I'm so delighted you're here and have decided to join me on this mindful journey that is supported through practices like this.
So,
Let's begin by feeling this sense of arriving here,
Softly landing in the present moment within the physicality of our being,
Carefully supporting our body in any position that they would most benefit from as we invite the physicality of our body to more or less come into stillness for the next number of minutes.
So,
Bringing awareness to the body and experiencing those subtle adjustments or maybe not so subtle adjustments that may be needed,
Aligning the bones in a way that allows the muscles,
The tendons to soften and loosen around them,
And then relaxing around the eyes and ears and nose and mouth,
These portholes where we receive the sensory input of the external world or so at least that's how it's perceived,
And then letting the attention begin hovering over the movement of the breath in the body,
Just taking notice of where that movement and those sensations are most noticeable,
Most tangible,
And checking in with the other sense doors,
Orientating to the ear door,
The soundscape,
Letting those audible impressions and vibrations move through as if there was no barriers and no preferences,
What's happening at the eye door,
Can those visual impressions be known and also received in a more visceral sense.
We might feel tiny rivulets or vibrations in and around the eyes,
And we can expand on that to the sense door of tasting,
Bringing awareness to any flavors in the mouth and how those flavors might actually have their own texture,
Attune to the sense door of touching,
A feeling of sensing itself or the physicality of our body comes into the foreground again,
And we begin noticing all the different sensations that are happening there,
And they're plentiful,
And they range from subtle to gross,
From pleasant to unpleasant,
To neutral,
And yet within this activity of noticing,
Of awareness,
We can experience them without that conditioned habit to do anything with them,
To try to change them in any way.
So,
If there's little twinges,
Twitches,
Achings,
Pains,
Discomforts,
We can simply allow them to be known in this vast space of awareness rather than zooming in,
We can zoom out and hold it in a broader context,
And all of this noticing and this activity of awareness,
Although expansive and vast,
Actually originates from a very central place within ourselves,
Within the physicality of our body and our being.
And so,
I invite you now,
Dear friend,
Just to take a few moments to locate that centered place within yourself,
And then once that's found,
To place at least one finger or a few fingers or your hand in that spot,
And let the fingertips just gently rest there for even just a few moments as a physical reference point to where the attention can connect,
And there can be this real direct experience of a gathering and collecting around this place and around this reference point.
So,
That might be at the solar plexus,
Right between the breastbone,
Maybe around the physical heart or at the center of the chest or on the abdomen,
Or maybe somewhere else.
It doesn't necessarily have to be at the core of the body,
Though that tends to be where we more commonly experience that centered place within,
But really could be even at the third eye,
Right in between the space between the eyes,
Or again,
Anywhere else.
There's no right or wrong place,
And once your attention has connected there,
Continuing to allow this experience of gathering,
Collecting,
Coming together to occur moment by moment through the activity of awareness and of noticing.
So there's a knowing of experiencing this place that's happening,
And can this knowing be very light,
Joyful,
Friendly,
And kind?
And can there be a sense of appreciation for it and for allowing your being to come into being in this moment and to simply be,
Which is a way to define this practice that we call meditation or a mindfulness practice.
It's really this deliberate activity of engaging in our life in a different yet familiar way,
Our more innate way of existing in life that just gets covered up with our typical daily preoccupations,
And self-concerns,
And worries,
And overactive ego center that constantly is needing to build a sense of self and protect that sense of self,
And in this activity of awarenessing,
We're giving essentially that eye-maker a break,
And we're tapping into an experience that is much larger,
More expansive,
Really indescribable,
But also palpable and visceral than our conditioned sense of self in this moment.
So it's like plugging in to this universal life force or that vibrational field that awareness exists in,
That consciousness,
This collective consciousness exists in,
And it's all-encompassing,
And it's as vast as we can imagine it to be.
And where everything,
Everything has its place,
All patterns of energy can come and go and exist in this place.
So as we sit here,
Dear friend,
What would it be like to continually,
Moment-by-moment,
Deliberately align the dimensions of our being,
Mind,
Body,
And heart within this activity of noticing and experiencing that happens within it,
Direct experiencing of all the senses,
Of all of the various energies and patterns and movements that are occurring both within us and around us as they're dependent on one another,
Continually interacting,
As we simply abide,
Observing it all and discovering the beauty and the preciousness,
Unknowability of what's happening right here,
Right now in our human experience,
And how can this activity of awareness nurture and bolster uplifting states of mind and heart in this activity of noticing and of awarenessing help your beingness to come alive in this moment and to really know something about what that's like,
At least in a visceral sense and somatic sense.
So the breath is happening,
Sounds are happening,
Visual impressions are happening,
Sensations are happening,
Flavors are happening,
This flow of life continually unfolding,
Ever-present,
All-inclusive,
Utterly life-giving,
And even just for a moment,
Can there be a smile?
Can you allow the muscles in your face to adjust in that way that embodies the spirit of friendliness,
Of welcome,
This expression of a warm welcome or welcoming to what's unfolding?
Within this smile,
You may notice an even powerful,
More powerful surge of appreciation.
Bubble up,
Move through,
And aligning the mind and heart with those qualities,
Lightheartedness,
Quality of care,
Of gratitude for being offered this gift of life,
Returning to present,
Opening to awareness,
Reconnecting to this universal vibration of life,
The flow of life,
Right here,
Right now,
Letting go of thoughts,
All the thoughts that take you out of your life and plugging back into that experience of being that lets you come to life.
As we come to a closing of this formal practice,
Dear friend,
Taking note of any helpful,
Wholesome,
Nourishing qualities that may have been generated and nurtured in this practice or might just be here now in this moment as you take this opportunity to acknowledge them,
To check in.
And even if it's just a glimmer,
Just a glimmer of peace,
Of ease,
Of contentment,
Of feeling connected to something greater,
That's enough,
More than enough to share it freely.
And so,
Together,
Friend,
Dear friend,
Let's take a moment to become this conduit of all that's good and to allow this free flow of goodness to move in all directions,
Bringing to mind loved ones and those in our orbit and outside of our orbit,
Seen and unseen,
This existence in itself,
Or all that's just existing on this beautiful planet,
Whatever feels available in terms of the heart opening to and then allowing these beautiful qualities to move through you and touch,
In touching all being.
May we all learn to appreciate the moments of our life and continually align our entire being,
The dimensions of our being,
Mind,
Body,
And heart with all that's wholesome and right and good and life-giving.
For the benefit of all being here on this planet and beyond.
Thank you,
Dear friend,
For your presence and your practice.
It doesn't go unnoticed.
