This tendency that we have when we're in these very difficult states is to want to escape our reality and there's a counterintuitive wisdom which asks us to consider and experience what might it be like if I just allow the experience that is here to be here and drop into that aspect of myself that can hold what I'm experiencing,
That can hold the suffering.
And the quality of that holding,
We'll explore that as well in the meditation.
So just beginning to find yourself in this moment.
So that's just really connecting with your body in the space that you're in.
So wherever that might be.
Noticing how your body is meeting the surfaces that it's making contact with.
Really coming into contact with your embodied self.
And just notice how you're feeling in this moment,
Really giving a bit of space without judging.
If I'm present with my body,
What are the sensations that are here?
And you can scan through your body slowly.
And just notice,
Can I pick up the language of sensation?
Instead of,
For example,
Pain,
Maybe you could say,
Okay,
There's a sharpness here or there's a brightness or a dullness.
So see if you can stay with describing the sensations that you find.
So all the way from the top of the head,
Make a note to yourself mentally,
Okay,
This is here.
Now this is here.
And see if you can try not to give any meaning to what you find,
To make it quite spacious and descriptive.
I'm noticing this,
I'm noticing that.
So I'm just going to give you a little bit of time to scan through the body and notice the sensations that are present.
You might notice that there's some which are unpleasant,
Some which are neutral,
Some which are maybe pleasant.
Let's see what reveals itself to you as you pay attention in this spacious way.
And then acknowledging,
This is how my body is feeling today.
And then shifting into the heart space and acknowledging the emotions that are present,
The realm of feeling,
The tender feelings,
The disheartened feelings.
Explore which feelings are present,
Which ones are playing on the screen of life at this moment.
And again,
Not judging or changing,
But giving space,
Giving space to the feeling.
And then just letting that exploration go and coming into an exploration of the mental state that you find in this moment.
So the felt sense of the mind,
Thinking,
Might be actual thoughts that are present.
You might catch some of those.
See if you can stay present to your mind and notice how it is without judging.
Giving space.
Beginning now to breathe with your whole experience.
So as you breathe in,
Feel the breath move through the body,
The mind,
And the heart.
Ventilating your experience with the gift of the breath.
Breathing in and feeling the breath flush the system.
Breathing out,
Letting go.
Best as you can,
Breath by breath.
Just breathing through your whole being.
And now notice that in the background of experience there's this aspect of you that's doing the noticing,
That's sensing,
That's aware.
And see if you can soften into this part of yourself.
And it can be quite subtle.
And there's a very beautiful quality of openness to awareness.
It doesn't push anything away.
And if everything is allowed to be here,
That's a very loving and compassionate space.
This part of you is not resisting and is not pushing away any of your experience.
It's just present with the experience of the heart,
Of the body,
Of the mind.
If you notice yourself getting tangled up in the mind or caught up in the experience of one sensation or another,
You can just take a breath and as you breathe out,
Just soften back into this witnessing presence that is also you.
Moment by moment acknowledging being present to in this very loving way.
Your body,
Mind and heart.
And we can get very caught up,
Very identified with that contracted part of ourselves,
So strong.
But this is an opportunity to sense that any time you open to it,
You can touch in with this witnessing,
Loving presence.
Even in the midst of all of that,
There's this capacity.
And because it is so open and spacious,
It's very relaxing.
So see if you can just drop back into what holds experience in quite a relaxed and spacious way,
Like an open palm,
Not like a fist.
It's a little bit like sensing that your experience,
The struggle,
What's difficult,
What's painful,
Is held in a loving embrace that has got a clarity to it.
And easefulness to.
And not to worry if it's difficult to touch base with this aspect of our experience.
Sometimes our conditions are very strong.
But just to know that it's always possible when you choose to slow down,
Make a little bit of time for yourself to cultivate befriending,
Making this part of you more available to you in daily life through cultivating,
Dropping into the spaciousness.
And placing a hand on your heart.
And placing your other hand on top of the first hand.
Feel these layers of support,
Hand to heart,
Hand to hand.
And inside of you as well are these layers of support.
These layers of holding.
I'm spending a moment or two breathing here.
And then when you're ready,
You can take a couple of deeper than usual breaths,
Sighing it out.
Sighing it out.
And then when you're ready,
If your eyes are closed,
You can open them.
Becoming aware once again of your embodied self,
The space that you're in.
And thanking yourself for making time to connect in on this deeper level.
