Welcome to this guided Vipassana meditation.
To get us prepared for Vipassana,
It is nice to understand it in this way.
Vipassana is the focus of impartial attention on the present moment.
There is awareness and acceptance of whatever is occurring in the moment right now,
Without judging or adding to it.
We see things as they actually are,
Free of subjective associations.
Vipassana practice eventually eliminates the cause of mental and physical pain,
Purifies the mind,
And results in a stable happiness that isn't affected by moods or outward circumstances.
Although the practice of Vipassana is offered to the world from Buddhism,
You don't have to be Buddhist to practice Vipassana or benefit from developing mindfulness.
It is not a religion.
Vipassana is a simple,
Gentle technique suitable for everyone in any age.
Let us begin.
Let us find a comfortable seat.
You may sit or lie down if that's more comfortable,
But make sure that you remain awake and aware.
Relax the body and the mind,
And gently close your eyes.
Firstly,
Let us check in with your body,
Just as it is right now,
Noticing sensations that are present,
Feeling the contact the body is making with the floor,
The chair,
Or wherever you are.
Just noticing.
It is helpful to keep the spine straight and energized,
While relaxing the muscles around the skeleton.
Breathe in energy and awareness into the spine,
Reaching the spine gently upward.
As you exhale,
Gently let go.
Allow the shoulders to relax,
And let there be some slack in the jaw,
And soften the belly.
Allow for a few deep breaths,
Just like this.
Gently breathing upward,
And exhaling slowly.
Then let's start to scan the body,
Sweeping your awareness to different parts of the body without judging.
Just becoming aware as best you can,
And bringing your attention to your experience moment to moment.
Let us begin by tuning in to the crown of the head.
Simply bring your awareness to the top of your head,
Tuning into whatever is present for you there.
Can you feel the skin of the scalp?
The temperature of the air on the skin?
Can you feel your hair?
There's no right,
No wrong.
Just tuning into whatever is physically present in this moment.
Noticing any sensations here,
Tingling,
Numbness,
Tightness,
Relaxation.
Just becoming aware.
Then including the head.
Feel the weight of the head.
Noticing any tingling,
Numbness,
Tightness.
Now become aware of the forehead.
Noticing whether or not you can feel the pulse in your forehead.
Whether it is tight,
Is it ease?
Noticing any sensation there.
Notice come down to the eyes,
The nose,
Cheeks,
Mouth,
And chin.
And finally the ears,
Including any sounds that you notice coming to the ears.
Becoming aware moment by moment,
The changing pattern of sensations.
Things of warmth,
Coolness,
Ease.
If you notice your mind wandering,
Then this is perfectly natural.
Noticing your mind has wandered in the moment of awareness.
Then just gently guiding it back to the part of the body you are focusing on.
Taking go of the head and face,
Move your awareness into the neck and shoulders.
Noticing the strong muscles in this part of the body.
Having awareness of any tension in the neck and throat.
Perhaps becoming aware of the sensation of the air in the throat.
Just noticing.
Now let's move awareness to the shoulders.
Just becoming aware.
Continue to stretch your awareness into the arms,
The elbows,
The wrists,
The hands,
And fingers.
Aware of what is here in each moment,
Noticing any and all sensations and being with those.
Now turn your awareness to your abdomen.
Noticing the stomach.
The place where you feel your gut feelings.
Noticing your attitude to this part of your body.
Seeing if you can allow it to be as it is.
Taking a relaxed and accepting approach to this part of the body.
Then stretch your awareness to your lower back,
The lumbar spine.
Feeling the gentle pressure as the back meets the floor,
The chair.
Or just noticing your back seated straight in meditation.
Feeling the gentle pressure of your back.
Maybe it's on the floor or in a chair.
Just notice any and all sensations.
Now move your awareness to your pelvis area,
The hip bones,
And sitting bones,
The genitals,
And groin.
Noticing any sensations or lack of sensations that are here.
Perhaps being aware of the breath in this part of the body.
Just becoming gently aware of anything that is here in this present moment right now.
Now let go of the torso as the center of your awareness and move your attention into the thighs or both legs.
Feeling the weight of the legs.
Gently noticing any other sensations that are here.
Tuning into the skin,
The bones,
The muscles of the legs.
If your mind has wandered into thinking or planning or worrying,
Gently guide it back to this part of the body.
Next turn your attention gently towards your knees.
Bringing a friendly attention,
Notice if there's any discomfort here.
And if there is none,
Notice what is present already here.
Just becoming aware of whatever is.
Now become aware of the calves of both legs.
Noticing how your muscles feel here.
Noticing this part of your legs from the inside out,
The flesh,
The bones.
And again,
Checking in where your attention is from time to time and noticing the quality of your attention.
See if it's possible to bring gentleness and kindness into your awareness.
Not forcing yourself,
Bringing a lightness of touch to your attention in this part of the body.
Finally move your attention into both feet.
The heels of the feet.
The instep.
The balls of the feet.
The tops of the feet.
The skin.
The bones.
And finally the toes.
Seeing if it is possible to distinguish one toe from another.
Noticing whether there is tension here,
Sensations,
Numbness,
Tingling.
And allow any tension to soften as you bring a gentle attention to it.
Now take one or two deep breaths and widen your focus.
Filling the whole body with awareness.
Noticing whatever is present.
Sweeping the body with your awareness from top to bottom.
Experiencing the body from the inside out.
Noticing where there is any acceptance towards any part of your body as you fill the body with gentle awareness.
And seeing if you can have compassion for any judgments or for any tension or pain that might be present.
Feeling the energy of life flowing through you.
Resting in awareness of this amazing,
Amazing body.
Your body.
Yours just as it is.
Feeling compassion for the pains,
Appreciation for its capacities and the wonder of it all.
Allow yourself to rest in knowing the perfection of you.
Right here.
Right now.
In this moment.
This moment.
This moment.
This moment.
This moment.
This moment.
This moment.
This moment.
