And we'll begin our meditation on the hindrances with the bell.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
The bell is invited.
So beginning again by noticing what you're sitting or lying on.
Noticing the shape of your body in this moment.
Just remembering how whatever you're sitting or lying on is itself being supported by the enormous earth.
The whole enormous earth is really what's supporting you.
So you can really just let your body weight release down.
Go of any holding.
Let yourself just fully arrive.
Hello,
My dear body.
I'm home.
Home in my body.
You can notice your feet and what your feet are touching,
Noticing your legs,
What your legs are touching and how your legs are feeling.
Sensing your hips.
Sensing your back,
Your spine.
Sensing your shoulder blades.
Your shoulders.
Sensing your hands and your arms.
Your neck.
Your head.
Sensing your face.
Your throat.
Sensing your heart,
Lungs,
Chest.
Rib cage.
Your belly.
And all the way to your pelvic floor.
And sensing your whole body now from the top of your head to the tips of your toes your whole body.
And then finding your breath.
Noticing.
And then inhale.
And noticing an exhale.
Just continuing to notice an inhale and notice an exhale.
Notice how the breath just comes in and goes,
Very little effort on your part.
Breathing in,
I can feel I'm breathing in and breathing out.
I can feel I'm breathing out.
And as always,
If this is all you need today and what you need is just to be here breathing,
You just stay right there.
And just keep breathing and holding yourself and you're breathing with loving care.
And if you want to go on this journey around the hindrances with us,
You can follow my voice.
We'll just begin by imagining a situation where something triggers you.
So it could be like the situation I described where you go to work and find out you've been fired.
Or it could be something smaller.
It could be someone has messed up the kitchen or maybe you've stubbed your toe really hard or something that triggers you.
Something that triggers you enough that you have a reaction.
You have a reaction arising.
And first notice is your reaction that you would like to get something to make yourself feel better?
So is your reaction like,
Let me just get myself something to soothe myself?
Let me get myself something sweet to eat or buy myself a little something so that I'll feel better?
Noticing if that's the reaction you have.
Again,
There's zero judgment here.
This we all do all of these.
Or noticing is your first reaction,
One of anger?
Swearing internally or externally,
Gritting your teeth or blaming someone.
Is that what comes up?
And if so,
You might notice if you can sense what that feels like in your body when that comes up.
Or.
Is your first reaction to worry?
Oh,
No.
This happened and this will happen and this might happen and this might happen and all of these terrible things might happen.
And again,
If that's what you notice and notice,
How does that feel in your body?
Or.
Is your first reaction one to doubt yourself?
Oh,
Like,
Maybe I forgot to tell that person to do this or maybe I it's my fault that this happened or maybe I should have done something differently or maybe I'm confused about this.
Noticing if that's your first reaction and what that might feel like.
Or.
Is your first reaction to block it out entirely?
I cannot deal with this.
I've got to get out of here.
Let me go and have a glass of whatever.
Let me go and take a nap.
Let me get this out of my mind immediately and not not look at it.
Let me shut down.
What does that feel like?
So now just noting which one felt most familiar.
Or maybe more than one,
But noticing what felt familiar.
Maybe what didn't feel familiar at all.
What's one that maybe you don't do.
And all of this as way of understanding ourselves,
Nothing more,
No judgment,
No critique of ourselves but just understanding how we operate,
What habits have been conditioned into us.
And then releasing all the hindrances and coming back to the original story the original trigger and noticing if you can,
What it would be like to not choose one of the hindrances.
What,
What is the alternative.
Is it possible to stay present in that situation.
It doesn't mean we tolerate things that are abusive or problematic it's just how would it be to not choose one of those five hindrances.
What might other alternatives be for you.
Is there a self care or love self loving alternative that could be reached in that moment.
And what would you need to be able to be present in that moment.
Breathing in,
I can feel I'm breathing in,
Breathing out,
I can feel I'm breathing out.
So releasing all of that,
All the story,
All of the analysis or whatever.
Just release it all and come back to the breath.
Beginning of the inhale the middle of the inhale the end of the inhale.
Beginning of the exhale middle of the exhale and end of the exhale.
And just following the breath closely now.
Nothing else to do.
It's like the breath is massaging you from the inside.
This is the heart of the practice right here,
This breath,
This moment.
This is the heart of the practice right here,
This moment.
