Welcome to this seated meditation practice,
Where we cultivate the ability to notice our moment-to-moment experience,
Whatever that may be.
So for this practice,
The invitation is to find a supported posture.
This might be sitting in a chair or on a cushion.
It might be lying down or even standing.
Finding a posture which supports you in remaining awake and alert through the entire practice.
Holding the body upright.
The spine erect,
But not stiff.
As if a string is running through the spine up towards the sky,
Pulling upwards.
Chin tucked slightly,
Hands resting in the lap or on the knees.
And beginning our practice by simply noticing that you are sitting here in this moment.
Sensing the body,
Breathing itself,
Expanding and softening with little or no effort.
Not needing to control the breath in any way,
But just noticing that the body breathes itself.
Perhaps the mind has already wandered away.
Attention is often pulled by thinking,
Planning,
Sometimes by physical sensations or emotions.
Noticing this distraction is a moment of mindfulness,
Returning attention back to our object of focus.
Noticing the breath as it flows in and out of the body.
Noticing the moments between each breath.
When we sit in stillness,
We often notice how busy the mind is.
And noticing this busyness allows us to not get caught up in it,
But simply observe.
Refocusing attention where we choose.
Nothing more and nothing less in this moment than simply breathing.
Writing the ebb and flow of this seamless and continuous breath,
Moment by moment.
Once again,
Expanding attention to the body.
Feeling the body breathing,
Expanding and softening.
Scanning through the body,
From the toes to the top of the head,
Just to get a sense of what's present in this moment.
What physical sensations may be here.
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Noticing if a particular sensation calls to your attention.
Seeing if we can turn attention to this sensation,
To just notice it without judging or analyzing.
Noticing sensations as they shift and change or stay the same.
Noticing internal sensations within the organs,
The bones,
The muscles.
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Noticing external sensations on the surface of the skin.
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Bringing attention to smell and even taste.
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Expanding attention now to also take in sound.
Simply hearing what there is to be heard.
Not making noise or searching for noise or sound,
But just hearing things as they are.
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Noticing moments of silence.
Focusing on sound outside the room.
Bringing attention to sounds inside the room.
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Bringing attention to sound that may be arising from inside your own body.
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Still breathing,
Still feeling the body,
Still hearing.
It's not uncommon to get lost in the occurrence of sensation or sound or thoughts about sensations or sound.
And if you find this happening,
Just coming back again and again to awareness of the existence of the breath,
Noticing the existence of sensation,
Noticing the existence of sound.
All the while knowing that you're breathing,
Knowing that you're feeling,
Knowing that you're hearing.
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Expanding attention once more,
This time to include the presence of thinking and emotion.
Allowing whatever is here to appear,
To unfold,
And to disappear without any need to interfere or pursue.
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Judgments come and go.
The judgment of judgment appears and disappears.
No need to hold on to anything in the mind.
Just watching thoughts,
Watching emotions as if they're floating by like leaves on a stream.
Each one its own unique event that comes and goes.
Nothing ever stays exactly the same.
Always shifting and moving,
Coming and going.
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And now expanding awareness to include the entire field of your experience.
Holding a spaciousness of being.
Allowing whatever arises to be recognized and experienced just as it is.
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Awareness of the breath,
Awareness of physical sensations,
Awareness of thoughts and emotions.
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Not getting caught up in story or sensation or emotion.
But watching the appearance of story,
Sensation or emotion.
And allowing it to pass through the field of awareness without getting stuck or carried away by it.
If you notice that you've gotten stuck or carried away,
That moment of noticing is the moment of mindfulness.
Allowing you to return again and again to that place of spacious,
Open awareness of the entire experience moment to moment of this being human.
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Breathing,
Just breathing.
Noticing the breath in between experiences,
Sensation,
Thought,
Sound and emotion.
Maintaining this open,
Spacious awareness allows us to be the objective observer of this busy human mind.
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And finally coming back once again to just noticing the breath,
Feeling it flow in and out of the body.
Just this breath,
Just this moment,
Just this being.
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And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes.
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