Hello,
My name is Lucy.
This is a short pause to help reconnect with presence.
Begin in a comfortable seated or lying down position,
Choosing something that feels effortless for you.
If you're sitting up,
Now grow your spine tall and just sense this connection between the base of your pelvis and the ground,
The crown of your skull and the sky.
If you're lying down,
Rest in a position where the spine can be free from hindrance,
The head feels supported in the chest,
The hips,
Spacious at ease.
And through this short pause,
We explore this concept from the yoga tradition of puruṣa,
The pure consciousness,
Or the one who is aware of perception itself.
Let's begin by taking a few quiet but full breaths,
Watching the breath draw in and out of your body.
And as of these breaths are waves on an ocean,
Just notice any thoughts or attachment of stories that flow around these breaths as you are now.
Without needing to change or shift or perfect anything,
Simply be aware of the breath moving and the thoughts and perceptions drifting around it.
And see if you can become aware of sound,
Perhaps the sound of your breath flowing.
Or it could be something close by within the room or space you are inhabiting,
Or even far outside of the room.
Become aware of sound.
And you might notice here the spaces between the sounds,
The awareness that is like the air,
Between the objects.
It is not the objects themselves,
The perceptions or sensations,
But simply the space that holds those sensations.
Now to become aware of the boundaries of your skin,
Maybe the fabric of your clothing or the temperature of the air,
Perhaps one part of your body can feel more sensitive than another.
Become aware of the sensations on your skin.
And now gently shift your attention to your thoughts.
Without needing to get involved in any of the thoughts,
Perceive the thoughts as forms moving through your consciousness.
And this idea of puruṣa is that you are not the thoughts,
Not the objects of your awareness,
But the vast space within which it is held.
Allow yourself to become consciousness,
Aware of sound,
Aware of sensation,
And aware of thought.
Now stay here in this pause for as long as you need,
Sensing the spaciousness that comes with recognizing this more vast and more unchanging state of being,
Of puruṣa,
Pure awake consciousness.
And when you are ready,
Begin to deepen your breath.
Perhaps take a little stretch out of fingers,
Toes,
Arms and legs,
And take a deep and full breath in and out.
And gently rise back into your day.
