First,
Find a quiet place to sit and do what you can to prevent any distractions.
Allow yourself to be comfortable in any meditative posture.
It can be cross-legged,
In a chair,
On your knees,
Or lying down.
If you prefer,
Now is the time to gently close your eyes and mouth.
Let's start by taking a deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
Press your attention on your breath.
It will be your anchor throughout this meditation.
If thoughts or emotions arise,
Just acknowledge them and let them go.
Gently return to the breath.
Allow each inhalation and exhalation to bring you clear presence and awareness of the basic goodness of life.
Give yourself permission to relax,
Unwind,
And allow the natural state of being to fill this space.
Breathe in relaxation.
Breathe out tension.
Breathe in love.
Breathe out courage.
In meditation practice,
We learn to acknowledge and recognize our thoughts and emotions without acting on them.
We're no longer fooled by the external world of smoke and mirrors.
We find our own internal compass to lead us through life and during the storm.
Our mind declutters and becomes flexible again as we begin to witness our own projections.
By observing the swelling of our inner system,
We start realizing how our mind creates our reality and contextualizes everything we can perceive.
But without the mind,
Everything would still be there.
In meditation practice,
We no longer chase after the stick to keep ourselves busy or entertained like a dog.
Rather,
Like a lion,
We begin to relax and with our awareness,
We survey the vast landscape from a distance at who is throwing the stick.
Our mind.
Let's take in some nice,
Relaxed breaths of air.
Breathe in 2,
3,
4.
Breathe out 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Breathe in 2,
3,
4.
Breathe out 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Breathe in 2,
3,
4.
Breathe out 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Breathe in 2,
3,
4.
Breathe out 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
You are not your thoughts.
Be the observer.
Connect to the presence that dwells within you.
Connect some gentle space between you and your thoughts.
You and your body.
If thoughts or emotions are coming up,
Allow them to come up,
Recognize they exist,
And let them go.
As you breathe naturally and fully,
Feel the goodness in your breathing cycle.
Notice how it feels good to take in oxygen-rich air for the body.
Breathe in.
Notice how it feels relaxing as you release the carbon dioxide-rich air for the plants.
Just by breathing,
You are creating goodness and helping other life forms.
Breathe out.
Follow your breathing cycle from start to finish for the next few moments,
Allowing each inhalation and exhalation to bring you more presence.
As you breathe,
You can make a mental note,
If it helps,
Of rising,
Falling,
In,
And out.
If your mind gets distracted,
That's okay.
Acknowledge that it's there,
That it's happening,
And just return to the breath.
Breathing time.
You You What does your body feel like Go deeper into this feeling and be aware of the energy that animates your body Is it relaxed Tense Tired Compassionate Fearful Hopeful Do you feel any more at ease than when you first sat down for this practice?
Whatever is there,
Accept it,
Allow it to be seen or heard,
And then just place your awareness back on your breath In this way,
We don't give into temptation by reacting.
This is not the time to react.
This is your time to be the witness of the mind's games And you don't need them.
You're not the slovenly dog chasing its tail.
You are the majestic lion surveying the landscape of your inner system You are not your thoughts or emotions.
You never were.
It was always the mind Make peace with the mind and separate yourself from it.
It's okay.
You have the power to do this Just let it all go and connect to the presence within you.
Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out It's okay if you've been distracted.
It's totally understandable if you find there is a constant stream of thoughts or emotions taking your focus It's normal under these circumstances.
We've been trained to be distracted In our meditation practice,
We are deprogramming ourselves in the way that our minds have been trained to be distracted Just simply observe your breath.
Notice how you don't have to change it in any way You don't need to disturb or interfere with your natural breath Just let it be as it is naturally and feel the inherent goodness of breathing throughout each inhalation and exhalation Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out Breathe in and out You You
