So again,
Find a comfortable way to sit that allows the back to be straight but without holding tension.
Let your shoulders hang down,
Kind of fall away from the ears.
Let the jaw relax,
Soften the eyes.
If you can let go of some tension in the neck,
Do that as well.
Let your hands rest in your lap or on your legs,
Whatever is comfortable.
And then just notice the feeling of sitting here,
The sensation of simply sitting,
Still,
The traction kind of Whatever you're feeling!
Allowing the breathing to be natural,
Paying attention to it,
But with no intention to control it.
And then taking three slow,
Deep breaths as a signal to the body and the mind that a meditation session has begun.
And starting with the feet,
We'll do a short body scan,
Just paying attention to the different areas of the body and their feeling tones.
Do you notice them being pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or is there not much of a sensation at all?
And just work your way up the body,
The calves,
The knees,
Thighs.
Continuing up the body,
The hips,
The front of the torso,
The chest,
Where the body meets the cushion or the chair.
Paying attention to the sensations in the back,
The lower back,
Mid-back,
The upper back and shoulders.
What sensations do we notice in the biceps?
And the forearms and our hands.
And bring our attention to the neck,
The face and jaw,
The eyes,
Our scalp.
Now you can let go of the body away.
Awareness.
And bring your attention to the present time experience of just right now,
Of all the different phenomena that are happening in this particular moment.
And then this one and this one.
The moment doesn't last.
Something could be happening.
Hearing may be happening.
Seeing even with the eyes closed.
Tasting,
Smelling,
Bodily and mental experiences.
What could be happening and we could be aware of in this moment?
Allowing all the experiences to be as they are.
Now let's redirect our focus to this present time awareness of breathing.
Let all the other sense experiences go for the time being and just fall to the background and let the breath come to the foreground.
Just be aware of it.
Now take a few moments and try to notice where you feel the breath.
It's usually either the tip of the nose or the upper lip and the heart or the center of the chest or the belly.
Notice where it's most apparent and pay attention to it.
Let itlight out.
Thank you.
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While you are training the mind in present time awareness of the breath,
The mind will wander.
It is just what it does.
It is important when you notice that you are no longer paying attention to the breath,
To be kind,
To be gentle with yourself,
And just simply let whatever thoughts have arisen settle to the background and bring the breath back to the foreground.
No judgment.
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Just try to be friendly towards your experience.
Of course the attention wanders.
It is just what the mind does.
Don't take it personally.
It is not your fault.
It is simply what the untrained mind does.
It will take some time and perseverance to train the attention to stay with the breath or whatever your focus is without wandering at all.
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From the foundation of present time investigative awareness that is infused with the intention of kindness and understanding,
You can now turn your attention on the mind itself.
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After having established awareness of the breath and body and the feeling tone of the present moment,
Expand the attention to the process of the thinking mind.
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Allow the awareness to be expansive,
To be open.
Try not to get caught up in the content of these thoughts.
Just notice them,
Be aware of them.
Don't try to solve any problems or figure out any answers.
Just simply notice the thoughts coming and going.
Like a train on a track.
You may notice it far in the distance.
We hear it coming and then we see it go.
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Break the addiction to the contents and identification with your mind.
Meditate on the mind as a process.
Each thought is like a bubble floating through the spaciousness of awareness.
One may contain a plan,
Another a memory,
And yet another a judgment.
Just let them float away.
Just allow each thought to pass without getting into the bubble or floating off with it.
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Until the meditation practice has matured,
You will easily get seduced by the thinking mind over and over wanting to float away on those bubbles.
A plan that seems too important to let go or get seduced by an idea that just seems too important to not remember.
It's just important to remember to let these pass.
But this is natural.
This is what the mind does.
It thinks.
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This is the natural process of training the mind and transforming your relationship to it.
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As with the breath,
Simply let go each time and return back to the focus.
Just letting the bubbles float on by.
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Not allowing the thoughts to be hindrance.
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If there is a foundation of attention that is concentrated and stable,
You may be able to experience the completely impersonal phenomenon of the proliferation of thoughts.
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You may see that one thought arises and leads to the next and to the next and to the next.
Until all of a sudden the mind is off in some fantasy.
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Spaciousness wide open where each bubble is leading to the next and then the next and the next.
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Now you can let your attention on the mind,
On the thoughts,
You can let that go and just return your attention,
Your awareness to the natural breath.
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For the last part of this meditation session.
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And then at the sound of the bell,
You can open your eyes and return your attention to your surroundings.
