So first of all we want to be sitting in a way that's kind.
So we're building that in right from the very beginning.
But being kind doesn't mean slumping or being lazy and just letting everything hang loose.
What it means is sitting in a way that's both comfortable and that's going to encourage our long-term well-being.
So that means that we want to be sitting upright so that we can have the spine erect,
So that we can breathe freely and so that the heart can be open.
So think about what your body's like when you feel confident.
The straight back,
An open chest,
The head level,
But also no unnecessary tensions in the body.
You can think about sitting with a sense of dignity.
So as you're sitting here now,
Just letting the body soften.
We'll continue with an exercise called looking with loving eyes.
And this involves remembering what it's like to look with love,
To look with fondness and affection.
So just recalling an experience like that.
I like to think of looking at my children at night while they're asleep.
And when I remember that,
I feel a sense of my heart being full,
The eyes being soft,
A sense of tenderness,
Protectiveness,
Cherishing.
So calling to mind right now some kind of experience like that.
It doesn't have to involve children.
You'd recall the experience of looking at anyone you love or even a pet and really being aware of the qualities of that experience.
How you feel emotionally,
Sensations in the body,
And just allowing those qualities of experience to continue as you turn your awareness more fully toward the body.
Being aware of the physical sensations of the body right now with the same kindness and tenderness and care that would be in your gaze as you looked at someone you love.
And becoming more aware specifically of the sensations connected with the breathing.
Noticing the rise and fall of the chest,
The expansion and relaxation of the whole ribcage.
And you can notice this not just on the front of the body,
But on the sides and the back as well.
You can notice the movements in the abdomen as you breathe in and out,
Again just recognizing that these movements take place on the front of the body,
The sides,
The lower back.
And you can notice not just the movements of your muscles and the movements of the ribcage,
But the movements of the skin.
This constantly changing pattern of contact with your clothing as you breathe in and breathe out.
And just observing this as best you can with a sense of kindness,
With an open heart.
Sometimes we don't feel kind,
Sometimes there are circumstances in our lives that make that difficult.
So if at this moment you don't have those feelings of looking with love and affection,
Looking with tenderness and kindness,
Just accepting that's okay.
That's just how things are for now.
And as you pay attention to your breathing,
Noticing the intimate touch that the air makes with your airways as you breathe in and out.
Air reaching down into the depths of your lungs,
Breath leaving the body from the core of your being,
Flowing back into the world again.
And the mind will probably wander.
You may well find that for periods of time you get totally lost in thinking.
There can be a tendency to be disappointed or annoyed or self-critical,
But we don't need to do those things.
We can just accept that it's normal to get distracted.
Getting distracted is just part of the process of meditating.
We can acknowledge that although the mind does go wandering,
It always comes back again,
Quite mysteriously,
Without our doing anything.
And it's in these moments when mindfulness has come into being once more that we have an opportunity to be accepting and kind and patient.
And so you can just continue like this for as long as you want,
Being mindful of the breathing,
Getting distracted,
And then mindfulness spontaneously,
Miraculously reappearing.
Just continuing with this practice for as long as you want until it feels ready for you to begin moving the body once again,
Until it feels appropriate for you to open the eyes.
