Today,
I would like to focus our time looking at our awareness of what's unfolding,
Even those difficult sensations and feelings and emotions.
I'll use a poem by Rumi,
The 13th century Sufi mystic and poet.
And this poem,
The Guesthouse,
Is used frequently as a way to consider our lives.
I'll start by reading the poem,
And then I'll guide us in a meditation and offer some guidance around what Rumi is suggesting.
And as I read,
You're welcome to follow along,
Listen,
And just see what resonates each moment.
It might be places that you lean into and you feel,
Oh yeah,
I know this.
Or you may find areas where you resist and push back a bit.
And this is all great information.
We can discover so much just by hearing the words and noticing our response.
The Guesthouse.
This being human is a guesthouse.
Every morning,
A new arrival,
A joy,
A depression,
A meanness.
Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all,
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture.
Still,
Treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight,
The dark thought,
The shame,
The malice.
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
And as we begin our practice,
You might want to engage with your body and take a few gentle stretches,
Especially if you've been sitting still or at your computer for a while.
And inviting a few deeper breaths and then gently finding your way into a comfortable upright posture.
And this might mean sitting or maybe standing or even lying down,
All are fine.
And finding the balance between wakefulness and ease.
And taking into consideration your body's needs and your own energy level as you lower your gaze or gently close your eyes.
Gently feel the awareness of the body sitting,
Lying,
Or standing in whatever posture you've chosen.
Just feeling how gravity is generously supporting your body.
And then allowing the muscles to soften around the bones,
Letting go of any effort that's not needed,
Softening any extra holding around the brow,
The eyes,
The jaw,
The neck,
And the belly.
Feeling the relative balance with this body sitting,
Feet on the floor,
Seat on your chair.
And the sense of the entire length of the body,
From the soles of the feet all the way to the crown of your head and the front and back of the body.
This quality of depth,
And you may feel it as you take a deeper breath,
Just sensing the expansion of the ribs on the sides and back and the belly.
So the entire surface of the front body,
The entire surface of the back body,
And the dimensions side to side.
So from one ear to the other ear,
One shoulder to the other shoulder,
One ankle bone to the other ankle bone on the outside.
This dimension of side to side.
The body is always in the present moment.
And as we inhabit this body more and more,
We can really acquaint ourselves with the present moment through this vehicle.
So sensing this whole body sitting,
Breathing,
And there might be thoughts here,
Or passing mood or emotion,
And those can simply move to the background,
Letting awareness of the body take center stage.
And right here,
We can practice what Rumi suggests.
We can welcome the sensations that are present.
We might like some,
And there may be others that we may not like as much,
Whether it's the tightness of a muscle or some discomfort on the surface of your skin,
The stronger sensations in the back and neck.
What's here?
We can be awake to how it is to welcome them or become aware of where we resist.
And we can honor that for now.
Now choosing an anchor,
One that's relatively stable and an easy place to access that's neutral,
Where we can land the attention on as a focal point.
So this might be your seat on the chair,
Feet on the floor,
Or maybe your hands in your lap,
Or it could be another region of the body where your breath is easily accessible,
The belly or the nostrils.
And just thinking of this anchor as a touchstone.
So choosing one now and settling here,
This being human is a guest house.
Each moment,
A new breath,
A new sensation.
And if you're like me,
There's already been several thoughts that have come and gone.
So we can simply know,
Here's a thought,
And then coming back to the anchor.
As we sit together,
We can also explore this quality of welcome,
What we might think of as friendliness,
Opening to the experience moment by moment.
What's coming,
What's staying a while,
And what's leaving,
Whether it's an itch,
A sound,
A tightening or loosening somewhere in the body,
Heart,
Or mind,
And the relative stillness of our practice.
We can explore and experiment with what Rumi suggests.
If there's a contraction or constriction in the body,
Even an itch or a slight restlessness,
We can come close to it.
We can welcome it the way we'd open the door to a dear friend,
Inviting them to tea,
And show it some kindness.
And if it's an itch,
Maybe we choose to scratch it.
Maybe the momentary passing of a sadness or an irritation,
We can actually come close to and learn about,
The same way that joy has a place in our life,
So too does grief.
How do we make space for that which may not be comfortable,
But we sense intuitively needs our attention?
Maybe we can't open the door to the crowd of sorrows,
But maybe we can look out the window,
Acknowledging and waving,
Yes,
I see you.
How do we honor each guest without overwhelming ourselves,
Staying closely in touch with this body and breath?
Awareness itself can be a fine companion,
The support and welcoming,
And perhaps feeling both.
They anchor as a good companion,
And this attitude of friendliness,
And the quality of attending is also key here,
Holding the attitude of kindness and curiosity allows us again,
Maybe not to open the door wide,
But to look out the window,
Or to open the door crack,
Acknowledging what's here.
In this way,
We offer our respect to who's visiting,
What's visiting,
And to the circumstances that might offer us wisdom,
Teaching strength in unfamiliar or surprising ways,
These last few moments of our practice.
For now,
Feeling free to continue to explore what you're welcoming,
Or also to return firmly to the anchor and settling there,
Inviting ourselves into the present moment over and over again,
Just as we are,
More than enough,
Considering perhaps that every moment too is as it is,
And more than enough,
Even when challenging.
Now,
Very gently widening the lens of attention from wherever you've settled,
With whatever anchor you've settled with,
And gradually widening to include the entire body,
From the soles of the feet,
To the crown of the head,
The front,
Back,
Side to side,
Breathing in a deeper in-breath,
And breathing out a longer out-breath,
And then when you're ready,
You can gently open or raise your eyes,
Looking around the room,
Reorienting to your space,
Taking some gentle movement as I conclude the practice with the ringing of the bell.
