Starting by noticing what it's like to be sitting here right now.
Just noticing what is it like to be alive.
Simply being with the body,
With the breath,
With your thoughts,
With your feelings.
Keeping it simple.
Our lives can be described as sitting down and getting up.
Often we don't value the importance of sitting down,
The importance of not doing,
Of just being quiet and still.
Nothing to gain,
Nothing to do,
Nothing to achieve.
Meditation is like hitting the reset button,
A chance to start over,
A chance to return to zero.
Or another metaphor for meditation is that it's like taking out all of the furniture in your house,
Clearing everything away,
Then carefully,
Slowly deciding what to bring back in.
So let's do that as much as possible,
Emptying with each exhale,
Letting go of anything extra,
Letting go of anything unnecessary.
Just being here,
Breathing,
Curious,
Open,
Kind.
One of my favorite quotes is by Wendell Berry,
Fifth generation Kentucky farmer and writer,
Who said,
Be joyful though you've considered all the facts.
Joy is simple.
If you'd like,
You might experiment with a half smile,
Slightly moving the edges of your lips upward,
Just a slight touch of a smile.
See what happens.
How does a half smile influence what you're feeling right now?
Making it simple,
Noticing the body,
Noticing the breath,
Emptying with each exhale.
And then whenever you're ready,
Coming back,
Back to the room.
