You can rest down into your seat and grow through your spine as you allow your eyes to close.
And we use the sound of the bell to transition from a mode of going and doing,
Thinking and planning,
Back into a mode of being with,
Opening and curious observation and nonjudgmental awareness.
You can place all of your attention on the breath as you allow it to naturally and gently lengthen and deepen,
Not forcing any changes,
Just being with the ones that happen naturally,
Accompanying focused attention.
You can give yourself permission not to have a busy body or a busy mind as you arrive fully and completely in the present moment,
Allowing this moment to be enough.
You can let go of the need to do anything else or be anywhere else as you allow the stillness of just being to be enough.
And in this stillness,
You can reconnect with the mind,
Stepping back from your thoughts into that wide open meadow,
The clear blue sky and fresh air,
And begin to observe your thoughts from this peaceful space,
Finding comfort in their impermanence,
Knowing that just like the clouds,
They come and they go,
They evolve,
They transform,
They manifest and they disappear.
We know that they are always changing and this brings us comfort,
Knowing that not any one thought is too important or will last forever.
We don't have to take any one thought or mindset too seriously.
And with this in mind,
Imagine a current situation in your life that you are resisting or struggling with.
You can picture yourself there and notice,
How are you feeling in this situation and what are your thoughts about it?
Listen to your thoughts about the other people involved in this situation,
Your thoughts about the world and your thoughts about yourself and who you are in this situation.
Are these thoughts positive and uplifting and hopeful or are they darkening the situation and making it harder?
Notice what reaction you are having to these thoughts,
What feelings they are bringing up.
Notice what they're creating in your body.
How is the body reacting to these thoughts?
Maybe there is tightening or resistance.
Maybe there is weakening and fatigue.
Notice what these thoughts are doing to your mind.
Are they creating unrest,
Worry or stress?
Are they creating a perception that's not very healthy or helpful?
Notice who you are being while you're having these thoughts.
Is this who you really want to be?
How are you treating other people?
What are you saying?
What are you doing?
What's your body language?
Is this who you want to be?
Notice what reality you are living when you have these thoughts.
How are you seeing the world and your place in it?
Is this the reality you want to be living?
Begin to loosen your grasp on these mindsets and thoughts.
They don't have to be your reality.
And as you're letting them go,
Notice how your body responds,
That it softens,
Becomes relaxed.
Notice how your mind responds,
How it begins to open and settle and calm.
And in this calm space where you're back in that open meadow and the clear blue sky,
You can start watching,
Watching your thoughts.
And you have some distance now.
And from this distance,
You can ask yourself,
How do I want to see this situation?
How do I want to perceive the world?
How could I relate to this situation in a way that allows me to be the person I want to be?
What could I think about myself and my role in this situation so that it serves me best and allows me to show up as the best version of myself?
And how do I want to see this situation and the world so that it's the world I want to live in?
And now,
Generate the thoughts that serve you best.
What is it that you need to hear in order to see the world in this way,
To relate to the world in this way?
And once you hear those thoughts,
Repeat them to yourself over and over until they become the way you see reality,
The way you relate to this situation and to yourself within it.
And then notice how when these are the thoughts you're hearing,
That you are filled with peace,
With gratitude,
With love and compassion,
And bring this state of being with you as I ring the bell three times and we come back to our shared space.
