
This being able to hold a space for what is arising is all right now.
If you get pulled into anything,
Just come back to that space where the head appears to be or slightly behind the head and just come back to that place that's just watching what's arising,
Watching what's appearing on this movie screen.
And if you open your eyes,
You just add another layer to the movie screen.
So no worries.
Your eyes can be open or closed.
It's all just appearing on this movie screen.
Thoughts may want to pull you somewhere.
The body may get antsy or fidgety.
The emotions may just well up to the point where it's just unbearable.
Of course,
Of course,
The mind doesn't want to be still.
The mind doesn't want to feel.
The mind doesn't want anything other than exactly what it wants.
And we just feed it.
We just constantly feed it and give ourselves some grace because that's just what we live and that's just what we learned.
That's just what we learned.
Sitting like this,
Practicing on learning takes time.
Be gentle.
Come back to this practice again.
And if your eyes are not open,
Go ahead and open them.
Awareness is watching.
Peace to you,
Dear friend on the journey.
