This is a sitting practice.
So finding a position that for you is as comfortable as possible today,
Perhaps seated on a chair,
Having a cushion behind you to support your lower back if this is helpful,
And becoming aware of the body sitting,
Weight of the body going down,
Height of the body going up,
Sitting in a way that for you reflects a sense of dignity,
Noticing areas of contact with the ground beneath you,
Softening through the body and allowing gravity to take the weight of your body.
So checking that you're not holding any tension that you can let go of,
Perhaps in the face,
Through the shoulders and the arms,
The belly,
The legs.
And as you take your seat,
Bringing into your mind and perhaps into your heart your intention for this practice today.
What brings you to practice today?
So inviting you now to become aware of the breath,
Perhaps beginning with feeling the full duration of the in-breath and the out-breath,
As the air moves all the way into the body,
Deep down into the belly and releases on the out-breath.
So as we tasted the raisin in week one,
Inviting you to bring that same quality of curiosity to the sensations of breathing.
We don't need to change the breath in any way,
Simply allowing the breath to breathe itself and abiding with it,
Resting the awareness in the breath as best you can.
As if you're riding the waves of your breathing,
Breath by breath,
Moment by moment.
Remembering that there's nothing to be achieved,
There's nothing else that needs to be done or fixed.
Simply to rest in this anchor of the breath,
Fully present,
Fully here in the breath and inviting you now to move in a little more closely to the breath,
To some aspect of the breathing that you feel most clearly today.
Perhaps around the nostrils and where the air moves in and the changing temperature on the out-breath as the air moves out.
Perhaps at the back of the throat or the gentle rise and fall of the chest wall.
Perhaps deeper in the belly.
Moving in closely wherever feels right for you today.
Becoming more intimate,
Seeing and feeling the sensations of the breath,
The changing sensations.
And when the mind leaves the breath,
The attention gets pulled into thinking,
Planning,
Worrying and remembering that this isn't a mistake and letting your practice be very simple so that you notice and register wherever the attention is called to with a kindly interest.
And then gently escorting the attention back to rest in the breath.
No need to be harsh or to judge ourselves.
Simply meeting the next breath.
Following sensations breath by breath.
And inviting you now to once again be aware of the body breathing.
Perhaps noticing where the echoes of the breath can be felt in the body.
And expanding even further and including a sense of the body as a whole,
Sitting,
Breathing.
All the way to the very edges of the body.
Feeling free to let go of any tension you may have started to hold in the body.
Opening and expanding to any and all sensations moving through this body.
Sensations on the inside and a sense of sensations on the outside of the body.
At any time you can return to the breath if you feel overwhelmed or a need to be steadied.
Perhaps becoming interested in areas of intensity or clusters of sensations.
Perhaps those related to sitting or perhaps elsewhere in the body.
Moving in more closely and exploring the edges of these sensations.
Bringing a kindly interest to whatever's here.
And inviting the breath to breathe into sensations and out from them.
Not to cover over anything.
But to help bring a kindly interest to what's here.
A sense of friendliness.
And if and when the attention allows,
Shifting again and including a sense of the body as a whole.
Fasting in an awareness of sensation in the body.
Breathing with it all.
Seeing if we can meet each sensation with the same interest and kindness whether it is pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral.
Perhaps to notice when the mind gets involved and we become aware of stories,
Of thoughts,
Of judgments.
Seeing if it's possible to let those be and return to an awareness of sensations themselves.
So inviting you now to feature in the centre of your awareness the whole domain of sounds.
So allowing the body and the breath to rest in the side wings.
Allowing your ears to receive sounds.
We don't need to go searching.
Simply resting here.
Imagine interested and receiving sounds and the spaces between sounds.
Perhaps noticing any tendency of the mind to have preferences,
To have sounds that we like or dislike.
Perhaps those where we're indifferent.
Just seeing if it's possible to let go of the judgments and to remain open to any and all sounds.
Sounds inside the room you're in.
Perhaps even sounds inside the body.
And then we can expand the awareness further and include sounds beyond this room.
And again if we notice that the mind gets pulled into thinking,
Lost in daydreams,
Then no need to be harsh.
Simply acknowledging whatever's here.
Recognising whatever calls our attention and then gently escorting the attention back to sounds that are present in this moment.
Sounds offering us another anchor,
A doorway into this present moment.
To life as it's happening right now.
Is there any time if we notice that we're.
.
.
Or that the attention has collapsed.
Or perhaps we're trying too hard and making any adjustments that we need to.
Perhaps feeling again the support of the body sitting.
The breath.
And our intention for this practice to be with experience as it unfolds with a kindly interest.
And inviting you now to let go of sounds in the centre of your awareness.
And open now to the whole realm of thinking.
Becoming aware of any thoughts in the mind.
Thoughts about the future,
About planning.
Worrying.
Perhaps thoughts about the past,
About conversations that have happened earlier today or even further back.
So we can relate to thinking in the same way that we can be open with sounds.
So taking our seat on the side of the thought stream.
Noticing the thoughts that keep coming back.
Recognising that everything comes and goes.
And if we find that we've got very caught up in thinking that we've been washed downstream.
And no need to be harsh or judgemental.
In that noticing we can once again take up our position on the side of the thought stream.
Noticing how we are bigger than thinking.
So like the sky is vast and can hold anything.
Thoughts can pass through like clouds moving through the sky.
And the sky itself is unaffected by thoughts.
Seeing if we can connect with that sense of our own vastness.
That we can hold it all whether it's difficult,
Positive or neutral.
Allowing thoughts to move into awareness and to leave again.
Or perhaps the mind is empty.
Sometimes when we turn our attention to thinking it suddenly disappears.
This is okay.
Simply noticing our empty mind.
Or perhaps we're running a commentary about the practice.
Wondering if we're doing it right.
Feeling frustrated with however the mind is.
Noticing it all.
Seeing if it's possible for you to rest in the awareness of thinking.
Knowing at any time if we feel overwhelmed or some intensity in our experience.
Then making a wise choice about how to respond.
Perhaps coming to the breath.
Or perhaps moving into the body and where we feel the intensity and breathing with it.
Exploring it's sensations.
Finding kindness in on the breath to open and soften to what's here.
Inviting you now to open to thoughts,
To sounds.
To be aware of what's here.
To be aware of the body sitting at this stable base.
And of the breath.
So with your body and your posture as a support.
Opening to your experience as it is in this moment without having any particular focus.
Meeting your experience with kindness however it is.
Noticing thinking.
Feelings in the body.
Sound moving around us.
Seeing if it's possible for the next few moments as we sit quietly to simply allow life to live through us and around us.
And without needing to change or to do anything but simply to be with our experience moment by moment.
At any time if you feel lost then coming back to some anchor.
Perhaps the breath or the body.
And when you feel ready opening again to your experience.
Allowing the attention to be vast,
Expansive.
And meeting all experience with kindness and friendliness.
Breathing with it all.
And as we reach the end of this practice.
Once again coming to the breath.
And a sense of the body sitting.
Grounded.
Weight going down.
Height going up.
Breathing with it all.
And as we reach the end of this practice.
