Beginning Again

Hey there.

In this session,

We'll explore one of the most important foundations of mindfulness practice,

The ability to let go and begin again with a fresh,

Open mind.

So to get started,

Go ahead and take a few slow,

Deep breaths.

Allow yourself to settle in in whatever way feels natural and comfortable to you.

Roll your neck or shoulders.

Even take a few moments to look around the room if you like,

Orienting to your surroundings and just letting your nervous system settle.

Feeling that inner orientation of non-doing,

Of ease.

Right now,

There's nothing you need to do,

Nowhere you need to go,

Nothing to figure out or accomplish.

Just giving yourself the time and space to settle in and be here.

Then,

In your own time,

You can let your eyes close and begin to feel the sensations of the body sitting.

Notice the places where your body touches the ground.

Begin to feel the weight of your body.

Start with the chair,

Floor,

Or cushion.

Let yourself feel the support of the ground beneath you,

Giving the weight of your body to the earth.

See if you can allow your muscles to soften and relax even a little,

Letting your attention move into your body and down towards the ground.

If you like,

Take a few moments to relax your face,

Letting your eyes,

Your jaw,

And forehead soften,

Relaxing the neck and shoulders,

Your arms and hands.

Check that your posture feels balanced,

Relaxed,

Yet alert.

Then set an intention to put aside any thoughts of the past and the future.

The past is gone.

It's a memory.

And the future hasn't arrived.

It's just a thought,

A fantasy.

Bring your attention to this moment,

Right here and now,

Feeling the body sitting.

When you're ready,

Begin to tune into the sensations of your body breathing.

You don't need to focus hard or bear down on it.

Just notice the gentle rhythm of your breath coming and going.

Notice where and how you feel the breath,

Letting it come to you.

So as you breathe in,

Just know that you're breathing in.

As you breathe out,

Know that you're breathing out.

Letting your attention be very simple,

Very direct.

We can use these steady,

Rhythmic sensations of breathing to help stabilize the attention,

Gathering and collecting our focus in the present.

It's completely normal for the mind to wander.

That's just its habit.

If the mind didn't wander,

We wouldn't need to gather and collect it.

The key to meditation practice is learning how to relate wisely and kindly to those moments when we remember,

When we wake up from a daydream.

The secret is to recognize that in the moment of remembering,

You're already back.

There's nothing more you need to do other than to sit back and appreciate that the practice is working.

Mindfulness returned.

Mindfulness is already present.

Every time we remember is an opportunity to appreciate awareness.

The more we get frustrated,

Judge or criticize ourselves,

The less enjoyable the practice is and the harder we make it.

The more we welcome the return of awareness,

Celebrating those moments that we remember,

The more we create a positive feedback loop,

Wanting to be here,

Wanting to be mindful and present.

So just feeling the sensations of breathing in and breathing out.

Each time you notice that the mind has wandered,

See if you can pause and appreciate that you noticed.

Gently let go and begin again with a fresh and open attitude.

Gently.

Every time you remember,

Pause,

Appreciate that you noticed,

Gently let go and begin again.

This is the secret to beginning again.

What's past is a memory.

It's gone.

The future isn't up to us.

It hasn't arrived yet.

Can you meet this moment with an open,

Curious attitude?

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Just taking it one moment at a time.

Beginning again requires a certain humility.

It means being willing to not know.

Feeling at the beginning,

Just right here.

Now if you find yourself feeling frustrated or restless,

Take a look and see if you have an expectation about how things should be.

Expectations are always based on the past.

We take an idea and then project it into the future.

What would it be like instead to not know what's supposed to happen?

To not know how the next breath will feel?

See what it's like to simply receive one in-breath,

Allowing it to begin,

To grow and expand,

To come to its fullness,

And then to end.

Feel it turn into an out-breath,

Relaxing,

Releasing,

Slowing and stilling.

Each moment is a new beginning.

Each moment contains a world of possibility when we're willing to let go and begin again.

Thanks for listening.

Thanks for your practice.

See you here again.