So get yourself comfortable and we'll begin with the bell.
Just gathering in.
Stopping what you're doing,
Giving up,
Quitting,
Moving out.
Whatever was can be behind you and whatever will be is infinitely in the future as to be irrelevant.
Nothing to do.
All your to-do lists are put aside.
Regrets about the past,
Fantasies about the future,
Anxieties about the moment.
We're taking a little break from that.
Never perfect or ideal,
Just a kind separation.
Start noticing your breath.
Notice where it is.
Tight,
Constricted,
Open,
Warm,
Nervous.
And then start to extend it.
Breathe in deeper,
Exhale slower.
Maybe you orient your breath towards aspects of tension.
Places in your body where muscles are tight,
Joints are stiff,
Using your breath to loosen them up by stretching with your breath.
Maybe you would physically stretch or yawn or exhale with the ancient word selah.
Whenever you need to relax a little bit more,
5% more.
Just settling in,
Getting heavy,
Feeling quiet and still.
Never arresting the mind,
Because that would be a death,
But maybe slowing it down.
And when you get distracted,
As we do,
Because our neurons are working,
Just come back to my voice or notice your seat.
Follow your breath,
Just as gentle reminders to keep returning.
Coming back right now.
The future is the future.
The past is the past.
Now is now.
By meditating,
You are dedicating time to now.
Just this moment,
Each moment.
Notice the parts of you that are tight,
That withdraw,
That are holding in.
Maybe your stomach is rumbling.
Maybe your shoulders are pinched,
Your face constricted,
Your neck.
Even your toes are clenched or holding in.
We withdraw from the world in ways small and large.
That's okay.
We just want to notice it.
And for the purposes of this meditation,
We're going to try to expand out of those tight places.
Just breathing and luring yourself out of constriction,
Out of narrow-mindedness.
There might be some resistance,
But I need to take care of myself.
No one else will.
I need more and more things.
I've got to watch out for number one.
Or maybe more polite versions of those voices.
Fear of letting go or giving away.
Those are normal.
Life is fragile and sometimes precarious.
Just notice anxieties that come up as we consider moving out of our narrow and small places.
Breathing.
Going slowly,
Not pushing the process,
Just noticing it.
And you might get worried.
You might have all sorts of sensations or foreign thoughts or wanderings.
Just return.
Use my voice to trigger.
Notice your breath.
Maybe you hear your digestion.
Maybe you feel the gentle pulse of your blood.
Coming back.
Joining me.
Again and again.
No pressure,
No rush,
Just gentle.
With generous awareness of what's going on inside.
Tone and tempo.
Maybe you start to reach out to people in your mind.
Friends,
Neighbors,
Family,
Other loved ones.
Pulling them in.
Drawing yourself out towards them as well.
Reaching out.
Covering them with your concern.
Going beyond self to others.
Reaching out like tendrils of concern.
Moments of caring.
Expanding your heart towards others.
Giving it away.
Even if it's scary.
Especially because it's scary.
When you get scared,
Just come back.
You don't need to generate more anxiety.
You can just listen to my voice.
Close your eyes.
Chill just a little.
Slow down.
Don't let the thoughts speed away.
We're just going to gather people in.
Extend ourselves.
Breathing in deeply,
Out slowly.
When you get agitated or lost in a regret or a fantasy,
Just take deep breaths.
Just remember you have nowhere else to be right now.
Whatever comes up for you in this meditation,
You don't have to act on it right now.
It's just an intention.
You're holding more people.
Maybe that motivates you in some way.
Maybe you feel a protective urge,
A need to support them or defend them or advocate for the voiceless.
See what comes up when you move out of your small place beyond your self-seeking towards others.
What do you owe them?
What do you want to give?
How do you want to speak and do?
Notice if you start to feel a motivation.
An agitation,
A movement.
You're not going anywhere yet.
You're just noticing a forward energy,
An outward energy,
A desire,
Again,
A motivation,
And intention.
What's coming up?
Staying relaxed,
Staying supple.
Breathing in deeply,
Exhaling slowly,
And just feeling.
Maybe words arise,
Maybe sensations or images,
All good and all to the good.
Maybe a phrase comes up,
An intention.
Start swirling around that possibility.
What will you need to do on your behalf and on behalf of all the others that you care for and care with?
Just breathe into it.
Blessings.
