Hi,
This is Jonathan.
Welcome.
This session is aimed at helping us remain still during meditation.
If the body is moving,
It's more difficult to still the mind.
We'll start by finding a comfortable position.
You can choose a chair or a mat on the floor.
Sit with your spine straight and your neck long.
Keep your torso engaged but relaxed.
Let your hands rest on your thighs or your knees or in your lap.
With your arms and your shoulders relaxed.
Gently push your hips down while you push top of your head up toward the ceiling.
Take a few deep breaths and gently close your eyes.
Now make a commitment to yourself to maintain complete physical stillness for the duration of this practice.
Decide that even if you feel discomfort or itching or any impulse to move,
You will resist and will remain still.
Tell yourself,
I will not move any part of my body till the end of this practice.
At any point if you notice your mind wandering or notice you're lost in thought,
Simply observe that you're thinking and bring your attention back to my voice and back to the instruction.
Now visualize your body as if you are seeing it in a full length mirror.
Starting at your feet,
Scan your body from the bottom up towards your head.
Observe the details of your body,
Of its shape and its position.
Observe the shape and position of your legs,
Your hips,
Your spine,
Your belly and your chest.
Observe the shape of your fingers,
Your hands,
Your arms,
Your shoulders,
The shape of your lips,
Your nose,
Ears,
Eyes and forehead.
Now visualize your whole body from the front,
From the back,
From the right side,
From the left side.
From the left side and from the top.
Now bring your awareness to the whole body,
Become aware of your posture and the various sensations you're feeling in your legs,
In your abdomen,
In your chest,
In your arms and your head.
Notice whether you are feeling them,
But only observe them.
Do not judge them or try to change them.
Observe your whole body for these sensations.
Notice where you are feeling them,
But only observe them.
Do not judge them or try to change them.
Just accept them for what they are.
Now bring your awareness to your feet,
Become aware of your feet and nothing else.
Feel any sensations in your feet and at the same time visualize the exact shape and position of your feet.
And observe the complete stillness of your feet.
Bring your awareness to your shins.
Feel any sensations in your calves and visualize them in detail.
Be aware of any sensations you feel there and observe the complete stillness there.
Now bring your awareness to your knees.
Become aware of your knees and nothing else.
Visualize the exact shape and position of your knees and observe any sensation that you feel there.
Observe the complete stillness of your knees.
Now bring your awareness to your thighs.
Become aware of your thighs and nothing else.
Observe the shape and position of your thighs and any sensations that you feel there.
Observe the complete stillness of your thighs.
Now direct your awareness to your abdomen.
Become aware of your belly.
Visualize its shape and position and observe any sensations that you feel there.
Be aware of the complete stillness of your belly.
Now bring your awareness to your chest.
Become aware of your chest.
Feel any sensation there.
Visualize its shape and position.
Observe the complete stillness of your chest.
Now direct your awareness to the whole of your back.
Become aware of your entire back and nothing else.
Visualize its exact shape and position and observe any sensations you feel there.
Observe the complete stillness of your back.
Direct your awareness to your arms.
Become aware of your arms and nothing else.
Observe their shape and position and any sensations you feel there.
Observe the complete stillness of your arms.
Now direct your awareness to your hands.
Become aware of your hands and nothing else.
Visualize their shape and position and observe any sensations you feel there.
Observe the complete stillness of your hands.
Direct your awareness to your shoulders.
Become aware of your shoulders and nothing else.
Visualize the shape and position of your shoulders and observe any sensations you feel there.
Observe the complete stillness of your shoulders.
And finally,
Direct your awareness to your neck.
Become aware of your neck.
Visualize the shape and position of your neck and observe any sensations you feel there.
Observe the complete stillness of your neck.
And now become aware of the body and its posture and nothing else.
Visualize its shape and position and observe it perfectly still and perfectly steady.
And now bring your attention to your breath wherever you feel it the most.
At your belly or your nostrils,
Become aware of your natural breathing without interfering or modifying it in any way.
Simply observe the breath as it moves in its natural rhythms into the body and out of the body.
And for a few moments,
Observe this rhythmic flow with your complete awareness.
Now take two deep and conscious breaths and let the awareness of your body return.
Feel the weight of the body on the floor or the chair.
Become aware of the sensations in your hands and your feet.
Take another deep breath,
Relax,
And gently open your eyes.
If you have trouble sitting still in meditation,
You can use this technique for a few minutes at the beginning of a session to help you remain steady and to get settled.
I hope you find this helpful and we'll see you again soon.
Thank you.
