The ancient teachings say that meditation is being with reality as it is.
One thing you can't deny is that there is the experience of a body here breathing,
So we can use that as the starting point.
We use the breath to anchor us in the now,
In what's real.
The breath can guide us out of the labyrinth of the mind,
To the present moment.
To start,
We will simply focus on the air moving through the nose.
Put your attention on your nose and just experience the air going in and out.
When you are breathing in,
Notice that you're breathing in.
When you are breathing out,
Notice that you're breathing out.
Let the breath be natural,
Don't control it in any way.
Let the intelligence of the body move the breath.
We are going to be aware of this one thing in order to develop concentration.
We are going to feel the sensations moving through the nose and the nostrils.
Whatever sensations are there.
There might be a tingling sensation,
A feeling of heat,
Of coolness,
A pressure,
A feeling of the air flowing.
Just observe whatever is there.
Thoughts may come up and interfere with your meditation in many ways.
Thoughts may come,
But we are going to consciously let go of any interest in them,
To avoid getting lost in the stories of the past and future.
If your attention goes to some internal dialogue or mental images,
Simply return back to the breath and be aware that the thoughts may try to continually hook your attention.
Keep observing the breath,
Single pointedly,
The air moving in and out of the nose.
Allow it to anchor your attention.
It's important to understand that the mind doesn't need to stop its activity.
You don't need to suppress or try to make the mind blank.
You simply become disinterested in it.
The more fully our attention is held with the experience of the breath,
The less it is going to be caught in the mind or other sensory distractions.
The mind will come up with all kinds of ways to divert your attention.
Stay alert and vigilant.
Don't get caught in the thoughts and don't push them away.
This is the middle way.
Let everything be as it is.
Don't control or manipulate your thoughts in any way.
If you try to manipulate your thoughts,
Then you're trying to achieve something.
This is just another idea,
Just another thought.
Your meditation will become a battle and the only one you're fighting is yourself.
Give up all interest in thoughts,
Give up trying to achieve anything,
And abide with the breath.
Being thoughtlessly aware,
Watching the breath.
It's blissful,
It's peaceful if you drop your inner resistance.
Meditation is simply letting everything be as it is.
Wait for the next breath to arrive on its own.
Don't take the next breath.
Let the breath take you.
When you let go of control of the breath,
There may be a bit of fear.
You may have an impulse to take a deep breath.
Trust the body.
Trust that it knows how to breathe.
There's nothing to do in this meditation other than observe the breath.
It may become obvious what the mind is already doing.
It's constantly generating thoughts.
But you keep coming back to the breath.
Stay in the now.
If sensations arise elsewhere in the body,
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral,
Ignore them for now.
Limit awareness to the sensations in the nose.
The mind will sometimes wander.
That's okay.
All of the sudden,
You might be lost in a thought.
The moment you remember,
You come back into the present moment.
Back to the breath.
Back to the breath.
Back to the breath.
This is the practice.
Don't get frustrated.
You can just smile at the situation.
This is the human situation,
The human condition.
The mind is very undisciplined.
The longer you sit in presence without moving,
Without reacting,
The more intense sensations may arise and offer the possibility of deeper purification.
Now I will stop talking so you can sit in silence.
I will stop talking so you can sit in silence.
You've been sitting there for too long that you'll raise your hands high.
