Let's start with the bell.
Let's just get settled,
Comfy,
Quiet,
And more still,
Letting yourself relax.
For this brief period,
You don't need to attend to any hustle and bustle.
You can let it all go,
Let your thoughts unspool,
Let gravity do the work of embracing you,
And let go of any postural muscles that don't need to hold you in place at this moment,
Seeing if there are any places where you can release and relax further and more deeply.
Noticing that quiet is never silent.
Crickets,
Machines,
Breezes,
Houses settling,
Stomachs rumbling,
There are always noises that offset the quiet,
Just as there will be thoughts that offset your meditative state.
Neurons firing,
Coming up with images and words,
Worries or fantasies,
Your brain keeping you safe.
You don't have to fight or resent that.
You can just let it go.
Be amused at your brain's ability to function,
Even grateful.
And then when you wanna return,
Just notice my voice or your breath or your mass.
Come back to the sensory from the cognitive.
That's all it is.
Start deepening your breath further down into your body,
Chest,
Slower and longer out.
And again,
You might be able to deepen until it gets a little uncomfortable and then back off.
Use your breath to extend and loosen.
And when you get distracted by history or fantasy,
Allow yourself to reflect on it without ruminating.
Gently observing,
Not holding on to any particular thought,
But letting them drift or unspool or become jumbled and haphazard.
Breathing more deeply in,
Slowly out,
Just as a cue to relax and stay in the sensory moment.
You might notice the thrum of your pulse.
You might feel it in your chest or your neck or wrist.
See if you can find it without touching.
We're going to use a guided visualization here in place that I hope will help you to be a little more attentive to the detail in your life when you leave this meditation.
As you breathe,
Pick a space,
Preferably one in nature that's nearby,
Something you're familiar with,
Perhaps used to seeing almost every day.
A space of fondness,
A raspberry bush,
A special corner of your house,
The nook in a tree,
A still life of some sort.
In your mind,
Draw the broad scope picture of it,
Maybe 20 feet across,
The wide angle view,
Color and shape,
Top to bottom,
Right to left.
Just call it to mind.
It doesn't have to be your favorite spot in the world.
It could just be something you're familiar with that doesn't cause you or trigger any anxiety.
What do you notice?
Any surprises that you hadn't thought about before?
Color,
Shape,
Flower or a thorn.
What's the overall structure of the space?
Take that in.
Breathe in deeply,
Out slowly.
Let's get a little closer.
Pull the camera of your mind's eye in,
Maybe about three or five feet across.
So you're standing two to three feet away.
What comes into resolution and focus as you draw closer?
Do new details emerge?
Are things moving that you thought were still?
Maybe you see small animals if you're outside,
Things that you would have walked by if you hadn't paused to pay attention.
Can you spot a new detail that gives you joy?
Taking it all in.
Breathing in deeply.
Reflecting without ruminating.
Holding it gently with a generous awareness.
Treat yourself kindly.
Get closer still.
Get your nose right up in it,
Maybe within a few inches or a foot.
If you're inside,
You might spot a dust bunny.
If you're outside,
An ant or a worm.
We wanna get in at that scale.
What new details and structures emerge when you focus deeply and close?
Maybe you can even notice subtle variations in color where at a wider angle it all looked more uniform.
Be fascinated how neat and wonderful this could be.
Take in the detail.
Breathe in even the smell.
Be curious.
Always curious.
Ever curious.
Breathe in deeply,
Out slowly.
Returning from each and every distraction that arrives to you.
Coming back to your body,
My voice.
Easy focus of your breath.
We'll spend the remainder of our time soaking in that attunement,
That accuracy and detail that we cultivated with our vision and senses and carrying it forward into the day.
As you continue to breathe,
Integrate this skillset.
Maybe with a little prayer to yourself.
Let me be attuned and attentive.
