When we are meditating or trying to gain some level of interior quiet,
The mind doesn't stop thinking.
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Ideas and plans,
They come and go,
All on their own.
They will not stop simply because you,
You who are not the same thing as your thoughts and emotions,
Are trying to be quiet.
Thus,
It is almost futile to fight them.
Instead we can acknowledge them and let them go on their way.
Today's practice,
Dear friend,
Is precisely this.
How do we let our thoughts go without giving them our attention?
First,
Let's take a moment to settle the body.
Sit in a way comfortable to you,
Whether in a chair or on the floor.
Maybe your legs are flat in front of you,
Cross-legged,
However is comfortable.
With your arms,
Reach up to the ceiling with your fingers interlaced,
Palms facing upwards.
Slowly,
Reaching to the sides with your palms out,
Reach to the sides and let your arms fall.
Your shoulders rolled back and your chest held high,
A posture of calm and composure.
Listen to your breath.
Take long slow breaths in and out.
Let your lower torso expand with each breath to fill your lungs deeply.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly,
Pausing at the top between the inhale and the exhale.
If it helps,
Count to three or four on each inhale and exhale.
We do this to slow the body,
Which in turns tells our mind also to slow.
Take a few more breaths,
Being attentive to them.
In your mind's eye,
Imagine sitting next to a small creek.
Listen to the water babble over the stones.
What time of year is it in your mind?
What is the weather?
What is around you?
Are there birds singing or breezes sighing?
Are there frogs croaking?
Sit by this creek,
Focusing in your breath and the sound of water flowing and the sounds of life around you.
Eventually,
Stray thoughts will come to mind.
When they do,
Imagine writing them down on a piece of paper.
Say thank you for the thought.
Then fold it into a paper boat and set it on the water.
Let the creek bear the thought away.
Most of our thoughts recur from day to day,
So you will likely see this one again.
But for now,
We acknowledge the thought of a simple thank you.
Fold it into a boat and let it float away down the creek.
Again,
We focus on the quiet in our minds,
Listening to our breath,
To the creek around us in our minds eye.
This simple technique does not stop errant thoughts from approaching our attention.
Rather,
It helps us to gracefully acknowledge them,
To let them go,
Without losing our focus.
For you are more than your thoughts.
This time spent meditating is about connecting to that deeper,
More authentic self.
When you are ready to move on to other paths of meditation or prayer,
Or to go on with your day,
Simply take leave of this quiet creek and say thank you for this moment of quiet.
Peace to you,
Dear friend.
God bless you.
Always want to live in and not cliff,
So I'm going to pretend that helped make the game better but then we'reums have to be
