So,
First finding a comfortable stationary position,
We begin the practice by adjusting the different parts of the body to establish an experience of ease and stability,
And then we bring our awareness into the parts of the body that are currently in contact with the ground,
Entrusting ourselves to those experiences of firmness,
Stability and stillness,
Feeling the ground holding us,
And in experiencing that,
Allowing our body to start releasing muscle tension,
Deliberate movement,
And anything that could oppose the process of natural breathing,
With our awareness visiting and potentially relaxing our feet and toes,
Our legs in general,
Our abdominal muscles,
And then the chest,
The shoulders,
Hands and fingers,
And finally our facial muscles,
Softening them,
And then bringing the awareness to the entirety of the body,
All of the tactile sensations in this material field of energy,
Noticing the way that the body is breathing,
And in particular,
Noticing the sensations associated with each inhalation and each exhalation as they manifest in the body,
Anywhere in the body.
Then,
For a little while,
Revisiting our highest aspirations for psychological or spiritual practice,
To establish them as the foundation for this meditative exercise,
As a foundation for this practice,
And then returning to the sensations of breathing,
To observe them with the fullness of our attention,
With the fullness of our awareness,
Observing the dance of tactile sensations associated with the breath,
With the inhalation and the exhalation,
And with each exhalation,
In particular,
Relinquishing control,
Releasing,
To the degree that's available to us,
Even the subtle forms of control over the process of breathing.
Then,
For a little while,
Bringing our attention,
In particular,
To the middle section of our chest,
To the part of the chest that's holding our heart and our lungs,
But without imagining these organs there,
Simply attending to the space in that part of the body itself,
Seeing and feeling this space and inviting the energy of the breath to enter this specific part of our energetic field,
And while still breathing naturally,
Feeling and imagining that we are,
In particular,
Bringing this breathing energy into this middle part,
Into the space of our heart and lungs,
And just doing this for a few cycles of breathing.
Some people find it beneficial to count up to nine,
Doing nine such cycles,
Whereas others just do a few of those and then return to the natural process of breathing,
Where the entirety of the body is the object,
Then returning to the natural flow,
Observing the sensations of breathing throughout the body,
Then returning to the middle part of our chest,
And repeating the same exercise of inviting the energy of the breath there when we inhale,
Allowing it to fully leave when we exhale,
And doing that for a few cycles of breathing,
Not holding the breath,
Not forcing the breath,
And yet firmly keeping our attention on that space and inviting the energy there.
And once again,
That can be done for nine cycles or just for a few cycles without counting,
Eventually returning to the process of natural breathing and attending to the sensations of breathing throughout the body,
Anywhere they might manifest in the tactile field,
Then very slightly adjusting this exercise in that we still invite the energy of the breath into that middle part of our chest,
But this time after inhaling for just a few seconds,
We very gently hold it there before naturally releasing with the exhalation.
And once again,
Doing this just for a few cycles,
Inhaling,
Very gently holding,
And then releasing,
Inhaling,
Gently holding,
And then releasing,
Allowing that energy of breathing to truly nourish that part of our body before we release it again.
And eventually,
Once again returning to the process of uncontrived natural breathing,
Where we are not holding the breath in any way,
Where we are allowing the body itself to regulate the breath,
And where our awareness is just resting on the sensations,
On the dance of tactile sensations accompanying the breath and arising in the body,
Then spending a few moments mentally dedicating the energy of our practice to the highest aspirations with which we began.
May this training contribute to the fulfillment of those goals and bring the greatest possible well-being and freedom to all who live.
And then we introduce some movement to the body,
We open our eyes,
And we conclude this practice.
