So just closing our eyes and allowing all those impressions of sight,
Of activity,
Even the taste of the tea to settle down,
And just sensing the beautiful,
Warm,
Safe,
Friendly atmosphere in this room,
Even with your eyes closed,
Recognizing that you're with spiritual friends,
And noticing if there's a sense of ease that arises,
Bringing that ease,
That feeling of safety and relaxation into your body,
Allowing your body to just settle down in the most comfortable posture you can find for your body right now,
Responding to what the body needs to be at ease,
Rather than pushing the body around.
So for the first few minutes of the meditation,
Making any adjustments,
Perhaps loosening any items of clothing that are a little too tight,
Making sure your limbs have enough space,
Releasing any compression on the buttocks or tightness,
Tension in the knees,
Allowing the shoulders to relax,
And finding that comfortable position for your head,
So there's no holding.
Your head becomes almost weightless,
Supported by your neck,
Your back,
Your buttocks on the chair or the ground,
Allowing all the tension to simply drain through the ground.
And relaxing your face,
No need to hold a particular expression,
No one's looking,
No one's judging you right now,
Just letting any tension,
Any tightness,
Drain from your brow,
The eyes just floating in the eye sockets,
Allowing the cheeks to hang,
The jaw to relax and release any tension,
And tuning up,
Tuning in to the delight of relaxation and ease.
And just to get us into that mood of feeling safe,
Feeling held,
And letting things be,
I'd like to invite you,
If you wish,
To imagine that you're walking through a very beautiful forest,
Perhaps somewhere that you know and you feel at home,
A special place or a place that feels safe for you,
Maybe a meadow,
Maybe even a sandy beach,
And just bring details of that scene to mind,
Perhaps a soft,
Gentle breeze,
Noticing the beautiful rustling in the leaves of the trees or the sound of the waves,
The demands of your normal working life far away,
Settled,
Nothing to worry about,
Nothing to do.
And as you're wandering through this beautiful place,
You sense a feeling of loving kindness coming over you,
As though there's a wise being somewhere nearby,
Someone who embodies a sense of loving kindness,
Wisdom and peace,
And you feel yourself getting closer,
Closer to the source of this great peace,
Great stillness,
Until you realize you're in the presence of the Buddha himself,
Sitting quietly there in the forest or in the meadow,
Wherever you happen to be right now.
Maybe alongside the Buddha there's a great teacher who you really trust or another spiritual friend,
Someone who really embodies that sense of love,
Unconditional,
Non-judgmental acceptance,
And with a feeling of awe and trust,
You settle down near to this great being,
Perhaps the Buddha,
Perhaps the people here right now,
And you just allow yourself to receive their loving kindness,
As though you're basking in the warmth and the light of the sun,
Allowing that loving kindness to soak right through your body,
To every little pore,
Into all those places you've ignored or places that hurt,
That are tight or anxious,
Until your whole being is full of this feeling of loving kindness,
Allowing everything,
Your body,
Your emotional world,
And even the thinking mind,
To settle and relax.
You may experience this beautiful aura of loving kindness,
Of peace,
As a sensation of softness or warmth,
Or perhaps as a golden light,
Until a deep feeling of contentment starts to take over the mind.
There's nowhere else you'd rather be,
Nothing you need to do,
Just soaking up this peace,
This loving kindness,
Freely given to you,
Taking it deep inside the mind,
Into the silent parts of your mind,
And just resting there for a while,
Being with the silence,
As though it's a very dear and precious friend,
As though you've stumbled upon a great treasure in the depths of your mind,
And it's so easy to be with.
The whole atmosphere is imbued with stillness in the presence of the Buddha and your spiritual friends.
You don't want to think,
And as the mind quietens,
Becomes spacious and still,
It starts to settle and finds a beautiful resting place with the breath,
Even for a single breath,
As though the breath comes to offer you its hand,
And you gently take their hand and walk alongside the breath in friendship,
With respect,
And with care,
As though your breath is also a wise being,
Showing you the way to deeper peace,
To the beautiful joy in the mind,
Just allowing the mind to rest with the breath for as long as it finds comfort and joy,
Being so,
So gentle with your mind,
And trusting this beautiful journey leading you deeper inside.
Whether the breath stays or wanders away,
Whether it settles and disappears,
You just maintain this kind and friendly attitude,
Trusting that this is the way to peace.
So we're coming close to the end of the meditation,
But if you wish you can simply carry on,
Allowing yourself to enjoy whatever feelings of ease and peace have arisen,
However humble,
Just allowing yourself to soak them in,
Developing contentment with the silence,
With the peace,
Perhaps with the joy,
However subtle it may be,
Or maybe intense.
And for those who wish,
We can gradually come back into the body and move into some walking practice.
So if you wish to transition into the walking,
Just coming back gently into your body,
Feeling your feet on the ground,
Or maybe your legs,
Your thighs on the floor,
Without disturbing the stillness of the mind,
Slowly spreading your attention from the feet,
Through the legs,
The knees,
The buttocks,
Up through the trunk of the body,
Onto the shoulders,
From your fingertips,
Through your hands,
Through your arms,
Feeling your neck and your head once again,
And noticing if there's any change in your body,
Perhaps it feels a little looser,
Or maybe it needs a stretch.
So just gently in your own time,
Maybe wiggling your toes,
Stretching your back,
And staying connected to any feelings of peace or happiness as you gently open your eyes.
