So this week,
More than once,
I've seen or heard simple isn't easy.
And I'm not sure about that.
It may not be easy,
But it's definitely easeful.
When we go to simple,
There's an easefulness about it.
And I almost think that trying to make things simple may not be easy.
That sounds like work.
But when we just settle,
When we relax in,
It can be very natural.
And it's almost like this is it,
You know?
So that's what I thought we'd play with today,
Just keeping it simple.
Keeping it real simple and noticing,
As we do,
All the things we do to try and complicate things.
To make it look like simple isn't easy.
And the core of this really is relaxation and relaxation of the body,
Of the mind.
And then a lot of more subtle ways that we may notice we can relax,
Relax our relationship,
Even with boundaries,
Perceived boundaries.
So with that invitation,
Let's settle.
Let's relax.
And I want to be clear about the word relaxation.
If you're trying to relax,
That's not simple and that's not easeful.
It's a letting go.
It's a settling in.
It's a letting be.
So that's the invitation when it comes to relaxing.
So you found a nice awake posture.
Feel free to also use a few deep breaths,
Maybe,
To settle in.
Settle into this space now,
This breath now,
This experience now.
And let's begin with some bodily relaxation,
Some letting go,
Some letting be.
And this can be done just by allowing awareness to enter certain parts of our body and just seeing what settles,
What wants to settle and what settles when we do.
We place the start as the shoulders.
Notice if they want to drop any.
Notice if in the act of dropping,
Maybe that causes a straightening,
A little bit of a straightening of the back or may cause the head to just tilt back a little.
Doesn't have to.
But relaxing,
Allowing the relaxation of the hands.
Are they a little clenched right now,
Perhaps?
A little tight?
They may want to let go a bit.
Allow that if they do.
What about the face?
When we bring attention to our face,
Just with that idea of relaxation,
What happens?
Notice how none of this is a doing.
The forehead,
Want to uncrinkle a little,
Unwrinkle.
And bringing attention to the belly.
And just allowing attention perhaps to rest there for a few moments.
And seeing what happens with this idea of relaxation present.
Wherever there is tension,
It doesn't want to let go right now.
Let that be.
Let it be tense.
Noticing that the fighting the tension,
The resisting the tension,
Just creates more tension.
The whole body awareness now,
Again,
Infused with that idea of relaxation.
What else wants to let go?
What else is ready to let go?
An observation now,
Has any space opened up for you just in this act of relaxation?
In the allowance of relaxation?
So you didn't have to do anything.
And it's very simple.
Simple can be easy.
It may be that one of the most evident places of tension now is related to the mind,
To thoughts.
There's any kind of busyness there at all.
Just see if you can apply the same principle of relaxation around and through thought.
Once again,
It's very difficult to stop thoughts,
But it's quite easy to let them be.
To relax into them,
Through them,
Around them.
And a byproduct of that is often thoughts slow down,
Become easier to catch,
To see as they arise.
So simply letting thoughts be,
Not engaging.
Noticing that the act of engaging in a thought requires a certain degree of tension,
And allowing that to be enough incentive to just not engage.
That's all.
Let this thought be.
So all we're doing here is relaxing into this moment as it is.
And while you're there,
Noticing,
Being curious,
Being present with this.
Noticing how much easier it is to be present when you're not busy trying to make things happen.
Noticing if there are any other spaces of tension.
Look at the physical,
Look at the mental.
What kind of tension may be required to maintain this identification as a body and as a person?
Noticing that subtle kind of tension that surrounds this concept of being.
Seeing if it's possible to relax into that,
Through that,
Around that.
Need for identity.
All these I am's that define me.
Each one carrying a degree of tension to hold it together.
Can I release any of that?
Spend this moment to allow me that opportunity to experience this moment.
Not this moment as I would have it be,
Not this moment as I would be.
Just this moment.
Only open to what it has to offer.
Shown in the tension of my concepts,
My beliefs.
Some ways every war is fought over concepts and beliefs.
Can I let mine go just for this moment?
I let them be.
It's hard to fight over just being.
So simple.
So easy.
And if at any moment it isn't simple,
You'll probably notice it also isn't easy.
The mind goes a little bit haywire.
The body gets a little bit tense.
There's work involved in all of that.
Effort.
Just relaxing into,
Through,
Around.
Has a tendency to release a lot of that effort.
You perceive a barrier,
A boundary between inside and out.
If so,
Is it possible to relax into and through and around that?
Nothing complicated.
Just giving yourself the opportunity to notice,
Where am I trying to make something happen right now?
Where am I trying to maybe,
With a little bit of effort,
Trying to force something.
Force things to be a certain way.
Make things feel or be a little different than they are.
If any part of you is experiencing that right now,
Recognize the effort involved and see if it's possible to relax.
Relax through it,
Around it,
Into it.
Not relaxing into the piece that you want to change,
But relaxing into the part of you that wants to change.
That wants things to be different.
Relaxing into that.
That idea.
Things should be other than this.
It's the source of a lot of discomfort.
Return to a full body awareness.
Feeling the solidity of your body.
Apparent solidity.
Feeling into form.
Feeling into ground.
Your feet on the floor.
Your butt on the cushion or the chair.
Hands and shoulders.
Head and face.
Forehead.
Top of the head.
Thank you for your practice.
