Getting comfortable wherever you are,
Whether you're seated in a chair or on the floor or lying down,
Just allow yourself to relax.
Noticing the feelings and sensations of your body making contact with whatever is beneath you,
Behind you.
You may want to close your eyes or cast them down as a way of drawing attention inward,
Allowing the world to drop away from you just for this time of practice.
If you're seated,
Create a nice long spine.
Even if you're lying down,
You can kind of stretch the back out a little bit.
This nice long spine sends a signal to the brain that you're awake and alert,
Even though you're in a resting position.
Now you're invited to bring your attention to your breath with the lightest touch,
Drawing the attention to the breath,
Moving in and out of your nose.
Noticing that life giving air,
Moving in and out of your body by way of your nose.
Now very intentionally dropping the attention a little bit lower into the body into your chest.
Noticing that slight rise and fall of your chest as you bring life giving air in and out of your body.
Just watching what your body naturally does by way of breathing.
At this moment,
We're not asking the breath to do anything you need or special.
We're just noticing what it does on its own accord,
Anchoring our attention and the beauty of breath.
Now once again,
Lowering the attention down into the torso,
Resting your attention now in your belly.
Noticing that diaphragmatic breathing of taking breath in and out,
Noticing that slight expansion and then deflation of your belly.
And at any time when you notice that your mind drifts,
You can bring that attention right back to the breath.
No need to get irritable or angry or frustrated.
Simply using it as an opportunity to notice when the mind drifts.
It's just a mind being a mind.
When you notice that it's drifted,
Allow yourself to come back home to the breath.
These moments that we spend in meditation coming home very intentionally to the breath over and over again.
It's an opportunity to not only ease our nervous system,
Creating a pocket of pause in our day.
But it's also a way to spend time with the holy.
To me,
More present to and aware of the presence of a loving God right here with us.
You may remember this story of Jesus when he visits Martha and Mary.
The Gospel of Luke shares these words.
Now,
As they went on their way,
He entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
She had a sister named Mary,
Who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.
But Martha was distracted by her many task.
So she came to him and asked,
Lord,
Do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?
Tell her then to help me.
But the Lord answered her,
Martha,
Martha,
You are worried and distracted by many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part,
Which will not be taken away from her.
So when we sit in meditation,
When we choose this time to access ease in our body that's already there.
We crack open this space to choose the better part,
Like Mary.
We can allow these worries and distractions of our mind.
To take a break.
When we notice even in sitting meditation that our mind drifts to our worries and our distractions.
Of our to do list and all the things that occupy our minds and our hearts through the day.
We can notice that drift to those things and then very calmly.
Encourage our attention to come back home to the breath.
To come back home to the presence of a loving God right here with us.
When your mind drifts,
You may even choose to hear the Lord saying to you,
Beloved,
Beloved,
You are worried and distracted by many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Come.
Come home.
Choose the better part.
It will not be taken away from you.
Beloved,
Beloved.
You are worried and distracted by many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Choose again to come home to the better part,
Which will not be taken from you.
Beloved,
Beloved,
You are distracted by many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Keep choosing to come home to the better part,
Which will not be taken from you.
So when you notice that your mind drifts,
Begins to strive again,
Becomes distracted and preoccupied,
Worried.
With kindness,
Compassion,
Gentleness,
Escort your attention back home to the breath.
Back home to choosing the better part.
The need of only one thing.
Come home to the presence of a loving God right here with you.
Waiting patiently to be in communion with you.
To once again fill you up with God's advocate,
The Holy Spirit.
Renew the light of Christ within you and restore you to peace,
Calm,
Equanimity.
As you wrap up this sitting meditation,
May you remember that as you go through your day,
You can always come home to these pockets of breath.
Even taking a deep breath throughout the day will bring you home to this remembrance that God is always with you.
Always yearning to fill you with God's Spirit.
To restore your sense of peace and hope.
Give you strength for whatever the day brings.
Amen.
