This may or may not be considered a meditation,
But when you consider that a meditation is going into a place of truth and infinite possibility,
A place of silence,
No thinking,
Then,
Regardless of the time,
It is a meditation.
So,
If you're already not sitting comfortably and your eyes are not closed,
I invite you to do this now.
Make sure you're seated comfortably,
Support where you need support,
No discomfort anywhere,
And you're able to stay in this position for 10 minutes at least.
With your eyes closed,
I want you to just be aware of your breath without trying to change it.
Just notice what's happening with your breath,
What parts of your body move when you breathe in,
And what parts of your body move when you breathe out.
Are you noticing some of these parts for the very first time?
Perhaps you never noticed the muscles in your throat constricting and expanding with the breath.
Can you notice them now?
Perhaps you never noticed the muscles of the back moving with the breath as you inhale and exhale.
Can you notice them now?
Can you notice that when you close your eyes and focus on the sensations of the breath at your mind,
Your thoughts slow down,
If not stop completely?
So,
Today is the day for planting of an idea.
You may think it is a new year,
But each moment is new,
Each day is new,
And if we can look at the world through new eyes each and every day,
We can see people new.
Someone who may have aggravated us yesterday,
When we see them new,
We no longer anticipate an uncomfortable meeting with them in the future.
We see them brand new.
If you had a problem and you were only able to see one solution,
Perhaps you made that decision with your eyes open.
So,
Today we will plant the seed to make decisions with your eyes closed and ask to see this problem in a new way.
And the third realm that we have not touched upon yet is to see yourself in a new way.
Do you still see yourself as a body,
Where the body has hierarchy on all your decisions?
To be comfortable,
To be fed,
To be bathed,
To accumulate savings to accommodate the body,
To accumulate objects to make the body comfortable,
To decorate the environment,
To feel pretty,
To feel benevolent.
So,
I ask you to pick just one.
You can listen to this meditation three times if you'd like and go through each separate choice,
But for right now,
Just pick one.
What is it that you would like to see new today?
Would you like to see yourself in a new light?
Would you like to see a problem with a new solution that never ever entered your mind?
Perhaps allowing that solution to meet with agreement of all persons involved.
And the last choice,
Is there someone who is a hangover from yesterday that you find you'd rather or prefer not to deal with because you find them troublesome?
Do you pick that person and choose to see them in a new light?
So,
Just focus on your breath here for a few more breaths and let the decision be made for you.
Don't think of one,
Just focus on breathing in and breathing out.
As you do this,
One image will surface easily.
Resist it not,
Accept it fully and simply say this when the image arises,
I want to see this in a new way.
I choose to see this in a new way.
I know there is another way to see this.
The same image,
If you feel any resistance,
Simply say,
I want to see this in a new way.
I choose to see this in a new way.
I know there is a new way to see this.
Then be open.
The answer may come here in this moment or it may occur sometime during the day or when the situation pre-presents itself.
Just be open and be joyful that you're not locked into your old judgments.
