Settling the body,
Speech and mind,
Or the body,
Respiration and mind in their natural state or rhythm is not simply something that we do and then have done it.
But rather it's an ongoing process of settling more and more deeply,
Each time a fresh challenge.
Bring your awareness once again into the body and let it permeate this entire field.
Settle your body in a posture of ease and out of that sense of ease and comfort,
Settle your body in stillness and out of that stillness arouse a somatic sense of vigilance that can be manifested both in the sitting and in the supine position and take three slow deep breaths.
Then as you settle your respiration in its natural rhythm,
Relax more and more deeply with each out breath,
Continuing to relax,
To let go,
All the way through each out breath and continue to relax as the breath flows in.
Settle your mind in its natural state,
Setting your mind at ease,
Recognizing the stillness within and resting in that stillness,
A stillness that is bright and resting in that innate luminosity of awareness itself.
And then let us shift to the more active mode,
Arousing a sense of loving kindness for ourselves,
Bringing to mind perhaps what our own motivation was for coming to this retreat,
This time to temporarily disengage from the regular patterns of life,
The routine patterns,
Activities of our daily lives,
To temporarily withdraw into a relative simplicity,
A relative quiet,
A time to reassess,
To regroup,
To re-strategize.
What do you wish for yourself that you have not yet found?
What is missing that you long for?
And what is present that undermines your sense of well-being,
Obstructs your happiness?
What is missing that you long for?
With a clear awareness,
A certain awareness that you are not that which obstructs your happiness?
These modes of behavior,
States of mind,
They are simply events that come and go,
Perhaps habitually,
But they may go.
And you may not be aware of it.
You may not be aware of it and not return.
Envision your own freedom.
Envision your own fulfillment.
And with each out-breath,
Arouse this yearning,
May I find the happiness that I seek.
Embrace the conviction that you are worthy to find such happiness.
With each out-breath,
Arouse the yearning,
May I be free of all that which truly obstructs my own realization of genuine happiness,
Obstructs outwardly,
Obstructs inwardly.
Embrace the conviction that you are worthy to find such happiness.
May the way be clear.
May I be free of all obstructions.
With each out-breath,
Arouse the yearning,
May I find the happiness that is my heart's desire,
Genuine happiness.
And meet with all the conducive circumstances needed,
Outwardly and inwardly,
In order to bring about this fruition.
May I be free of all obstructions.
With each out-breath,
Arouse this yearning,
May I find happiness.
May I find genuine happiness and the causes of such well-being.
Envision it and imagine realizing it here and now.
