Hello and welcome.
This is Jonathan.
Thank you for joining me for this guided meditation for cultivating acceptance in our practice and in our daily lives.
Let's get started.
I invite you to find a comfortable position,
Either standing,
Sitting,
Or lying down.
And once you're settled,
Just relax the body.
Relax the legs,
The arms,
The stomach,
And the shoulders.
Relax your neck and the muscles of the face.
And take a deep breath in through the nose.
And exhale deeply out through the nose.
Let's do this one more time.
Deep breath in and deep exhale out.
Now,
Allow the breath to relax and find its own comfortable pace and rhythm.
Today we begin with our eyes open.
We will anchor on objects in our five senses.
And then turn our attention to our thoughts and our emotions.
And if during this meditation your mind wanders,
Just become aware that thoughts are present and return your attention to the anchor.
We begin by choosing an object in the room.
It can be anything.
A shoe,
A doorknob,
A water bottle.
Just choose this object and gently place your eyes on it.
Don't name the object.
Don't judge the object.
Don't wish that it were different.
And pass no judgment or opinion on this object.
Simply be aware of the seeing of this object and observe it just as it is.
And continue doing this for a few moments.
Now gently close your eyes and bring your focus to any sounds you hear in the room.
Do not name the sound.
Do not judge the sound.
Do not wish that it were different.
Pass no judgment or opinion on the sound.
If it disappears,
Find a new one.
And if there is nothing to be heard,
Observe the absence of sound.
Just focus on the act of hearing without judgment.
And continue doing this for a few moments.
Now bring your attention to any smells in the room.
Recognize if smell is present or if it's absent.
But treat the smell or its absence the same.
Do not name it or judge it.
Don't wish that it were different.
Pass no judgment or opinion on this smell.
Just focus on the same for any tastes in the mouth or absence of taste.
Recognize if it's present.
Become aware of it.
And without judging it or wanting it to be different.
Simply observe the tastes in the mouth.
And continue doing this for a few moments.
Now bring your attention to any thoughts in the mind and become aware if thoughts have arisen.
Observe their presence without judgment and without reaction.
Just allow thoughts to be as they rise and pass through your awareness.
And continue doing this for a few moments.
Now bring your focus to any emotion that you are experiencing.
Become aware if emotions are present and without judging them or reacting to them.
Just watch them as they arise or change or stay or pass away.
And if there is no emotion present,
Simply observe the absence of emotion.
And continue doing this for a few moments.
Now bring your focus and awareness back to the body.
Simply feel the sensation of inhabiting your body.
Feel its weight and the sense of gravity on it.
Feel its steadiness and its safety.
And now bring a little movement back to the body by moving the toes and the feet and the fingers and the hands.
And when you are ready,
Take a deep breath.
And as you exhale,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you.
