Let's just start very simply.
Just close your eyes.
Put your attention on your breath.
And intentionally,
Consciously begin to slow your breath down and deepen it.
And feel the physical sensation of breathing.
The beauty of breath,
Unlike any of the other automatic functions of the body,
It's the only one that we can influence.
And so we want to take advantage of that and just slow down.
And let yourself really be aware of the breathing that's happening.
Notice your belly going in and out.
And if it isn't going in and out,
Deepen your breath so that it is.
And as you're doing that,
You'll feel the chest expand like it's rising up to the top.
You'll feel the cool air coming in through your nose,
Above your upper lip there.
And then as you get to the top,
Just slowly let it out.
No rush.
You can feel the warm air coming out.
Notice that everything just kind of begins to sink down as the belly comes back in.
Belly's actually controlling the breath.
It's not the lungs.
They're receiving it.
Just feel that.
And when you do,
As you're feeling that because of our normal engagement with things,
We may find our minds wanting to distract us.
It might be saying,
Okay,
Am I doing it right?
What's supposed to be happening?
Is this going to make me more peaceful?
It may even be going,
Hey,
This feels pretty good.
Just notice that it's not a problem.
That's what minds do.
Say thank you.
I don't need you right now.
And bring your attention back to the physical sensation of the breath moving.
Children,
Animals can feel their breath and they have no words for it.
They have no thoughts about it.
It's pure sensation.
So let yourself have the experience of just pure feeling.
Now let your attention just expand a little bit and begin to take in your whole body.
Notice the effect that this slower breath and focus of attention is having on the body itself.
You may notice that some parts of the body have relaxed a bit.
You may notice that some are still holding on to tension.
It's okay.
We have no intention here other than to simply watch,
To witness.
Just see what's happening.
It's very simple,
Very direct.
Just seeing what's normally outside of what we perceive,
Even though it's there all the time.
Let your attention just kind of move around your body.
Notice that there's a subtle tingling at the bottom of your feet.
You may never have noticed that before.
Notice that with your eyes closed,
Relying only on your feeling sense,
Every part of your body has a unique feeling to it.
Your foot feels very different from your hand.
They each have their own energetic signature.
And as your attention is in the body,
Notice that since we began,
The mind isn't making as many comments.
It's actually slowed down.
We didn't try to make it slow down.
Use some technique to stop thinking.
Just happened.
Also notice that everything you're feeling in the body is immediate.
It's direct.
It's right now.
Present moment.
The body is always in the present moment.
The mind never is.
It's always the past or the future.
Again,
Just notice other parts of your body.
Maybe there's some tension in your neck,
Your shoulders.
Maybe in your stomach,
Solar plexus.
You do notice some tension or some excited energy.
Just stay with it.
Remember,
No intention to change anything,
Fix anything.
Just presence.
We're just witnessing.
We're watching the effect of just witnessing has.
In a sense,
You are simply for the moment,
Allowing everything to be as it is.
Which another term for that is self-acceptance.
Everything going on inside you for at least for the amount of time we're together here is acceptable.
It's okay.
We can pick everything up later,
But for right now,
We're just being present.
And continue to breathe.
It's just simple body awareness,
Which is the ancient meditation of many traditions,
Including Zen Buddhism.
Now in this space of feeling,
You may find some uncomfortable feelings rise up.
You may get some uncomfortable or unpleasant memories.
Some thought may appear and there'll be a shutter that'll run through your body.
You'll find yourself recoiling.
It's okay.
Just watch that too.
In this moment,
There's no remedial action being taken.
We all carry a lot of wounds and traumas and pains in our body.
And eventually they all need to be released.
So right now,
Just recognize that feelings can go through you,
But they're just your feelings.
They're not really good or bad.
They're just feelings.
If there is something that's uncomfortable or a memory is being persistent,
See if you can not label it.
Keep experiencing it not as a thought,
Even as an emotion,
But as a sensation in your body.
Feel what your body is doing.
Notice how simple it is.
Not necessarily easy,
But that's only because we've all been so well taught to resist,
To fight our feelings.
Like,
They're bad.
They're negative.
They're sinful.
They have to go away.
My negative feelings are lowering my vibration.
None of that's really true.
They're just feelings.
And in the deepest sense,
They're you.
Every feeling that you allow to be there is your own self-acceptance.
Just stay with your body for a little,
A minute more.
Really feel.
Just kind of do a very,
Not a very slow,
Just a gradual scan,
Feeling the different parts of your body,
Noticing what they feel like.
Notice if some are holding tension.
Some may feel calm,
Others may not.
Some may be tingling.
Some may have a hard time even feeling them there.
Whatever your experience is,
It's okay.
And then just for a moment,
Let's look a little deeper.
It's very,
Very subtle,
Very,
Very subtle thing.
But notice that while you are watching the body and everything it's doing,
You're watching the thoughts the way they have attempted to get your attention and how you have taken that attention and put it where you wanted it,
Namely on just the sensation.
Notice that even a strong emotion may emerge and you could watch it.
Maybe not perfectly,
But that's not important.
Then just notice that obviously if you are watching the sensations,
The emotions and the thoughts,
You must be something else.
And don't try to imagine what that is.
Just notice that it's true.
I didn't put you into a trance,
Didn't hypnotize you.
We're not visualizing.
We're not imagining.
There's all of the elements of your experience,
Feeling,
Thinking,
Emotion,
And there's you watching them.
Now there's no need to do anything with that.
There's no need to think about it.
There's no need to try to,
Ooh,
What's that?
Or figure it out.
Just notice.
You can't observe.
There's a deeper dimension to you that is noticeable when we slow down just long enough to get a glimpse of it.
There's something very present about you.
All our thoughts and our sensations and our emotions,
They come and go very quickly.
There's something very solid,
Very constant about you.
Again,
Just notice that.
No imagination required,
No visualization,
No special skill.
You're just noticing what's actually here.
Who's actually here?
So now turn your attention back towards your breath and take a couple more deep,
Intentional breaths.
Feel the breath going in.
Feel it going out.
So simple.
And that even when you get engaged with other things and aren't thinking about it,
The breath will be going in and the breath will be going out.
And then just say thank you to yourself.
Say thank you to your body or for being there.
Thank you to all the sensations and emotions and thoughts that cooperated and to yourself for being willing to take a step inside.
Now when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
Now in the meantime,
Just remember you're here.
You
