This is a short meditation this evening just to unwind at the end of the day.
Just put the intention out there that this meditation is going to help you put down whatever you've been carrying for the day as you acknowledge that it's important for you to rest and have some time to recuperate so you can come back at your best tomorrow.
So with that,
Just set that intention that you're going to use this meditation to switch off and let go of the day.
Just take three deep breaths in through the nose and exhale through the mouth and let the muscles relax.
Again,
Breathing in deep into the abdomen,
Holding for a second,
Then exhaling slowly through the mouth,
Letting the muscles relax.
Last one,
Breathing in,
Holding,
And breathing out.
Just acknowledge,
How was your day today?
However it was is just fine and just think,
Is there anything you would like to put down today?
Anything that perhaps annoys you or you're constantly thinking about,
Just maybe bring a couple of things to mind you can let go of to enjoy your evening or night of sleep.
Maybe just those things you want to let go of,
Just acknowledge,
Is there anything you would have done differently?
At least you know that you've learned from it and you can put it down because you've learned whatever you needed to.
And also acknowledge anything that you learned today that you did well and you'd like to repeat for the future.
Now just try to reflect back,
Are there any things you can be grateful for today?
Maybe someone smiled at you or helped you,
Maybe it's the weather,
Maybe it's some food,
Whatever it is,
Just think of a few things you can be grateful for today.
That's great,
We're not going to do any particularly effortful practice tonight,
I just want you to just sit and be,
In Zen they just call it just sitting,
Just allow yourself to be in a comfortable posture and just sit.
And anything that comes up it could be a thought,
A sensation,
A feeling,
It's absolutely fine,
No need to chase after it,
No need to push it away,
Just let whatever comes up,
Just let it in,
Let it be,
And let go of any resistance or clinging to it.
Not letting go of the thought or the emotion or the sensation,
You're letting go of any chasing after it or pushing away from it.
Let's just sit together for a couple of minutes,
Just sitting.
If your mind does want to focus on something,
Just let your attention gently rest on the sensations of your belly as the abdomen rises and falls.
Just letting everything in,
Just letting it be,
Letting go of any pushing or pulling.
That's perfect,
Well done.
Well done for just giving yourself a few moments to transition from the busy day back into balance and peace and calmness.
If you'd like to carry on sitting with me,
You're more than welcome to,
Otherwise just have a lovely evening and hopefully we'll see you back here again tomorrow.
And for those of you that are still here,
Just let that sitting practice deepen,
Let everything in,
Let it all be,
And let go of any resistance or holding on to anything.
Just for now,
Giving yourself permission to accept the world as it is,
Not necessarily condoning anything but just being with it,
For the moment no need to react to anything or change anything,
Just allow everything in,
Everything to be,
Let go of any resistance or chasing after anything.
Just let the mind naturally untangle itself.
As you sit like this,
The mind starts to naturally unfold,
Any knots it's tied,
A little bit like a stream,
If you leave a stream,
Stop polluting it,
It naturally cleans itself.
The same is true of the mind,
Without reacting to our thoughts or sensations or feelings,
The mind starts to become clearer and clearer and cleaner and cleaner.
And perhaps as the mind settles,
You become aware of that luminant nature of mind,
The luminous nature of mind.
The awareness in which everything arises,
Your thoughts,
Sensations and feelings.
See if you can just rest that mind in its own luminous nature.
If you notice yourself trying to concentrate too hard,
Just relax,
That luminous nature of mind is always there,
You don't have to hold on to it,
In fact by letting go,
Relaxing,
It becomes more apparent,
You don't need to do anything to recognise it,
Always there,
Ever present.
This fundamental essence of mind,
Just allowing it to rest in itself,
Nothing to seek,
Nothing to chase after,
Nothing to push away,
That natural clear luminosity is always there,
And if you're noticing it,
You're letting your mind bathe in its own nature,
Allowing itself to cleanse itself,
Just let go into it,
If you can,
Stop trying to seek it or find it,
Just let its natural radiance come forth,
You don't need to try and find it anywhere,
It's always there.
This is our fundamental substrate,
This is what everything in our life and our experiences is made of,
Its luminous nature,
It has no colour,
It has no form,
It has no sound,
It has no owner,
It's just that constant ever-present awareness in which everything arises,
Even the experiences of ourselves,
It's just a fleeting thought,
It has the fundamental essence of awareness,
If you do not create this,
The mind gets caught up in the thoughts,
Again just notice the luminous nature of the awareness that's behind those thoughts,
It makes the existence of those thoughts possible,
Okay,
For those of you who sat with me,
Thank you for sharing that,
I hope you have a wonderful,
Relaxing evening ahead,
If you can just try and bring awareness to your true nature,
That essence of luminosity as you fall asleep tonight,
Have a wonderful night.
