So,
As we approach this meditation,
As we approach this idea of our awareness focusing on that sense of self,
That essence,
The stillness that's within us,
That's part of who we are as a person,
Just the mention of it starts to bring it to mind,
You notice,
And you may start to feel,
Like I can feel now,
Kind of a softening or even a heaviness in my face down through my shoulders,
Down my arms and hands,
And you may start to feel the same kind of physical sensation or it might be tingling or deeper relaxation as your natural awareness for the stillness,
This sense of yourself opens up and you bring your awareness to your essence,
To your center.
It's not the middle of anything like in your body,
So it's not that kind of center,
But it's a state,
A state of body-mind as Deepak Chopra calls it,
A state of body-mind that is tuned in all the time,
Every second,
Every moment of our lives,
It's always there,
There's nothing we can do to stop it,
And nothing we do can stop it,
Because it's part of who we are,
Just like our bones,
Just like our brain,
Just like our skin,
It's all part of who we are,
This essence,
This consciousness of who you are as a person,
So as you move into your awareness opening up to your essence,
You might let your eyes slowly close,
A nice easy breath,
Inhale and exhale,
Inhale and exhale,
Your breath comes in,
Your breath goes out,
And you may find your awareness of yourself,
This essence,
Opening up and feeling it more and more,
Being aware of your essence more and more.
One way to consider meditation or mindfulness practice or contemplative practices is to consider that they actually don't and can't improve your consciousness,
They can't improve the stillness,
Because it just is.
What they do in this approach is help us to become more aware of the stillness and help us to become better at accessing yourself,
The stillness,
So in our time together today,
We could call this meditation or mindfulness practice,
It's one way to think about it,
We could also consider that we're doing something very simple,
And that's simply becoming aware of our own consciousness,
Our own stillness within,
So relaxation increases,
That heaviness may be tingling,
Might be happening in your arms and hands and fingers,
On your legs and out to your toes,
It just might be more accurate,
Rather than to call this meditation or mindfulness,
To call it awareness,
So we're practicing awareness today,
And we can become very good at accessing our sense of self,
Our stillness,
So much so that we can do it instantaneously the more we practice it,
And our awareness of our body might even disappear,
And all we are focused on with our awareness is our self,
Our presence,
So we'll be quiet now for some time,
And let you practice your awareness,
If your mind wanders,
It's totally fine,
Just notice it and bring it back,
Bring it back to your presence,
Back to the stillness,
Back to yourself,
If you notice your mind wandering away,
If you notice your mind wandering,
Just notice it without judgment,
And simply bring your awareness back to yourself,
Back to the stillness,
Back to presence,
And you could say something to yourself like,
I'm returning to presence,
I'm coming back to my center,
Whatever fits for you,
So let's begin to come out of our meditation now,
And just bring your awareness gently,
Slowly,
Back into the room that you're in,
Back into your body,
Back into this time,
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
