So now I invite everybody to get some peace and quiet,
To be able to sit as peacefully and as still as Santa.
He doesn't move.
So in order to do that,
First of all you have to find a comfortable position.
I know the best positions in this place are against the wall.
Those are the first positions which fill up so you can lean back and enjoy yourself.
Whatever your position is,
The whole idea of your posture is so you can sit down and relax,
Not get too tense.
That's why we have all these big cushions and stools.
You can make your own cushions and stools.
I often thought of making these high tech cushions and stools.
You can actually press a button and it gets higher.
You can have another button to get it warm or cold and another button to make yourself a cup of coffee if you're getting a bit tired.
These high tech meditation stools.
But in the meantime you've got what you've got so if you like to get yourself nice and comfortable,
Sitting down on a chair is very comfortable,
On a stool,
On a cushion,
Close your eyes and come home.
Come home into your body,
Into your mind.
This is really where you belong.
As you close your eyes,
More of your brain is available just to feel the body.
As you become more aware of bodily sensations then you can start to move,
To scratch,
To adjust the body to get it to its optimum state of comfort.
This preliminary exercise serves the two purposes of number one getting comfortable and number two starting to generate mindfulness and kindness working together.
Mindfulness is knowing the feelings in the body,
Being aware of all those sensations and kindness or compassion is learning how to relax those sensations,
To move,
To adjust and to notice the body becoming relaxed.
It lets go of all the tensions of the day and becomes loose where nothing is held tightly.
And if there is any pain or discomfort inside of your body,
Discomfort which no scratching or coughing,
Which no movement can dislodge,
Then the way to lessen that discomfort is to be aware of that feeling as fully as you can and then be kind.
Give that feeling compassion which means you relax with that feeling.
Tight balls of pain expand,
Obstructions get released and tight muscles get loosened through kindness.
And you are aware the mindfulness gives you feedback so you can notice the sensations in your body are moving to deeper and greater relaxation.
Okay.
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Once the body is nicely relaxed,
Let the body go.
And now put your attention on relaxing the mental world,
The world of thoughts and emotions and ideas.
See if you can bring that to a state of peace and relaxation.
To be able to do that we need to let go of the past and the future,
The past you've been holding for far too long.
Put it down.
Now is the time to rest.
And as for your future,
Now is the time your future is being made.
Now is the only time you can do anything about your future.
So if you care about your future,
If you want the very best,
Then focus on this moment,
This present moment.
Be content to be here.
Just relax,
Just stop and open your heart to this moment,
To the sounds of the evening,
To the coughs,
The sounds of the traffic,
The feelings in your body.
Whatever is happening now,
Embrace it,
Open out to it and just be.
Not trying to go anywhere or achieve anything,
Just be aware and kind.
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Breathing in,
You may say to yourself,
Breathing in peace,
Breathing out let go,
Breathing in peace,
Breathe out let go,
Breathing in peace,
Breathe out let go.
And relax the breath as much as you can.
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Getting close to the end of the meditation now,
It's a time to reflect on how you feel,
To be aware of the general states of peace and relaxation both in your body and more importantly in your mind.
How invested are you?
How much can you experience this amazing quality called peace?
And enjoy the pleasure of a relaxed body and a relaxed mind.
Buddha said,
Peace is the highest happiness,
Being peace.
I'm now going to ring the gong three times to end the meditation.
Please listen,
Be patient,
Wait.
Just wait for every sound of the gong and enjoy just listening to a very simple sound with your eyes closed and a peaceful mind.
So when the last sound from the gong vanishes,
That's the time to come out from your meditation.
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