Welcome.
Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position,
Whether seated or lying down.
Let your hands rest naturally,
And allow your eyes to gently close or soften your gaze.
And begin by simply arriving into the here and now.
Feel the support of the ground beneath you,
The ease of the breath moving in and out.
You don't need to change anything,
But just be here as you are,
Letting the breath be a gentle anchor,
A quiet rhythm that holds you in the present.
Now imagine that above you stretches a vast open sky,
Wide and spacious,
Endlessly blue.
Maybe you're laying in the grass or on the beach,
Noticing the sky above you,
And the sky represents your awareness,
Open,
Steady,
And expansive.
And into the sky,
You notice that clouds begin to drift.
Some are light and wispy,
Others are full and dense.
They come into view,
Drift across the sky of your awareness,
And they gently pass,
Without you needing to chase them or push them away.
You simply notice,
And you can observe as they appear in the sky,
Move through your awareness,
And then gently pass.
When a thought arises,
Imagine placing it on a cloud,
Letting it drift by without holding on or resisting,
Just watching.
You might say to yourself,
There's a thought,
Or simply give it a label,
Like thinking.
Place it on a cloud,
And watch it gently pass.
Perhaps you notice an emotion arise,
Or a sensation in your body.
You might experiment by placing that on a cloud,
Perhaps watching the shape morph and change as it moves across the sky,
And then moves out of your awareness,
Returning to the breath as an anchor to the present moment,
Whenever it feels right.
You may notice a cloud that lingers,
And that's okay,
Acknowledge it with kindness,
Place it on a cloud,
And watch it float.
In the vastness of the sky of your awareness,
There is space for it,
Just like there is space in the sky for all of the clouds.
There is space in your awareness for all of it.
No matter what shows up,
The sky remains unchanged.
Thoughts come and thoughts go.
Emotions come and emotions go.
Sensations come and sensations go.
But awareness stays steady and clear.
As Pema Chodron says,
You are the sky,
Everything else is just the weather.
Take a moment now to rest in that sky-like awareness.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Spacious and present.
There is nothing you need to fix,
Nothing to figure out.
Just allowing,
Just noticing.
Allowing each moment to be just as it is.
Now,
Begin to bring your attention back to your body,
Feeling the contact points with the ground,
Maybe wiggling your fingers and toes.
And when you feel ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Returning to your surroundings.
Maybe gently looking around your environment.
I invite you to carry this spacious awareness with you,
Remembering that no matter what thoughts appear,
You can watch them pass by practicing observing without attaching.
Thank you for watching.
