Allowing.
I'd like to invite you to sit comfortably on a chair or on your meditation cushion or stool and see if you can find a posture that's both relaxed and awake.
So maybe stretch up a little,
Allow your back to be slightly arched,
Allow your shoulders to be relaxed,
Your arms and hands to be relaxed.
See if you can soften your face,
Let your belly be soft.
You can close your eyes or if you find that uncomfortable just allow your eyelids to be heavy and let your gaze rest a few feet in front of you.
And really become aware of the body,
Really feel your body,
Feel how you're sitting here.
Feel your bum rest on the chair or the cushion.
Feel the soles of your feet.
Feel all those points where your body is in touch with the chair or the floor.
Feel where your hands rest.
Drop into the body and allow it to be just the way it is.
Really enjoying just sitting here.
No need to go anywhere,
No need to achieve anything,
Just be,
Just sit and experience whatever it is you're experiencing.
See if you can allow the experience in this moment to be exactly as it is.
No need to change anything.
This is it,
This moment.
And maybe you notice that there's things going on in your mind,
That there are thoughts,
Stories.
And you can just notice those,
There's no need to get involved.
There's no need to finish any thought that comes up,
You can just notice and allow them to drift past like clouds in the sky.
You don't need to fight them,
Don't need to suppress them,
Don't need to change them.
Just allow them to drift past like clouds.
And maybe you find yourself not liking their content or being very enchanted with their content.
And that's okay,
But there's no need to get involved.
And then I'd like you to point your attention at your feelings in this moment.
How are you feeling?
And maybe there's no word for how you're feeling and that's okay,
Just sense what is there for you now.
And see if you can allow that to be exactly as it is.
It needn't be any other way,
This is how it is in this moment.
And you don't need to be fine with it,
If you feel that you'd rather have it some other way,
Then you can notice that too.
But maybe there's a bit of resistance or regret or whatever it is that you are feeling.
Maybe you can allow that because it's there anyway.
And then gently moving your attention to your breath,
Paying attention to the in and out breath.
See where you can notice your breath,
Maybe air flowing in through your nostrils,
Your mouth or the movement of your chest,
Your belly,
On the rhythm of your breath.
And just being aware of that,
Allowing it its own rhythm,
Its own pace.
No need to change,
There's no different way you should be breathing,
This is it.
The breath takes care of itself.
Just following the in and out breath with your attention.
And then when you followed a couple of in and out breaths,
Allowing your awareness to expand,
To encompass the whole body,
From the top of your head to the soles of your feet and the tips of your fingers.
Completely present in your body and aware of the sensations that are there now.
Allowing them to be exactly as they are.
It needn't be any other way.
This is what there is present for you now.
Breathing,
Experiencing,
Fully present.
Allowing things to be exactly as they are.
Allowing the moment to be exactly as it is.
Each moment,
Moment after moment.
And as you prepare yourself to open your eyes and turn your awareness outward,
See if you can take some of this awareness into your day.
