Welcome.
Take a moment to settle yourself into a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Let your arms relax at your sides or with your hands on the thighs or in your lap.
If it's comfortable,
You may close your eyes or if you prefer to keep them open,
Let them be heavy and relaxed.
Take a moment to feel where your body connects to the surfaces underneath you.
Let go of any tension in your body,
Relaxing the jaw,
Dropping your shoulders,
Releasing any muscles,
And let the breath be natural and uncontrolled.
As you settle deeper into the space,
Consider the intention for this practice of cultivating an awareness like the vast sky,
Boundless,
Open,
Expansive.
In this space,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
And emotions are like clouds and weather.
They pass through.
They're temporary,
But they're never the sky themselves.
Allow your focus to settle on the rim of your nostrils,
Feeling the sensation of air on the inhale,
Feeling the sensation of air on the exhale,
Focusing on the breath on this continuous cycle.
And if you notice your mind wandering,
Acknowledge the thoughts with gentle ease and return your attention to the breath.
Let your breath anchor your presence in this moment,
Here and now.
Continuing to maintain a gentle awareness of your breath,
Begin to tune in to your inner state,
Sensing how it feels to be here.
Notice what your body feels like,
Any sensations,
Tensions,
Tingling,
Pulsing,
Pressures,
Lightness,
Heaviness.
And notice what your mind feels like,
Tense,
Relaxed,
Heavy,
Or light,
Buzzing,
Or still.
Simply notice.
Curiously,
You are the witness,
The experiencer,
Of all these fleeting thoughts and feelings.
You are not the thoughts or feelings themselves.
Your mind is like a vast,
Clear sky,
Spacious,
And limitless.
The stage for thoughts and feelings to play out.
Continuing to notice your breath,
To anchor your awareness on your breath.
And as thoughts or emotions arise,
Treat them as clouds drifting across the sky of your mind.
Some may be light and wispy,
Others may be dark and heavy.
Observe them without judgment,
Without attachment,
Allowing them to float by.
They are separate from the vastness of the sky of your mind.
They do not define it.
Sense the openness and calmness of your awareness behind all the activity,
Behind the mental activity,
Behind the physical activity.
If you find yourself getting caught up in a thought or emotion,
Simply remember other passing sparks of activity,
Dancing across the expansive field of your awareness,
Impermanent,
Moving through you,
Returning to the breath as you notice the pull of thoughts,
And continuing to expand your awareness even more.
Let your awareness expand to fill the room,
Growing,
Growing,
Expanding outward far beyond where you sit.
Sensing the limitless nature of your consciousness,
A container for all experiences in your field of awareness.
Growing so vast that it merges with the limitless sky itself,
Broadening your capacity more and more to observe and encompass all experiences without being overwhelmed or defined by them.
Witnessing them from a distance.
They are independent of you who observes them.
Allow your awareness to come back down now,
Down,
Down,
Landing back on the sensation of breath against the rim of your nostrils.
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
Present in this moment.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes,
Bringing movement and awareness back into your body.
If your eyes were closed,
You can slowly open them as you're ready,
Carrying with you this sense of expansive awareness.
Thank you.
