So take a moment.
Begin to settle into your seat,
Whatever that might look like for today.
And so maybe you're seated directly on the earth,
Or maybe you're in a chair,
Or on the couch.
You can even be reclined on the bed if you wish.
But however you are setting up your meditation seat today,
Allow your spine to be as long as possible.
Finding comfort,
Supporting any joints.
If you're on a chair or on a couch,
Is it possible to let your feet rest directly on the earth?
If you are on the earth,
Maybe you have a blanket or blocks beneath the knees or under your seat for support and comfort.
Allowing your spine to lengthen.
And take any wiggles,
Any shakes,
Make any adjustments with your body.
If it would feel nice to take cleansing breaths or long,
Slow exhales through the nose,
Find several of those to help you settle.
And then you'll begin to notice what it is that your five senses are taking in from the world around you.
Starting with sound.
Sounds off in the distance.
Begin to listen.
Allowing your awareness to move from sound to sound.
There's no need to name the sound or try to figure out where it's coming from.
You're just listening to all the different sounds that arise in your awareness.
Allow those sounds to become a background hum.
Bring your awareness into the space.
Listening to all the different sounds in the space around you.
Now allow those sounds to become a part of the background hum as you bring your awareness inward even more.
Begin to listen for the sound of your own breath.
The sound of your breath may be easy to hear.
Or you may have to listen intently.
But as you're listening,
There's no need to change the breath in any way.
You don't have to shift the volume.
Make the breath bigger or deeper.
You're just listening.
And as you continue to listen for your breath.
Begin to allow your awareness move to your sense of smell.
As you breathe in,
Can you notice a scent lingering in the air around you?
Maybe you've lit a stick of incense,
Or maybe you're burning a candle.
Maybe you've recently brewed a cup of tea or coffee.
And if there's an absence of scent in the space around you.
Maybe you just begin to recognize the sensation of your breath moving in and out through your nose.
Now move awareness to the inside of your mouth.
The tongue,
The insides of the cheeks.
Is there moisture present?
Does the mouth feel dry?
Is there a flavor?
Maybe you just had a sip of that coffee or tea and that flavor lingers on your tongue.
Whether your eyes are closed or gazing softly.
Begin to visualize,
Imagine,
Remember the space that you're in.
The color of the walls,
The shape of the room.
Begin to see yourself in the space.
And then begin to notice those places on your skin.
Where you feel the air gently touching the skin.
Where do you feel your clothing resting on your skin?
And then notice those points of connection between your body and the surface beneath you.
Your feet.
Your legs.
In your seat specifically.
Feel those areas grow heavy with gravity,
Anchoring down into the support of the earth.
As you establish this anchor of support into the surface beneath you.
Down towards the earth.
Fill your spine length and once again.
Whether you're seated upright,
Whether you're reclined,
Or whether you are supine.
Can you begin to sense a little more space between each of your vertebra of the spine?
Your face,
Your throat,
Shoulders,
Belly.
Are all soft and relaxed.
But there's a steadiness,
A stability to your body.
That begins to welcome and encourage.
Alertness to the mind.
Now bring your awareness back to your breath.
Begin to listen to the breath once again.
As you're listening,
Maybe noticing the volume.
Maybe hearing or sensing or feeling a texture to the breath.
Hitches or breaks.
The breath flowing smoothly.
And whatever is arising in your breath.
There's nothing to change or do or control.
You're just,
Once again,
Observing the breath.
Maybe you come back to the felt sensation of the breath moving in and out through your nose.
What other sensations do you notice in your body as you're breathing?
Maybe the sensation of your collarbone lifting,
Your ribcage widening on the inhale.
And possibly the navel gently drawing back as you exhale.
Maybe you notice the temperature of the breath.
The breath enters through the nose.
A slight coolness to the breath.
And as the breath leaves.
A gentle warmness.
Now continue to follow this sensation of your breath in and out through your nose.
As you breathe in,
Sensing the breath moving in through both sides of the nose.
And on the exhale,
The breath moving back out through both sides of the nose.
Just sensing the breath riding the bridge of the nose on the inhale and the exhale.
Now begin to refine the breath.
Into Samavritti,
Balanced movement.
So you'll begin to match the length of the inhale and the exhale.
Often this is a four count in and a four count out.
But the sum of riti can be shorter,
Maybe three counts,
Or longer,
Five or six or even seven,
Depending on your own rhythm today.
So find that Samavritti rhythm that is comfortable for you.
There's no straining or efforting.
The breath is smooth and complete.
And continue to refine this sum of writ D.
By noticing that short pause between the inhale and exhale.
Your awareness is just resting on that space between each breath.
You're not creating the space.
You're not stopping or starting the breath.
You're just noticing that there's a small space as the inhale turns into the exhale.
And the exhale turns back into the inhale.
Now begin to dissolve this space between each breath.
Each round of breath,
The space becoming smaller and smaller.
So that your inhale flows right into the exhale,
And your exhale then in turn flows right back into an inhale.
Now dissolve the breath count.
Dissolve Samavritti.
Dissolve any efforting.
Effortless breath.
Bringing awareness to the crown of your head.
Awareness moves to the crown of your head.
Taking a moment to notice any sensation at the crown of your head.
Tingling.
Numbness.
Corners.
Spaciousness.
Construction.
Just noticing sensation at the crown of your head.
Allow your awareness to ever so slowly begin to move.
In through the crown of your head down.
The central channel.
Along the throat.
Into the space of the heart,
The center of the chest.
Continuing to slowly move down.
To settle into your navel.
Awareness settling into your navel.
Deep within the central channel of your body.
And with awareness resting.
At the central channel,
At the navel.
Begin to see or sense.
A golden almond shaped flame.
Just observe the flame.
Its color.
Its size.
Its shape.
Is it flickering or is it steady?
Are there various shades of gold or orange or red?
Or is it one solid shade of gold?
Begin to notice the light that is cast from the flame.
Is it concentrated right around the flame itself,
Or is it cast out further?
Expanding in different directions.
Above and below.
Side to side.
Front to back.
Whatever the color,
The shape.
Quality of that flame.
Continue to rest your awareness on that flame.
The light that it casts.
Begin to sense the light that it casts move outward,
Expanding.
Beginning to illuminate.
Your interior world.
So light beginning to fill the whole body.
From belly to back.
Left side of the waist to right side of the waist.
Down to the tailbone,
Up the length of the spine and to the ribs,
The chest,
The heart,
Under the collarbone.
Keep sensing,
Seeing,
Feeling that light of the golden almond-shaped flame expanding.
Down the length of the arms and the legs.
All the way into the hands,
The feet,
The fingers,
The toes.
Up through the neck.
Into the face and the head and the crown.
And eventually the whole body.
Your whole body becomes filled with this golden light.
Now this light continues to expand.
In all directions,
Front to back.
Side to side.
Top to bottom.
Seeping.
Through the skin and out into the world.
This golden light.
Expanding.
And eventually.
The light not only fills the whole body.
But circles the whole body.
Sense,
Feel yourself.
Surrounded by this golden orb of light.
Notice sensation inside the body.
Where the light moves into all the nooks and crannies.
Sense or feel any sensation.
On the outer body,
On the skin,
Where you're surrounded by this golden orb of light.
Feel the light on the soles of your feet.
The crown of your head.
The whole length of the back of your body.
And the whole length of the front of your body.
Surrounded.
By this golden light.
You'll continue to rest in this golden orb of light for the next two minutes.
Your whole self absorbed in this golden orb of light Now sense this golden light beginning to recede back towards your body.
Ever so slowly.
Receding back.
Being absorbed once again into the body.
Continuing to move back to that central point.
Of that golden almond shaped flame at your navel.
The light continues just slowly.
Absorb back into itself.
Arriving into this concentrated flame once again.
Flame resting at your navel,
See or sense or feel.
This golden almond shaped flame at your navel.
Notice the qualities of the flame once again.
Does it flicker?
Is it steady?
Sent multiple colors of gold and orange.
Is that one solid color.
Does it radiate heat?
Or coolness.
How far does it cast its light?
And as your awareness continues to rest on this almond-shaped flame at your navel.
Knowing that this light,
This luminosity is always present within you.
A guiding force.
A remembrance of strength and courage.
Of wisdom,
Of discernment.
Of your vitality.
Know that you can come back to this inner light at any time.
And since even in its concentrated form,
Resting at the navel,
That you are still surrounded at all times by this golden orb of light.
Now slowly begin to bring yourself back by deepening your breath.
As your breath deepens,
Begin to send your awareness and your senses back out into the world.
Hearing the sounds in the room around you.
Hearing sounds off in the distance.
Feeling the places where your body is supported by the surface beneath you.
Or clothing is brushing your skin.
As your breath deepens,
Once again notice a scent that may be lingering in the air.
Let awareness move back into the mouth to notice a flavor or moisture.
And then finally,
See yourself in the space.
The shape of the room,
The color of the walls.
And where you are in the space.
Continuing to welcome yourself back.
And slowly bring your chin to your chest and your hands to heart center.
Taking a moment to offer any sort of gratitude for the practice.
For this remembrance of your luminosity.
That light within you,
That light within all of us.
Can begin to rub the palms together,
Creating some warmth.
And if there is any space of your body that would like a blessing or an anointing,
Once the palms are nice and warm,
You can take your hands,
Placing those anywhere on your body.
Or even over the eyes.
And slowly blinking the eyes open,
Letting some light begin to stream through.
And finally,
Resting your hands back down.
Coming back fully,
Completely.
Taking in the world around you.
The practice is now complete.
Thank you so very much for joining.
It's wonderful to have you.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
