Let's do what we came here to do,
As a football coach might say.
Beginning just by enjoying the moment.
Finding relaxation that's easy at hand.
Not grasping to make oneself different than you are.
Enjoying your place and your space.
Letting your body settle.
You might notice your breath,
Your pulse,
Stomach rumbling,
Digestion.
Noticing the you that's here right now.
In all your blessed messiness,
It is good.
Enjoying a few moments of quiet.
You don't have to do anything when you meditate.
You don't have to feed the cat or worry about your to-do list.
No effort.
And no effort to do nothing.
Meditation doesn't have to be anything special or different.
Just time for yourself to be quiet,
Still,
Take a break,
And maybe even be a little bored.
Settling in.
Becoming more still and more quiet.
And never fixed in place and never silent,
Because that would be impossible.
You can't turn off your thoughts,
That is death.
While you are living,
Your thoughts and your neurons fire.
You're just not going to attach or glom on to any particular thought.
Letting yourself drift.
Being sweet to yourself,
Maybe even smiling.
Thinking about your home.
A tent,
An apartment,
A house,
Whatever home means to you.
Feeling that security and that structure around you.
Containing you.
Protecting you from wind,
Rain,
And other elements.
Moderating the temperature.
Creating,
Hopefully,
A sense of security.
And groundedness.
Breathe into it.
Settling deeper.
Becoming more restful,
Embraced by quiet,
Settling,
Still.
Fidgeting or shifting,
Maybe a little less,
Just a little.
Letting thoughts unravel so that you don't chase any particular thought.
Letting it drift.
You are the sky and everything else is weather.
Notice your skin.
Warm,
Cold,
Dry,
Smooth,
Comfortable,
Delicate.
I offer words,
But you may just experience sensations.
And that's great.
You don't have to name it.
Just attend to your skin.
The layer that makes your home and contains you,
Especially you.
As you breathe,
You might even feel the breath.
Extending your skin.
Stretching you out.
Softening you.
Breathing all the way to your pores.
You in your home,
In your skin.
Safe and warm.
Protected and sheltered.
It's pretty amazing.
For a moment,
Perhaps you want to open your eyes so you can take stock of them.
Close them,
Open them.
Notice what their capacities are,
What they do.
Their magic.
Your ability to resolve colors into images and beautiful scenes.
Eyes with so many parts and so much capacity to be expansive.
Maybe for a moment you open your eyes and stretch your field of view in every direction.
Up,
Down,
Left,
Right.
Imagining that you can see behind you even.
If you'd like,
You could close your eyes again.
Just relax.
Do what suits you right now.
Just breathing in the space of home and flesh and sight and all that is wondrous about your experience.
Going quieter inside and out.
Perhaps the quieter you become,
The more you hear.
The more sound fills you up around you,
Even within.
Traveling your face,
Come to your lips and your mouth with teeth and tongue,
Cheeks.
Your whole process and musculature for speaking and eating.
It's what I'm using right now to speak with you.
Maybe you want to make some funny faces with your jaw,
Pucker your lips,
Show your teeth.
Play around with your mouth,
Your impressive mouth.
The gateway to your body.
Words going out,
Foods going in,
Nutrition and communication.
Doing so much for you without thinking.
Feel it all,
As many of the little muscles as you can.
Notice your tongue,
The inside of your cheeks.
Maybe you can imagine feeling individual teeth,
Saliva.
Home for your tongue and all of your words and the transit for all of your food.
Maybe that makes you smile.
That's good.
Breathing,
Settling and relaxing.
Drawing inward from home to skin,
To vision,
To taste,
Deeper and deeper.
Maybe at your core,
You have desire,
You have drive and vision.
Lusts and excitements and explorations to create and generate.
Connect with that somewhere deep in you.
The generative and creative urge.
Be and become.
Some might call it a soul.
All of the great wantings of life that propel you and impel you.
Connect with that.
Skin,
Eyes,
Mouth,
Securing within you the lust for life.
Feel it.
Sheltered and growing.
Eager.
Disconnect with that paradox that you are safe,
You are protected,
You are sheltered,
And you can be so much more on this adventure and journey.
Bravely seeking from a place of security.
Breathe into it.
Seeking and security and breathing.
Blessings.
