Calming The Mind

Transcript

Take your upright,

Relaxed posture.

Allow your body to settle into the posture and your mind to settle into the body.

Bring to mind your motivation for engaging in this practice.

Commit to simply engaging sincerely in the practice,

Whatever may arise.

Put aside any specific goals for this session.

Notice the steadiness of your spine.

Relax any tension,

Allowing the body to be spacious and easy.

If you find that you need to move at any point during the session,

Simply move intentionally and then stay still in your new position.

As much as possible,

Be at ease in your body.

Be easy with whatever is happening in your body.

Let yourself be at ease in your mind,

Even if it's uneasy in there.

Be easy with that.

Let yourself be at ease in your heart.

Be easy with what is.

Begin by simply observing the breath.

Let the breath be totally natural.

There's no need to control the breath in any way.

Know that you are breathing in and know that you are breathing out.

Imagine turning on a light in your mind and shining that light on your experience.

Choose to be engaged in this moment.

Engage with the breath in an embodied way.

Instead of pushing the body away to watch the breath,

Know the breath from the body.

Know the breath in the body.

Feel that there is something precious about this moment.

Be present for your breath like you would for a good friend.

Know that the mind wants to drift off into thoughts or concerns.

Know any feelings.

Meet emotions with presence.

Be there for them in a relaxed and embodied way.

Coming back to the breath,

Know that you're present and engaged,

Knowing breathing in and knowing breathing out.

If you experience judgments or expectations,

You can also attend to these,

But don't be caught by them,

Neither for nor against.

Don't make thoughts,

Sensations,

Or feelings a problem.

Simply let them be as you gather your attention around the breathing.

Looking closely at the experience of breathing,

What are the sensations of breathing in?

What are the sensations of breathing out?

Which parts of the body move when you breathe?

What are the qualities of these movements?

Notice if the breath feels coarse or smooth.

Notice experiences of temperature.

Notice sensations of pressure.

Tune into the experiential details of breathing as directly as possible.

This isn't thinking about the breath.

It's directing you to a more intimate experience with the breathing.

Through your engagement,

Maybe you feel more awake,

More alert,

More clear.

The word concentration in English has the connotation of trying really hard,

Which would deplete the mental energy quickly.

Instead,

Let your effort be without any sense of strain,

So that it's sustainable and even generates its own momentum.

Adjust your effort so that the act of paying attention feels good in itself.

Try easy.

Know clearly the experience of breathing as it is right now.

Get close to it in an easy way.

Don't squeeze the mind around the breath like a clenched fist.

Instead,

Imagine a relaxed,

Open hand with the breath lightly resting in the palm of the hand.

If the energy of the body seems low,

Then focus more on the energizing quality of the inhale and feel the uplifting energy of the in-breath.

If the energy of the body feels agitated,

Then focus more on the calming quality of the exhale.

Let each out-breath relax the body.

Once your energy feels balanced,

Return to simply knowing breathing in and knowing breathing out.

After a time,

You might check again for dullness or agitation and only make adjustments to your energy if needed.

Make the effort to let go of anything that stands in the way of being with the breathing.

Have a relaxed watchfulness that notices quickly when your mind wanders off.

Cultivate a gentle strength,

A confidence that says,

Yes,

I'm going to be here with this breath.

Don't worry about sustaining anything.

Instead,

Engage sincerely with the moment in front of you.

Let go of concerns about the past or the future.

Appreciate that you're doing the best you can and take delight in your engagement,

Letting go of any judgment.

Become a connoisseur of the breath.

Imagine that the breath is like a fine liqueur,

Which you are sipping and enjoying.

Enjoy the breathing.

Tune into any part of the breath that is enjoyable.

Get close to the breath so that you can enjoy any pleasant sensations.

Let any well-being spread through your mind.

Relax any tension and allow the breath to send waves of softening through the body.

Feel whatever satisfaction comes from even the most subtle calming.

Don't hold back.

Let your reins roll.

You you as you soften maybe it becomes easier and easier to be here and less likely to be carried away by thoughts and concerns you maybe you feel some appreciation or relief just being here nothing to solve or push away stay with the breathing allowing the breath to fan the flames of relief and appreciation continue letting go of activities of the mind allowing the mind to become more and more still feel that the breathing is an internal massage and let the body and mind become softer more pliable more peaceful let the corners of your mouth turn up ever so slightly you thoughts and feelings and sensations continue but it's kind of like being at the bottom of the ocean the waves are at the surface but they don't touch you here where you are is calm and serene allow your awareness to be vast open and deep see if you can connect to a sense of peace let yourself be both present and relaxed be easy not bothered by anything you you feel your way deeply into your body into the depth of your being arriving at a place that's very calm even if it's a subtle calm let the breath come to you in that place of depth that place of peace you you instead of narrowing the focus of the mind to the breath let your awareness be open and still receive each breath deep in the center of your being rather than going out to it you collect yourself around the experience of breathing allow any well-being that arises let yourself go deeper and deeper more and more fully into it rather than trying let go into the breath allow yourself to become totally absorbed like you would be lost in a good book or an activity you enjoy you you have a global sense of the body steady and spacious everything is directed and composed around the breathing you nothing else is important now just the breathing one breath after another you you as things arise the mind remains stable and peaceful awareness is spacious and unruffled not disturbed by anything you find yourself not caught by thoughts feelings or sensations not for or against your experience you you you awareness is large enough to contain everything nothing needs to be resisted or denied nothing needs to be grasped or held on to you you you you deeper and deeper gently resting in the breath you you you you you you you