So we'll start and end with the bell.
So coming face to face with your direct experience here and now as it is,
Using your body to access this present time experience.
See if you can begin now to breathe in with the whole body.
The whole body is benefiting from the in-breath.
Breathing into the face and skin and just noticing if you can begin to feel or experience the affect.
How am I being affected by this in-breath?
How is it being received?
Is there a sense of openness?
Am I fully available for the in-breath?
And then breathing out,
There's a sense of release or letting go in the body.
So as we breathe in we can experience a receiving,
A full receiving of this present moment.
Letting in the citta,
Letting in the emotional,
Cognitive,
Sensate,
Fully receiving the body,
The breath,
The mind,
And the heart,
However it is right now.
And as we're breathing out we're letting go of any holding,
Grabbing,
And beginning if you can to just let the objects go.
There's no reason to point at or grab at a particular object,
But just letting the rising and falling,
Just the emotional,
Cognitive sense.
What is your sense about this moment?
See if that can become the object of practice right now.
Being affected by the sensation of physics,
Affected by anything that's being felt or known in the mind and body.
Continuing to see if you can respond with just recognizing the moment for how it is,
And offering a sense of appreciation,
Ease,
Generosity.
As you breathe in and out,
Feeling into the heart space,
I'm seeing if you can incline the mind's attitude towards goodness,
Towards a sense of kindness and gratitude,
For even the smallest thing that could be felt or known as pleasant,
Remembering to recognize to allow the mind to rest in a sense of kindness,
Acceptance,
And any degree of gratitude or appreciation that you can meet or hold in this experience for yourself.
For your effort for being here,
For any of the benefits that you've already received as a result of your practice,
Let that become the object.
Focus your full awareness on that capacity,
That potential.
So now we'll move into using some specific phrases to help maintain this quality of citta,
Of heart-mind,
By recognizing my feeling into,
And seeing if that can be met with a sense of thanks and gratitude.
So as you breathe in,
Just reflecting,
Offering this phrase,
I see you,
I feel you,
Thank you.
I see you,
I feel you,
Thank you.
I see you,
I feel you,
I appreciate you.
And offering that phrase to yourself over and over,
And letting that become the object of your practice.
I see you,
I recognize you,
I feel you,
I appreciate you,
Thank you.
Appreciate your generosity,
Your effort,
Your commitment.
However it makes sense to just offer yourself some gratitude and some thanks and appreciation,
As best you can,
With kindness,
Acceptance,
Patience,
Appreciating yourself for all of the moments you've showed up for since you've been here.
Thousands and thousands of moments.
If at times it feels too much or overwhelming or anything like that,
Just go back to your breath and feel the body,
Allow the sounds in.
Do not try too hard,
But just see if you can recognize a sense of thanks and appreciation.
Inclining the mind towards an attitude of kindness and gratitude.
Kindness and gratitude.
Expanding that sense of kindness and gratitude to all of the full range of the experience,
The forests around us,
The animals and the birds,
The sounds.
Receiving those with a sense of gratitude,
Thanks.
Pouring the mind's awareness into and through the body,
And this breathing body that is sustaining our lives here one moment at a time.
Extending it to this building and these structures and this place that sustains practice for people.
Creating opportunity.
Just bringing a sense of light and gladness into the mind as best you can.
Practicing with effort this developing and maintaining,
Developing and maintaining this attitude of mind,
Regardless of what the conditions are right now.
