Hi,
My name is Karen and this is an Insight Moment.
Samatha is a quality of mind which is developed in tandem with insight by calming the mind and its formations.
Samatha is common to many Buddhist traditions.
It translates to calm abiding.
Calm abiding is a space that is in fact your natural resting place.
In this space you can discover your authentic self.
If you'd like to join me,
Set yourself up to be as comfortable as possible,
Whether seated or lying down.
Just become aware of your body state.
Breathe in deeply and exhale completely.
Breathe in and notice the belly swelling and rising.
Exhale,
Notice the belly shrinking and falling.
Breathing in,
Belly rising.
Exhale,
Belly falling.
Take a moment now to acknowledge what's here right now.
To open to whatever is present.
Notice any thoughts.
Notice emotions.
Notice any body sensations.
And explore each of these with compassion and gentle curiosity.
Not with the mind to change them or be rid of them,
But rather to simply allow them to be as they are.
They are simply present in this moment.
Scan the body from the top of the head,
All the way down to the soles and toes of the feet,
Or to the fingertips.
Not changing anything,
Just acknowledging it and moving on.
Allowing yourself 20 seconds.
Now acknowledge the weight of the body as it rests,
Either in a chair or on the floor.
Become aware of the weight of your hands,
Resting either gently in the lap,
Or rising and falling on your belly.
Within the body,
Are you aware of any differences of temperature?
Perhaps the hands are cold or warm.
The feet,
The shoulders,
The top of your head.
What is the temperature of the air directly next to your body?
Is it warmer or colder than your body?
Become aware now of the fabric of your clothing.
Breathing in the expansion of the belly,
Shifting against the fabric.
Breathing out,
Drawing away from the fabric.
And then an awareness of the rib cage expanding and lifting.
Breathing out,
A sense of it's relaxing and sinking down.
Become aware of any sounds within your body.
Maybe in the space just behind the ear,
Within the ear you can feel or hear the heartbeat.
From the space of the cranium,
Can you hear the breath moving in and moving out?
Perhaps in the belly there is a grumble or growl,
Either requesting new food or digesting the last meal.
Become aware of sounds around you now.
Near sounds.
Perhaps some noise in the house or the office space.
Rather than going searching for the sound,
Just let it come to you.
And when the sound stops,
Let it go.
Simply label it hearing.
Open your awareness to the sounds everywhere.
Near and far.
All around you.
Take a moment once again to scan the body from the very top of the head down to the soles and toes of your feet out to the fingertips,
Allowing approximately 15 seconds.
Not wanting to change anything.
Not needing to change anything.
Simply letting it be,
Just as it is.
Return a light resting focus on your breath.
It's coming.
It's going.
And then again,
Expand your awareness into the body itself,
Noticing any sensations that might be present.
Experience the weight of your body resting in the cushion or on a chair.
Feel the shifting of fabric as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Feel the temperature of the body's hands,
Feet,
Legs,
Back,
Belly,
Head.
Become aware of the temperature around your body.
Any movement of air against the bare skin.
Acknowledge any thoughts that might come.
Label them thinking.
And as you exhale,
Let them go.
If any sudden rushes of heat come from the center of the body,
Label them feeling and emotion.
As you exhale,
Let it go.
Begin to notice the difference within breath.
The in breath.
The transition to out breath.
The out breath.
The pause between the out breath and in.
Become aware of the softness of your belly.
The sense of rising and falling.
Rather than thinking of the breath that moves it.
Become aware of that which has moved.
Notice the gentle pressure down into the hip and pelvic girdle.
Notice the sense of releasing tension as you breathe out.
This moment is good.
This moment did not exist in the last breath.
And no longer exists in this breath.
This moment is new.
And this moment is good.
Take a moment to scan the body from the top of the head down to the toes.
Out to the fingertips,
Allowing 10 seconds.
Take a moment to notice what areas have drawn your attention,
Your focus as you scan the body.
Have they changed from your first scan to your second scan to your third.
Take a moment now to scan the body from the top of the head out to the toes and fingertips,
Allowing only 5 seconds.
Acknowledge that this is a good moment.
That in this space of calm abiding,
All is right.
Outstanding of all the chaos.
It is actually as it's meant to be.
And you are your most authentic self.
Completely at home in this space of calm abiding.
.
.
.
.
.
