Welcome to this practice finding harmony between effort and ease.
This practice is inspired by the story of the Buddha in his journey toward enlightenment.
The previous Siddhartha leaving a life of princedom and luxury went to the extreme aesthetic life of denying bodily pleasure,
Food,
Sleep,
Etc.
And it was on the edge of his death that the Buddha realized that his humanity was in fact fundamental to his enlightenment.
And what strikes me most is that this story of what then became the story,
The first teaching of the Buddha,
The middle path,
Is a human story.
This practice is a way for us to find that place of center,
Balance,
Harmony in our day to day lives as we play between effort and ease.
So,
Take a moment to settle in,
Allow yourself to be comfortable and alert.
Begin by finding your breath,
Another reminder of the practice of effort and ease as we gently effort with the in-breath,
And release,
Relax,
Let go with the out-breath.
With intention,
Let's inhale again,
Noticing that gentle effort,
And then exhale,
Letting go,
Recognizing the ease.
One more final breath together,
Gently leaning in to the effort of the inhale,
All the way to the top of that breath,
And then pause,
Exhale,
Feeling that sensation of letting go,
Letting go,
Bringing ease.
Now let your breath fall into its natural rhythm,
With very little awareness or discipline,
Just letting the breath come in and go out,
Inhale and exhale,
Letting the natural rhythm of the breath be the anchor that brings us back to center,
The anchor that brings us back when thoughts wander,
Or bodily sensations speak to us,
The breath being the anchor that brings us back to that place of inner wisdom,
Harmony,
Balance.
Bring to mind a scenario,
An activity,
Something in your day-to-day life into which you put energy,
Time,
Dedication,
Effort.
Let your awareness broaden to understand the people,
The activities,
The ways in which you engage,
Maybe it's work,
Maybe it's a relationship,
Maybe it's exercise or a creative endeavor,
Just bring something to mind into which you put your time and your effort,
Something you care about.
Who are you with?
What are you doing?
Consider the effort that you put into this activity,
Imagining what that effort is,
Maybe visually first,
Leading our awareness to how that effort might manifest in your body.
Is there a place of sensation where you feel that effort?
What is the quality of that sensation?
Is it tense?
Is it tight?
Is it warm?
Is it tingly?
Following that awareness to the heart space and with a curious mind,
Inquiring what might the emotions be when you consider this effort?
Does the effort bring about pleasant emotions,
Joy,
Inspiration,
Creativity?
Does the effort bring about less pleasant emotions,
Fatigue,
Isolation,
Weariness?
Stay with the breath so that the thoughts remain light and any judgment suspended.
Just notice what comes up when you consider effort,
Turning your awareness to ease,
Considering the same scenario.
What's the experience of ease in this endeavor,
This activity?
Does something visual come to mind?
How does ease show up in your body?
Does it feel relaxed?
Does it feel open?
Again,
Following that awareness to the heart space,
What might some emotions be when you consider ease?
Are there pleasant emotions like calm,
Peaceful,
Inspiration,
Play,
Connection?
Or are they less pleasant,
Lethargic,
Disengaged,
Empty,
Or isolated?
Let that awareness tap into an inner wisdom to bring some insight to this experience of ease.
Take a deep breath in,
Opening and expanding and allowing this curiosity.
Exhale.
Exhale.
Let yourself relax and rest in the wisdom of this inner knowing.
This middle path is not perfection.
It is not static.
It is not black or white.
It's this beautiful harmony of gray.
Allow yourself for a moment to be in that play of effort and ease.
Take a deep breath in.
Exhale.
Release.
Relax.
Let go.
Perhaps place your hand on your heart as a gesture of kindness,
A gesture of care,
A gesture of acceptance and self-compassion that understands that our journey on the middle path is not ever perfect.
It is a journey where we're coming back to our center,
Where we employ curiosity,
Where we allow ourselves to begin again.
Take a deep breath in.
Exhale.
And let's just sit for the next few moments in silence,
Letting that wisdom settle in,
Letting that insight come forward.
Coming back to the breath.
Coming back into the body in present time.
Feeling those points of contact on the seat below you or the floor.
Perhaps gently moving the head or the shoulders,
Bringing some activity back to the hands or even tapping the feet.
Allow your eyes to gently open or your focus to come into sight.
Notice the environment around you.
I encourage you to take a moment to grab a pen and paper or a paintbrush to just take a moment to reflect and see if there are any insights that came through for you in words,
In colors,
In images.
Just taking a moment to really honor the work or the practice of the heart space,
That inner wisdom.
I bow to each of you for all of your beautiful efforts as we walk through this world in our shared humanity.
Take good care,
Go easy,
And be well.
