Using Our Breath As A Meditation Object Focusing On Sensory Clarity And Equanimity.

In this Meditation we choose our breath as an abject to concentrate on. We bring some sensory clarity to our experience, and we look at all the senses equally, letting everything come and go without holding on any particular sense with open awareness with rest.

Transcript

We are going to use the breath as meditation object. We building sensory clarity and equanimity using the breath as the object of meditation. Then we move to meditation without focusing on the object and rest. What I think is important in meditation is really to take a moment and becoming very conscious about our postures, How we are sitting or how we are lying down. So just trying to lengthen along the spine if we are sitting, Even if we are lying down, Find that straight line in your body and feeling the support underneath you. So try to settle on that support, Allowing a nice relaxation to happen through the entire body. But at the same time, We are maintaining the sense of present, Of alertness. So we really want to kind of be alert, At the same time relaxed. There are many ways of focusing on many objects during any practice of meditation. But in today's practice, We are going to bring our attention to the breath. It's kind of a classical type of meditation, Focusing on the breath. So notice how you are always connected to your breath. It could be through your nostrils, It could be through your upper chest, Rib cage, Maybe lower in your belly, Or it could be very broad. It could be experienced globally throughout the entire body. And sometimes we can even experience the breath beyond the physical body. So it doesn't matter if it is zoomed in, A local spot in our body, Or more global. Just hold your attention with your breath where you are feeling the sensation. If you find some discomfort in your mind, You may feel some pain in some part of your body. You might even feel some heat or cold or itch. We are going to do our best not to focus on those, To keep them at the background of our practice. We are not trying to stop them. We simply are not going to attach to them. We are continuing coming over and over to the breath as we feel we are moved away to this type of discomfort or this type of sensations. We are going to do our best not to focus on those, To keep them at the background of our practice. So let's just be with the breath, Whether it is short and restricted or free and relaxed. Whatever it is, Let's do our best to be open and welcoming to this experience. Just settling in with the breath. You can also notice that with every inhalation, There is an effort of doing inhaling and each exhaling is just a feeling noticing of letting go. As we are holding our attention with the breath, I invite you to soften through your shoulders, Closing to your face, Your jaw, To your chest, To your belly, And then to the entire body. We are keeping light attention on our breath. At the same time, We are inviting to let go of any tension or any holding, Of any sensation. Now, We are going to bring some sensory clarity. So, Wherever your attention is, Whatever you are focused on, See if you can detect more subtlety within the experience. See if you can experience any sensory experience at this moment. For example, If my experience is on my nostrils, I might experience the temperature of the air changing as the air comes in feeling cold, Maybe fresh, And with the exhale and the exit of that air, Maybe a little bit of warm or changed temperature. Or it could be, You notice, The sensation of the chest expanding, Expansion of the chest, Or the contraction of the chest as you exhale. So, Just focusing on that sensory clarity could be anywhere in your body that your experience is right now. You may also notice a sensation around these areas of buzzing, Bubbling, Pushing, One particular spot that you are focusing on in your body. Being"… Or you can notice how much space this sensory is taking in your body. We are not trying to notice all these sensations from the mind or what's in the mind, But we are moving our awareness down into the sensations themselves. We're kind of looking down and see what the sensations are telling us. We're focusing on those senses. So we are experiencing these sensations within. The mind might have something to say or comment. I made my wander outside this practice to think of other things that could take you away from your sensations experience. That is okay. That's what the mind does and that's what the mind is good for. Gently bring your mind back to your practice, To your breath, To your sensations that you're experiencing just now in this moment. Some sensations might become intense, Perhaps around the knees if you see it. Or my other sensations become smaller or shrink or go away. They're all perfectly okay. Just try to connect with your breath and relax. You might even experience physical sensation. Some could be really pleasant or unpleasant or some emotional sensation that come and go constantly. So let's be with these sensations and know their qualities. Not to go to the mind to relate to any particular sensation. Just awareness. We just become aware of what's coming, What's going and we're accepting it. We're not really going into the mind with the story, Why they're coming, What's happening. Just let them come and let them go. Just like that sound that sometimes comes quickly and disappear without getting attached to any of that. We treat all these sensations as a new experience with no story, No expectations. We are completely concentrating on this new experience and just accepting it with open heart. Let's relax our attention completely and move all this attention that's grabbing us away from these sensations. We are not directing our focus on details of these sensations. We are not trying to make anything to happen or to create. We are not looking for any particular experience and we're trying to get attached to it. We are doing our best just to rest here as an open awareness. And we include all the physical sensation that we're experiencing from seeing, Hearing, Feeling inward and outward. Open to all equally without paying attention to any of these sensations more or less. We're all treated the same way and then all the new experience coming and going with no attachments. The thoughts might arise, Want our attention and some might have a sharp hook to grab us, Really grab our attention. When this happens, Notice how your attention has narrowed down. Just become aware. Just drop any particular interest in any object, In any of these hooked thoughts that we are not interested in our mind. Just let them go. Can be at the background and focus on that. Just open awareness, Just resting. So remember, We are not trying to fix anything or hold on anything. Just sitting, Resting with open awareness. Open. We are simply trying to create space and freedom in our mind by just keeping relaxing and staying open with this awareness, Treating all the senses equally. If you have your eyes closed, Now you can slowly open them, Maybe halfway soft gaze and bringing that light through your eyes and try to look through things, Not at things. Whenever you're looking at, Look through it. Continue bringing that full relaxation and allowing the sensation to come and go with no gripping, No holding on any thought, On any senses. Just look through. Continue relaxing. Sitting with open mind and feeling the rest. So now let's bring our attention consciously back to our breath and taking a few belly breaths as we inhale in. And a nice long exhalation, This feeling of gravity pulling the body down and relaxing the shoulder and the neck. Just a few of those. Inhaling, Belly breath and a long exhalation, Relaxing the neck and shoulders. And let's do one more. And a nice long exhalation. And this brings us to the end of our practice. I thank you for your practice and have a good day. Namaste.