Place it comfortably in a quiet place,
Free from distractions.
With your eyes closed,
Gently focus your attention on the breath.
With each exhalation,
Feel your hips,
Thighs and feet,
And settle into your seat a bit more.
With each inhalation,
Feel a slight lengthening of your spine,
A lift through the crown of your head.
Pay attention to the movement of the breath,
And the subtle movement of the body,
Each supporting the other in holding you upright.
Yet grounded.
You are relatively still,
But there is always movement present,
Always change taking place,
Always a process,
Always a flux and flow.
Notice the continual presence of change in your breath and in your body.
And now silently say to yourself,
Change is certain.
As you speak these words,
Remain aware of your breath and your body.
Notice if there's any change,
Tightness or tension coming up.
And choose your exhalation to release and let it go.
Just as the breath rises and falls,
Every single thing in this world comes into existence,
Stays for a while and then dissipates again.
You are not exempt from this natural order of things,
From this natural flux and flow.
You are a part of this cycle and you too will someday no longer be here.
As you contemplate this,
Stay present with body and breath.
Stay calm but relaxed and ease your shoulders,
Your belly and your hips.
And now silently say to yourself,
The time of my death is uncertain.
And as you speak these words,
Notice any changes in your body or a response through the breath.
Take care to continue breathing,
Page and lean fully and allow the body to soften.
We cannot know the future.
Anything can happen at any moment and our lives are fragile.
As if with a flash of lightning,
This one life could end at any moment.
As you contemplate that reality,
Note what's happening in your body and with your breath.
Simply be aware of things as they are.
Without trying to control,
Choosing instead to stay present and open ourselves.
In this moment,
Recognize the flow of the breath itself and generate a deep,
Deep gratitude for the fact that you are here,
Healthy and well.
You cannot know when it will all disappear,
So rejoice for this opportunity,
This one breath.
Remind yourself that no matter how many friends you have,
No matter how many people love you and no matter what the family gathered around,
None of them can go with you at the time of your death.
When it's time,
You will leave this world on your own.
Remind yourself that no matter how many things you have accumulated,
No matter how much money you have in the bank,
No matter how much you've surrounded yourself with the comforts of this world,
None of it can go with you when it's time for you to leave this world.
The only thing that can help you in that moment will be the stability of your mind,
The clarity and balance of your own mind.
Your ability to be present,
Patient,
Mindful and wise.
Let's sit with those thoughts for a moment.
The opportunity that you have to work on strengthening your mind is nowhere else.
The opportunity that you have to work on strengthening your mind is nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
The opportunity you have to live a meaningful life is nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
The opportunity you have to be kind,
To make amends,
To give thanks and to be present is nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
The opportunity you have to live a meaningful life is nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
Contemplate how it is that you would live each day if you truly believed,
With your whole body,
That each breath could possibly be your last.
Contemplate the effort that you would place on mindfulness,
Meditation and your mind if you truly believed,
With your whole being,
That only your mind could save you at the moment of your death.
And finally,
Recognize that you are doing exactly what you should be doing,
Right here,
Right now.
Rejoice in this time you spent meditating on your own,
Your own life,
Your own life,
Your own life,
Your own life,
Your own life.
Rejoice in this time you spent meditating.
Rejoice in the importance you've given to mindfulness.
Rejoice in this opportunity,
This moment,
This breath.
