Hello and welcome to today's practice.
Take a moment here to settle into your space.
Find a comfortable seated position,
Spine straight,
Body is alert but not stiff.
Do a body scan,
Head to toe.
Release any tension you might find along the way.
Releasing your shoulders,
Dropping them down and away from your ears.
Relaxing any tension in your jaw,
Relaxing the muscles of the face.
Rest here,
Continuing to release any points of tension in your body.
Begin to soften your gaze,
Shut down your eyes.
Going into today's practice,
Remember,
All that you experience with your senses or your mind is impermanent.
These contents are in constant flux,
So we let them flow.
When we sit on the mat,
We are taking the seat of awareness,
We're practicing our ability to direct awareness to specific things.
If the mind should wander or become distracted at any point,
That's alright.
We notice and we come back to our awareness.
It's just a redirection,
Just a practice.
Now let's begin to fully immerse ourselves in the present moment,
To feel the vibrancy of the present.
Make note of the sounds around you.
Maybe there's dogs barking or birds chirping,
Cars driving by,
Or perhaps you're in complete silence.
What do you hear in this very moment?
Allow the sound to be there.
Give the sound space in your awareness.
What sensations do you feel?
If there's a window open,
Do you feel a breeze on your cheeks?
Can you feel the ground beneath you,
Supporting your body,
Holding your body?
Are you warm?
Are you cold?
Allow the sensations to be there,
Just noting them,
Giving them space in your awareness.
Use this awareness as an anchor to ground you firmly in the present moment.
Now notice the three distinct phases of your breath.
The inhale,
The exhale,
And the moment of pause between breaths.
First,
Bring your awareness to focus on the inhalation.
Feel your body expand as the breath enters and fills the body with oxygen.
Bringing with it a sense of invigoration,
Energy.
Take a few breaths,
Focusing on the inhale.
What else do you notice?
Now bring your awareness to the stillness between breaths.
You may notice a moment of pause,
A sense of emptiness or suspension.
You may feel a sense of lightness here.
Take a few breaths,
Focusing on the pause.
What else do you notice?
Now bring your awareness to focus on the exhalation.
Feel your body release and let go.
Feel the sense of warm tingling and melting as your body deflates.
Take a few breaths,
Focusing on the exhale.
What else do you notice?
We're going to stay here,
Focusing on the exhale.
Focusing on the letting go.
With each exhale,
You're expanding,
You're becoming larger than your usual self.
Just like a single drop of water merges with the vastness of the ocean,
With each exhale,
You're letting go.
You're collapsing into the infinite.
Just letting go.
You're sitting in the seat of awareness,
Attuned to the sensations in your body,
The rhythm of your breath,
The vividness of your senses.
This is presence.
Now let's connect to the emotional body,
Feelings,
Emotions.
As we venture into this territory,
Let us do so with a sense of loving kindness,
A compassionate embrace for every part of ourselves,
Just as you would with a child or a pet or a plant.
Without getting pulled into the emotion,
Just observe.
Is there something that needs to be seen?
Or loved?
Or simply held in your awareness?
Can you hold it here in your awareness?
Remember,
There is no right or wrong way to feel.
We're not numbing or hiding or judging or pushing anything into the darkness.
Every emotion is valid.
Embrace the full spectrum of your emotions with compassion.
Let them have space.
Hold them in this spacious awareness.
Now shift your attention to observe the flow of your thoughts.
Don't try to control or suppress them.
Just watch them come and go.
Let them show up and pass,
Floating by.
Notice how the thoughts arise and fade away on their own.
Observe their quality.
Are they positive?
Negative?
Neutral?
Are they related to the past or the future?
Do they cause certain emotional activations in your body?
Just observe.
These are the qualities of your nature.
Your mind,
Your emotions,
Bodily sensations.
Bring your awareness back to focus on that exhale.
As you breathe out,
Let go.
Let go,
Let go,
Let go.
Allow your body to sink into the support of the earth beneath you.
As if you were sinking into a soft,
Comfortable bed.
Feel the safety and security of being held and supported.
Feel the trust that comes with that.
Now we'll move more deeply into that connection with your essential self.
The Atman.
Your connection to the ultimate source of all that exists.
There is a beautiful tool in Hindu philosophy called Neti Neti.
Meaning not this,
Not this.
We'll use this tool to peel away the layers of all that is inessential.
All that might be limiting us from connecting with universal consciousness.
Deep inhale here.
And open mouth exhale.
One more time.
Deep inhale.
And exhale,
Letting go.
Letting go of everything.
And bring your awareness back to your thoughts.
Observing the thoughts,
The memories,
The to-do lists,
Ideas,
Concerns.
Let whatever comes to you arise.
And ask yourself,
Am I this thought?
You respond,
Neti Neti,
I am not the thoughts.
I am the observer of the thoughts.
Now let the thoughts go.
Let them flow by.
Exhale into the part of you that is aware.
Now bring your awareness to your feelings.
Observing the sadness,
The joy,
Anxiety,
Urgency.
Allow whatever is there to arise.
Ask yourself,
Am I this feeling?
Neti Neti.
I am not this feeling.
I am the observer of the feelings.
Now let the feelings go.
Let them flow by.
And exhale deeply into the deepest part of yourself that is aware.
Now bring your awareness to your attachments,
Your possessions.
Are you your house,
Car,
Job,
Clothes?
Ask yourself,
Am I my possessions?
Neti Neti.
I am not my possessions.
I am the observer of the possessions.
Now let the possessions go.
Let them flow by.
And exhale deeply into the part of yourself that is aware.
Now bring your awareness to your values.
Your personality concepts.
Religious beliefs,
Political ideologies,
Personal goals,
Intellectual interests.
Ask yourself,
Am I these personality concepts?
Am I these values?
Neti Neti.
I am not my personality concepts and values.
I am the observer of the personality concepts and values.
Acknowledge them and allow them to flow by.
Exhale deeply into the part of you that is aware.
Lastly,
We'll observe the body.
Observing the physical sensations but also concepts like body image,
Strength,
Health.
Ask yourself,
Am I my body?
Neti Neti.
I am not my body.
I am the observer of my body.
Let go and allow the sensations,
The concepts to flow by.
Exhale deeply into the part of you that is aware.
When you peel back the layers,
What's left?
This place of pure awareness.
Deep unity.
Rest there.
As you come to the end of this meditation,
Take a moment to reflect on the experience of Neti Neti.
Remember that it's not about denying or rejecting any aspect of yourself.
Rather,
It's about discovering the true essence of who you are.
Beyond all labels and concepts.
As you go about your day,
Try to bring this awareness of your true self into your interactions with others and your experience of the world.
Remember that you're not limited by any of the roles or identities that you may have adopted.
But are in fact something much greater.
Much more expansive.
Now take a nice deep breath.
Deep inhale through the nose.
Open mouth exhale.
Letting go.
One more time.
Deep inhale.
Deep exhale.
Slowly bring your awareness back to your surroundings.
Back to this room.
You can gently open your eyes,
Continuing to hold a softer gaze.
Just take a moment to adjust to the space around you.
Slowly look around.
Take a look at the colors.
The patterns.
Listen to the sounds.
Smell the smells that surround you.
Smile and thank yourself for this practice.
I wish you peace and hope you carry this sense of clarity and lightness with you as you continue on with your day.
Thank you for joining me.
Namaste.
