Come into this moment,
This space,
Wherever you are,
This body,
Exactly as it is and is meant to be right now,
Starting with a few moments of clarity and acceptance.
We don't need to wrestle against the material.
We don't need to struggle with what we have or what we lack at this moment,
Letting it be exactly as it is,
Beginning without urgency,
That we are,
For these moments,
Going to do something important,
Timeless.
Discover your body.
What does it need right now?
Make any simple adjustments you can to be most at ease and comfortable for this meditation.
Do less lifting and let gravity take over,
Holding you.
How's your breathing?
You don't have to put it in words,
But you might want to notice where your breathing is as we begin.
Any congestion,
Expansive,
Constricted,
And even as you note it,
Let it go deeper,
Exhale more slowly,
Each time in deeper,
Out lower,
Using it as a cue to slow down,
Settle in to quiet and stillness.
How's your digestion?
Stomach still or rumbling,
Belly full,
Settled,
Hungry?
Just observing yourself with that generous awareness,
Using it as a cue to bring you to your body and sensory experience whenever you get lost in thoughts or worries or fantasy.
See if you can detect your heart beating,
Your pulse thrumming.
Without touching anything,
Can you attune to it,
Listen?
Feel it inside,
Maybe in your throat or wrist,
Clocking the rhythm.
You're going to get lost in thoughts during this period of meditation.
Your brain cannot stop working.
Neurons will fire,
Trigger memory or worry.
The work of meditation is just to come back,
Return with my voice to your body and its sensations and senses,
Not think about anything in particular.
In life we chase after the urgent,
Race ahead to what seems necessary,
Struggle towards success.
But what if it's behind us?
Waiting for us to slow down so our good fortune can catch up.
That's the work of meditation we'll be doing today.
When you walk with a pet,
Dog,
Perhaps a child,
Sometimes you have to slow down,
Pause for them to catch up.
We can notice the feelings we have of wanting to move forward.
And again,
And again,
And again.
Stop ourselves,
Wait for what's good,
Just trying to catch up.
So unusually,
Let your mind go ahead,
Wander forward to what you think is your desire.
We'll do that again and again.
Each time after about a minute,
A minute and a half,
I'll invite you to pause and let the storehouse of good,
The treasury of good fortune to catch up with you from behind and overtake you.
So begin daydreaming,
Even striving,
With as minimal anxiety as you can bear.
Then I'll call you back to let it catch up,
Striving and seeking ahead,
Chasing after your good fortune.
Pause,
Standing still,
Take a break from the sprint,
Let whatever is good reach you,
Even overtake you from behind.
And if you want,
Just wander off again in the direction of your striving.
Fantasize about a lunch date you have today or a meeting coming up that you are eager for or even apprehensive.
Imagine an income stream you might achieve moving forward,
Whatever it is that you desire ahead.
You have permission to strive,
To chase,
To run on by,
Go after it,
Seeking,
And then relent,
Pause,
Let whatever good fortune is trying to find you catch up,
But is seeking you,
Wishing to overtake you with blessing,
Holy goodness,
And then wander ahead again towards the object of your desired prosperity.
Stretch towards it.
Allow yourself to move toward that fantasy of achievement,
Worldly success,
Perhaps.
Give yourself some moments of ambitious dreaming and striving.
Continue to reach,
Even grasp,
It's okay,
Stretching toward,
Letting ambition usher and urge you forward.
And know that there is something good and great and loving catching up to you even now,
Reaching to embrace you from behind.
What does it feel like?
What might it be?
Can't see it,
But it's coming.
Now for the remainder of this meditation,
Guess how this pattern could play out in daily life.
Perhaps the next time,
Or even the time after that,
That you notice yourself striving,
Maybe fruitlessly.
Maybe you could pause and let all the goodness just catch up.
Take some moments now to gently envision that work possibility in the future.
