Taking time to find a space where you most likely won't be disturbed.
Although,
If there is background noise or some disturbances,
This is no problem also.
Even disturbances don't have to take your attention away.
You always have the choice to keep your attention fully on the present moment.
Taking any seated position that supports your intention to remain alert and to remain awake.
Replacing your hands however you feel most comfortable.
Beginning by noticing the breath.
We can start to take deeper breaths.
Without forcing,
Simply allow deeper breaths to come in and to fall away.
We can choose to close our eyes or choose to leave them open.
This is up to you.
Drawing deep,
Natural breaths.
Noticing how natural deep breathing is.
Feeling the sensations of the breath filling the lungs,
Filling the body.
Feel deeply all the sensations as you breathe in and allow the breath to fall away.
The breath is always available to you to anchor yourself within the present moment.
If you find during meditation that your mind has wandered and it feels frantic,
Stressed,
Simply,
Gently return attention back to the breath.
Noticing that thought by itself has no power to disturb you.
It is only when your attention follows the thought that disturbance happens.
So it is a kindness to return attention back to the present moment.
There is no next moment.
The future simply does not exist.
All thoughts of future are simply thoughts.
They are projections,
Imagination,
A fantasy.
Knowing this,
You can safely and confidently keep attention entirely within the present.
By doing so,
You are missing nothing.
If you feel the mind trying to resist by dragging thoughts to future or past,
Confidently,
Compassionately return attention back to the body and the breath.
Recognizing the past does not exist also.
The past can only exist as memory.
And this too is a thought.
The pain of the past lies in our interpretation and analysis.
Just for this time now,
Leave all interpretation and analysis aside.
Safely dropped.
Remain fully here,
Fully now.
A sense of spaciousness and peace.
Whatever the present moment has for you right now,
This is all that you need to focus on to find happiness.
A sense of friendliness with the present moment.
Leaving aside all feelings of importance and seriousness.
A sensation of allowing and acceptance.
The present moment does not need your involvement.
Your heart will continue to beat itself.
The breath continues to breathe itself.
The sun continues to rise and fall.
All life continues to grow.
The present moment contains this energy.
Feel it deeply.
Now.
No next moment.
No previous moment.
Just now.
All that exists,
Exists now.
Aligning yourself with this moment.
A sense of connectedness.
The universe needs you to perceive it,
To experience it.
How marvelous this experience is.
In an open seeing,
A clear seeing.
Without interpretation.
Without analysis.
Without projection,
Fantasy or imagination.
Simply observation of what is.
Taking five final deeper breaths.
To begin taking yourself out of formal meditation.
However,
I invite you to stay present.
Even outside of formal meditation,
Leave a little space.
You might set a timer.
Another five or ten minutes.
Or you may simply choose to bring this presence into your daily life.
Whichever activities and forms this may take.
Leave a little space.
