Guided Meditation 1. Silence, Stillness And Knowing

This is a recording of a guided meditation which was offered on an online day of meditation, on Feb 4, 2023. It invites the listener to practice the first 9 steps of the 16 steps of mindfulness of breathing. It includes an invitation to listen to the silence that is available underneath the noisy mind. It also provides and invitation to rest in stillness, by being aware of the knowing of mind.

Transcript

Stillness and quietude meditation. So you're invited to establish a comfortable posture. If you're lying down, Ensure that your body is symmetrical. If you're seated, Ensure that your body is upright, Relaxed, Dignified, And arouse an intention for this practice. When having aroused an intention, Let your mind drop into your body and arouse mindfulness. Be present, Focused on the body, Connect with the earth beneath us. Allow Mother Earth to support us. We can connect by feeling the earth beneath us, The contact with our cushion or chair or the ground, Our feet, Our body in general. Being present, Mindful, And you're invited to become aware of your breathing, Wherever you feel it, Allowing it to be as it is, Without imposing control, Trying to regulate it in any way, Letting it be completely natural. And know if it's a long breath, Know it's a long breath. Know if you're having a short breath, And it's a short breath. That quality of comprehending the breath as long or short to the forefront, Connected with mindfulness, Being mindful of your breathing. Perhaps you can feel it in the belly as it rises and falls, Or perhaps you can feel it in your whole body as it expands and contracts. Breathing in, Know that you are breathing in. Breathing out, Know you are breathing out. Breathing in long, Know you're breathing in long. Breathing out long, Know you're breathing out long. Breathing in short, Know you're breathing in short. Breathing out short, Know you're breathing out short. Simply be with the breath. And then putting the breath, The focus on the breath into the background and into the foreground, Bring the experience of your body. Perhaps you can scan from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, Knowing the experiences, The sensations, Or you can just focus on the sensations in your body in general. Being mindful of sensations, Being mindful of your body as it breathes and with breathing in the background. You may also notice that your body begins to relax and you're invited to be mindful of the relaxation. Breathing in, Breathing out. Perhaps there's a release of tension. Breathing in, Breathing out. Releasing tension around your face and your head. Breathing in, Breathing out. Releasing tension around your neck and shoulders. Breathing in, Breathing out. Relaxing your arms. Releasing tension, Perhaps with the out-breath in particular. Breathing in, Breathing out. Letting the breathing be completely natural and releasing tension in your torso. Relaxing. Breathing in, Breathing out. Releasing tension around your buttocks and your groin. Breathing in, Breathing out. Releasing tension in your thighs, Calves and legs. Breathing in, Breathing out. Releasing tension in your feet. Let the breathing be in the background and in the foreground. Notice relaxation. Deep relaxation. The settling of physical activity. The release of tension. And if you can, Notice the pleasantness of it. The relief and pleasantness of being relaxed and present, Mindful. And notice the joy in your heart. Breathing in, Breathing out. Experience joy, Lightness, And bubbliness. Breathing in, Breathing out. Joy. And look deeply into the joy and notice the lightness of heart. Happiness. Buoyancy. An okayness. More subtle than joy. Breathing in, Breathing out. Nourish happiness. Happiness. Breathing in, Breathing out. Notice the mind. Notice thoughts and mental activity. Step back and let it be. Let thoughts, Mental objects, Images, Words, Just come and go. Without wrapping yourself around them or being carried away by them. Just step back and let them be. Let them come and go. Like rapids forming at the top of a mountain. There may be lots of mental activity but as it flows down the mountain, It gets slower, Calmer. It shifts from rapids to a stream, To a flowing river. A slow flowing river. Going into a lake, A still lake, By not feeding into your thoughts, Allow them to calm down. Blow down. Breathing in, Breathing out. Calming mental activity. Notice the quietude, The silence. Even though externally there may be sounds arising, And internally there may be thoughts slowing down. Underneath the noise, Beneath the noise, Beneath the noise both internally and externally, Notice the silence, Like ringing in the ears there's something in the background. Silence. And just like a deep lake, A still lake, Is quiet and still. Notice the stillness of your mind. Notice the knowing, Aware quality, The knowing of experience. Breathing in, Breathing out. Be with the stillness of the knowing, The silence, And the stillness of the mind. Clear, Bright, Still, Quiet. And if you can, Just dwell with that knowing, Dwell in that silence and stillness. And when you lose sight of it, Just come back. Sink into it.

Reviews

Deep and peaceful. Thank you

Very inspiring foundation practice, thank you 🙏