We can begin our practice with a few soundings of the bell.
You might just let the sound flow into your body and notice as it fades,
Coming to a stillness and a silence.
I'm just arriving in this time and place.
The body's here,
But the mind might be elsewhere,
Reflecting on our journey here today,
Perhaps anticipating what's to come,
Using the body and the breath to bring you to this present moment,
Feeling into your feet,
Your legs,
Your bottom,
Supporting you,
In the seated posture,
Allowing the back to be long,
Straight,
But not rigid,
Feeling the crown of the head lift towards the ceiling,
Sensing a softness in the belly,
An openness of the chest and heart,
Letting the shoulders drop,
Arms hanging,
The hands resting gently in your lap or on your thighs,
Observing the movement in your body,
A gentle rhythm of the breath as you observe.
The body breathes in,
The body breathes out.
And taking the next few minutes to sense Mara in your life,
Recalling a difficult conversation or a decision you have to make,
A challenge,
Perhaps one that has repeated time and again,
To the extent it feels safe,
Let yourself bring up that unpleasant emotion that is associated with this difficulty.
Notice how it inhabits the body,
Perhaps finding its way to the shoulders or the back,
Perhaps building tension in the forehead and the muscles of the face.
And now take a moment to explore the emotion.
Label it.
Give it a name.
And let this label evolve and change.
We might note fear or anger and find underneath there's sadness or doubt.
And whatever this emotion manifests itself as,
Jealousy,
Uncertainty,
Disappointment,
Imagine it as a being,
A shape,
A color.
If you like,
You might even give it a name.
Recognize that this emotion isn't you.
It's just an emotion that comes and goes.
So you might imagine yourself in your home,
In your apartment,
Sitting in your most comfortable chair,
Enjoying a cup of tea.
There's a knock at the door,
So you stand to answer it.
And it's this difficult emotion,
This manifestation of Mara.
It's doubtful this emotion will go away,
So just experiment with inviting it in,
Offering it a seat,
Pouring it a cup of tea.
No words are exchanged,
But you can just observe this being as it sits next to you.
What do you notice?
And if you like,
You might even ask it a question.
Why do you give me such trouble?
What's your problem?
Sense what its response might be.
Is it trying to protect you?
Is it trying to outrage you,
Scare you,
Or lead you to action?
You might imagine a conversation asking,
What is it like to be you?
What is it like that your only function is to cause me trouble?
What might Mara's response be?
If it feels right,
You might use this time to give this difficult emotion a piece of your mind,
Telling it how you feel about this emotion,
How it troubles you.
Perhaps continuing the conversation or sitting in silence.
Now suggesting to this being that your time together is almost over.
Now rising and escorting this being to the door.
Opening the door and as Mara leaves,
Perhaps even inviting it back,
Knowing it will arrive without much notice every now and again.
And closing the door and returning to your seat.
Pouring another cup of tea and enjoying the stillness and silence of this moment.
Notice what's coming up for you.
Any insights or advice that you might have for yourself?
Feel like you might even place your hand on your heart,
Sensing who you are when you're present in this moment,
Not fighting Mara or pushing him away.
Breathing more deeply now as you bring some intention to the breath.
Filling the lungs with air and releasing.
Nourishing the body with each breath in and out.
Breathing more deeply.
Returning a bit of movement and body.
Letting the eyes blink open and closed.
And returning to our group.
