Hey,
Did you know how awesome you are?
You want to know why you're awesome?
Because you're taking some time out of your day right now to sit with me and meditate.
Meditation is incredibly beneficial for not only us,
But also the people we spend our time with.
As we meditate more,
We're able to recognize our reactions and lower them.
And in turn,
We help the people around us because we're more at peace with ourselves,
More kind,
More caring,
And more understanding.
In today's meditation,
I am going to teach you a basic Buddhist meditation,
Rooted in Theravadan Buddhist philosophy.
My name is Bradley Marcus Iz.
I study and teach Theravadan philosophy online,
As well as practice,
Psychology,
And meditation.
Today,
We're going to do a very simple 10-minute meditation.
So,
When you are ready,
Please wait for the sound of the bell.
And I ask that you sit in an upright position,
If you physically can,
With your back off of a wall or a chair,
So you do not get sleepy.
This won't be a very long meditation,
And let's begin.
I'd like you to start this meditation by taking a long,
Deep breath in through the nose,
Pulling the air down into the belly,
And filling your lungs as much as you can.
And continue to fill them,
And fill them.
And when you think you cannot fill them anymore,
See if you can fill them just a bit more.
And when you are ready,
I'd like you to exhale all of that air out of your mouth.
This is a great way to start meditation,
As it helps us reset the nervous system.
And from here,
I'd like you now to focus on breathing through your nose,
And just make sure that your breaths are consistent in length.
Often,
When we're feeling anxious or worried,
Our physiological response results in a shortness of breath.
So I just ask that you focus on breathing consistent,
Long,
And balanced breaths,
In and out.
It can be helpful to count as we breathe in and out.
Counting 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Breathing out 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
In doing so,
We can make sure that our breaths are balanced and consistent.
A common experience with meditation is the arising of thoughts.
One of my favorite ways to deal with thoughts,
Especially if you're just starting out,
Is the treasure chest method.
It's something I developed.
What I'd like you to do is imagine that there is a treasure chest next to you,
And any time a thought arises,
Simply put it in the treasure chest.
Dig a hole in the ground and bury it.
You know exactly where it is.
You can come to it at a later time and deal with it as needed.
But for now,
We're just going to put the thoughts in the treasure chest and bury it and come back to the breath.
So try that now for a few moments.
Any thoughts that may arise as we're following our consistent breath,
Just go ahead and put it into the treasure chest.
You can return to a normal state of breathing now.
What I'd like you to do is simply bring your awareness to your nostrils.
We're going to focus our awareness like a laser on our nostrils and start to feel the sensations of the breath entering and leaving the body,
Specifically in the area of the nostrils.
If you feel any sort of boredom or resistance,
All I ask is that you simply observe that feeling.
Do not judge it.
Do not have an opinion on it.
Do not want to change it.
Just simply observe it.
Simply practice non-attachment to that feeling.
And when you are ready,
Return your awareness back to the nostrils.
One of my teachers once told me that practicing meditation requires a gentle determination.
So I'd like you to remember that as we continue to meditate for a few more minutes.
Have a gentle determination to keep our focus on the rings of our nostrils.
Have a gentle determination to not judge ourself or our feelings.
And have a gentle determination to stay focused in this short 10-minute meditation.
We may find as we meditate,
Some meditations are simple and easy and flow effortlessly,
It seems like.
And other meditations can feel tight and tense and restricted in practice.
While this may be true,
It's important to remember to simply observe both ends of this spectrum.
Simply be present with the feelings of the meditation themselves,
No matter what they are.
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
And in doing so,
We're practicing what the Buddha called sati,
Mindfulness.
We're also practicing alobha,
Non-attachment.
Staying mindful of our thoughts,
Our feelings,
Our sensations,
Our mental formations.
And also practicing non-attachment to these.
Non-attachment is very different than detachment.
We are not removing ourself from experience,
As detachment is defined by.
But instead practicing non-attachment,
Being present,
But not attaching to those sensations.
Just a few more moments now,
Keeping our awareness on the nostrils and keeping this practice of following the breath and the sensations it creates in this area.
