We begin as always by finding a comfortable seat.
You could be sitting on a chair or on the floor.
The main word is comfort.
Do you want to sit in a position that is not stiff like a soldier,
But noble?
And we start as always by observing the breath.
Just to see,
Just with curiosity,
Use the breath deep or shallow.
The inhale is longer than the exhale.
You don't need to change them,
Just notice.
And in this meditation you will take the role as observer,
As inspector,
And even as teacher.
Start by observing,
Witnessing,
Inspecting the quality of your breathing.
Is there a pause at the top of the inhale or the bottom of the exhale?
This can be subtle,
Just smooth it out.
Witness if you're breathing more from the belly or the chest.
Focus on the belly.
Let the belly get big on the inhale.
And bring the navel to the spine on the exhale.
Big belly inhale.
Navel to spine on the exhale.
You can bring the inhale into your chest and even the top of your lungs near your collarbones if you like,
But start with the belly.
Now that you've regulated the breath,
Take your sense of inspection,
Of witnessing,
Observing to the rest of your body.
Scan your body for little aches,
For vibrations,
For energy centers.
Notice the difference in feeling the different parts of your legs.
Scan up the front of your body.
Remember,
Base all the way to the top of your head.
Do that scan a few times,
Just point by point by point.
From the base to the genitals,
The pelvis,
The belly,
The heart space,
The throat,
The skin of the face,
The nasal passages,
The forehead,
The top of the head.
As you do the scan on the front of the body,
Let that be a big long inhale and then just let the exhale flow down the back of your body.
Don't be quiet so you can do that a few times.
Then once you've scanned the front of the body,
Scan the back of the body,
Same,
Same.
Find every little point from the base up through the tailbone,
The lower lumbar spine,
The middle thoracic spine,
The shoulder blades,
The cervical spine,
Which is the neck,
The back of the head,
The top of the head,
And then exhale down the front of the body.
And just do that a few more times.
Use your breath as your tool for inspection.
And then inspect the feelings in your fingers,
In your arms,
Your shoulders,
Your head.
And now you've inspected your body as a very friendly,
Benevolent witness.
You're just noticing,
Not changing anything,
Just witnessing.
And now take on the role of observer,
Witness,
Inspector of your mind.
Notice that you have thoughts that go by one by one by one,
As though individual cars on a long train.
There's a thought and another thought and another.
No matter who we are or where we are,
When we meditate,
We have thoughts,
We have distractions.
We just notice those.
And try to notice that tiny space between the rise and the fall of each thought.
Between each thought there's a space.
It's subtle,
But it's there.
We just try to elongate that space between thoughts a little.
Just notice these thoughts go by.
Notice that little space in between thoughts.
And now we'll take this observer,
Witness,
Inspector to our emotional state or your heart,
Your spirit,
That which isn't your body or your mind,
Whatever you want to call it.
In other words,
How are you?
How are you really?
How are you deep down?
Just notice.
And again,
Your breath is your greatest instrument for this inspection.
If deep down you are troubled or even excited,
Your breath will be slightly choppy.
Laughing and crying are extremes of this,
But in between.
So many subtle states of being,
How are you today?
Just notice.
The ancient yoga teachings tell us that focusing on an object can help us still the mind.
And in fact your body is an object.
Your mind itself is an object.
And your unique spirit is an object.
So taking the time,
Using the breath to inspect and observe the body,
The mind,
The spirit,
Is a profoundly calming meditation.
You can do this cyclically.
Using the breath to inspect,
Observe,
Witness the body.
Inhale and exhale.
The mind,
Inhale and exhale.
And the spirit,
Inhale and exhale.
And then,
Observe and witness your environment.
The temperature of the air,
The sound of my voice and other sounds in the room or wherever you're sitting.
The colors,
Patterns,
Shapes you see even though your eyes are closed.
The scent of the air,
The tastes in your mouth.
You inspect and observe,
Witness all that can be experienced with your senses.
And the last stage of this meditation is to simply stop all the observing,
Witnessing.
So you turned off a switch and just be.
As thoughts and sensations come up,
Observe and witness them again and then just return to just being.
And there's always the breath.
In the beginning,
The middle and the end.
The breath.
The breath.
And that breath.
And that breath.
And that one.
Stay seated in this state if you like for two more minutes and I'll ring the chime.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Namaste.
