We're going to start with a couple concepts that I think are essential to meditation practice.
One,
Meditation is not the cessation of thought.
Rather,
It's noticing thought without becoming attached to it.
An acronym that I use to remember this as part of my practice is RAIN.
RAIN the R.
Recognize sensations,
Thoughts,
And feelings.
A.
Allow them to be present.
I.
Investigate their nature.
Be curious.
And,
Non-identify with the perceived phenomenon.
If you have not done so already,
Find a comfortable seat.
Close your eyes.
Take one deep breath in.
And then open your mouth.
Then you'll let the breath become natural.
Find its natural cadence.
In here,
There's no need to breathe in any particular way.
Breathe in a natural way.
Now,
Bring your awareness to that breath,
To the natural breath.
The sensation of the air going through your nostrils.
The sensation of it washing over your upper lip.
Slightly warmer on the exhale.
Notice the slight sounds.
Internal sounds.
External sound of the breath.
And as thoughts come up,
Recognize them.
You see the thoughts.
Allow them to stay.
Allow them to be there.
Like inviting a guest in for tea.
Curious about them.
Investigate the thoughts' nature.
Non-identify with it.
I am not a stop.
Thoughts simply occur.
Just as naturally as the breath.
I let them occur.
And watch them pass by.
Not becoming attached.
If you notice a slight attachment that you've run away with,
It's when it's time to forgive.
Forgive and return.
Back to your breath.
And as thoughts inevitably pass through your mind,
Through the process,
Recognize the thought.
Recognize any sensations or feelings associated with it.
And just sit with them.
Allowing them to be present.
Curious about the sensations.
Investigate.
Through that investigation,
You non-identify.
And simply return to the breath.
If you feel the need to move or fidget,
Investigate that as well.
Allow the sensation to be present for a moment before you switch positions.
Just allow it to be present.
See if you can non-identify with it and return to your breath.
And notice if you have fidgeted,
If you have changed your position,
And you've started to beat yourself up about it.
Let that go.
The practice is in forgiveness.
You forgive and return to start once again,
Noticing the sensations of the breath.
Noticing the cadence of the natural breath.
The rise and fall of the belly.
This is a constant practice of returning.
A practice of forgiveness.
The goal is not to stop thoughts,
Feelings,
Or sensations.
The goal is to be aware of them.
Through this awareness,
Knowing that they are not you.
See them.
Allow them to be present.
Be curious.
Investigate.
And then non-identify.
Slowly begin to deepen your breath.
Start to become more present,
More aware of the sounds around you externally.
Take another deep breath in.
And slowly open your eyes.
