You may be surprised to learn that the body's natural state is relaxation.
The speech's natural state is silence.
And the mind's natural state is stillness.
Once we loosen up our attachment to busyness,
Rumination,
And constant imagining,
We begin to allow the mind to rest naturally and effortlessly in a state of non-conceptual awareness.
In this state,
We are simply present without grasping at thoughts or sensations.
Settling the body,
Speech,
And mind in their natural state is a practice rooted in Tibetan Buddhism,
Especially in the Dzongchen and Mahamudra traditions.
What I share here is based on the guidance of my teacher,
Dr.
B.
Alan Wallace.
This technique serves as a preparation for deeper meditative states.
It trains the mind to become more serviceable by cultivating calm,
Continuity of attention,
And clarity.
Even if you're not drawn to deep meditation,
These qualities,
Calm,
Continuity,
And clarity,
Are universally needed,
Whether you are crafting a business plan or caring for a newborn.
So let's start.
Begin by gently guiding your awareness down from the head to the torso,
All the way to your feet.
Bring your attention to the tactile sensations of the body.
Feel the points of contact between your body and the floor or chair.
Notice the solidity,
The grounding presence of the earth element.
Sense the fluidity,
Moisture,
And flow connected to the water element.
Become aware of warmth or coolness associated with the fire element.
And the gentle sensations of movement or tingling linked to the air element.
As we settle the body in its natural state,
There is nothing to visualize.
Simply rest your awareness in the direct,
Non-conceptual experience of bodily sensations.
Let the face,
Shoulders,
And belly soften.
Let the body remain still,
Avoiding fidgeting.
The only movement is the gentle rhythm of your breath.
Now breathe deeply into the lower belly.
Feel the expansion with the inhale and the soft release with the exhale.
Let the whole body breathe,
No effort,
No control.
As we remain with the breath,
We begin to quiet the inner dialogue.
Here,
We are not referring to the spoken words,
But to the stream of inner speech,
The mental chatters that fills our awareness.
It's easy to remain silent with the mouth.
Quieter with the mind takes a little bit more patience.
Allow the inner commentary to soften.
Let it rest.
Let the mind be free from the constant narration.
With each out-breath,
Release tension.
With each out-breath,
Let go thoughts.
With each out-breath,
Return to inner silence.
Now that the body is relaxed and the speech is quiet,
We turn to the mind,
Perhaps the most subtle of the three.
Here,
We allow the mind to rest without clinging to thoughts,
Emotions or distractions.
This is not about suppressing anything.
It's about letting all mental activity rise and dissolve without attachment.
An image that might help is to imagine you are sitting in the cinema of your own mind.
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Memories,
They play out like a movie on the screen.
Sometimes it's a comedy,
Sometimes a drama,
A thriller,
Or all of it at once.
But you remain seated,
Calm,
Uninvolved in the storyline.
Now rest in the raw,
Immediate awareness of simply being aware.
Can you sense the experience of knowing?
It takes no effort.
You are already aware.
Rest there.
From that stillness,
Observe the mind.
Watch the coming and going of likes and dislikes.
The rise and fall of thoughts.
The flow of emotion.
Let all of it pass without getting caught.
Awareness remains still and spacious,
Like the sky.
Let your awareness be unshaken like a candle flame in still air.
Now let's continue this practice in silence.
