Welcome to this sauna meditation.
So just to begin with,
Take a position that is super comfortable for you,
Whether that be laying down or sitting.
Just allow for any relaxation to come in your body without forcing it,
Just to find it,
Find any relaxation that is natural right now.
And notice already we can tune into this quality here of honesty with ourself.
The honesty that reveals what would be forcing relaxation and what would be finding it.
And that is an intention I really want to suggest for this practice,
Honesty.
Honesty also in honoring the body and the body's boundaries as they are today.
And allow the heat to kind of naturally slow you down.
So breathing very slowly,
If possible in and out through your nose.
Allowing the heat to slow you down.
Kind of need to find the rhythm that the heat is asking of your body.
And don't resist the heat,
Accept all your sensations.
And let that acceptance relax your body even more.
And tune into this quality of listening also.
We're honest and we're also listening.
Listening to the body.
Your body will be very clear.
If it's telling you to get out,
Then go out.
If that happens,
Nothing went wrong.
If you notice any resistance or maybe bracing or tensing,
Then can you allow that as well,
Completely?
So tuning in again in that sense of honesty,
Can you accept yourself as you actually are right now?
All of it.
Accepting yourself simply means seeing yourself.
There's nothing to it.
If whatever we do,
If we stay humble and honest and clear in our observation,
Then we learn automatically.
So let's sit here for a while in the heat and learn about ourself.
Simply by quietly observing sensations,
Thoughts,
Emotions.
Allow the heat to work on you by sitting completely still.
Be in your body.
Stay with your body.
A wise man once said,
If you want to learn equanimity,
Don't move.
We're not going to wander off into some mental space.
In the very space that you are.
In fact,
Can you relax your consciousness,
Any grip that you might have on your body or mind?
Can you let go of all that and surrender into being the space itself?
Can you allow yourself to become the heat?
Whenever you're noticing tensing or contracting,
Simply let it go with a long,
Gentle,
Slow exhalation.
And just keep to this very gentle,
Compassionate discipline of breathing long and slow,
In and out.
Honor your body.
If the body wants to go out,
It will tell you.
Otherwise,
Just stay.
And without going to some other mental place,
Staying right here,
Being the heat.
Call into memory being cold,
Maybe in winter or in rain or in autumn.
Remember shivering from being soaked in the rain.
Remember that.
Let your body remember that.
And with that memory,
Can you be grateful for the heat?
And can you let that gratitude open up more acceptance and relaxation and surrender?
Staying very still,
Keeping that quality of listening and honesty and presence.
For a few more moments in silence,
Be the heat.
Be the heat.
Follow the body if it wants to go out,
And otherwise,
The bell will signify the end of this practice.
