I'd like to invite you into a brief five-minute breath practice in which we'll practice just being tender with ourselves,
Meeting our experience with curiosity and compassion.
This will be a way of remembering who we are.
As we begin our five-minute breath meditation,
And taking a moment to get comfortable in your chair.
Though you may wish to lay down,
You may prefer to stand.
But just finding a posture that feels comfortable and easeful.
You may find a straight back somewhat helpful.
The back can be straight as you cultivate some alertness,
But not overly rigid.
So we're finding a space between rigidity and over-relaxation that leads to slumber and sleep.
So just finding an easeful,
Relaxed posture in the back.
And the eyes can either close completely,
Or the gaze can simply lower and be soft and unfocused and pointed toward the ground.
And bringing awareness to the breath at the belly.
Breathing in,
Feeling the belly rise.
And breathing out,
Feeling the belly fall.
Letting the belly be a kind of balloon whose inflation and deflation we're watching with a kind of warm-hearted curiosity.
Letting go of the need to judge or evaluate in any way,
Simply observing this rise and fall of the belly.
And maybe even noticing all of the movements and the sensations that surround and support the breath deep within the belly.
Noticing also the slice of stillness that exists between inhalation and exhalation.
Reminding us that motion and stillness are not opposites.
They're not enemies,
But they're companions.
Both needed on this journey of life.
Stillness giving rise to motion,
Motion in turn giving rise to stillness.
Again,
Breathing in,
Noticing the belly rise.
And breathing out,
Noticing the belly fall.
Really trusting that it's simply enough to watch the breath.
To go beyond the breath is to go too far.
And from time to time,
The mind wanders away from breath.
This is not a problem.
This is just what the mind does.
So whenever you're aware that the mind has wandered away to thinking or planning or judging thoughts of the future or the past,
Without any self-criticism,
Simply returning to the breath.
The breath is like a faithful friend,
Welcoming us back home over and over again.
So a hundred distractions are simply a hundred opportunities to return back to the present moment.
A thousand distractions are a thousand homecomings.
And so just allowing yourself to come back over and over,
Back to breath.
The breath anchors us in the present moment.
Because the present moment is the only place to discover yourself.
The present moment is the only place you'll ever discover your life,
People you love,
Meaningful work,
And the presence of this vast mystery that some of us name as God.
So to come back to breath is to come back to life itself.
So taking just a few more moments just to notice the breath,
To feel it in all of its fullness,
And to trust with each breath that you take,
That the breath is in fact the place where life is showing up in your little life to nourish you,
To restore you,
And to empower you to show up in fullness with courage moment to moment.
So taking three more breaths with great care as we bring our meditation to a close.
And allowing three rings of the bell to guide us back into daily life with a spirit of trust,
Presence,
And compassion.
Wishing you peace,
My friends.
