Return to your meditation position,
Your cushion,
And once again go through the process of making yourself mindfully comfortable.
From your previous experiences you will note which position is most comfortable for you.
So please experiment to see which position you can hold the longest without moving.
This will be important when we get into strong determination in our Vipassana sessions.
So experiment a little bit to see where your body feels most at rest.
This is especially important if you are sitting on a cushion and your knees are giving you a little bit of trouble.
Remember these meditation sessions are not about pain and experiencing endless pain.
It is about being comfortable in the body so that we can give peace to the mind and experience clarity of presence.
None of that can happen if we are in continual pain.
So don't be a martyr,
Okay?
Right,
So this is the third Anapana meditation and you will find that there are longer periods of silence between the guided suggestions.
So no doubt you will find that your mind will begin to play more tricks on you.
So you will need to be a little bit more aware of that for yourself.
Every two minutes you will hear a little gong this time.
So try to be aware in a space where there is only presence and awareness of breath without disturbing extraneous thought stories coming into your experience.
Let's begin.
So we're sitting comfortably and aware.
Notice what your body is doing.
Move a little bit if you need to but gently bring yourself to that state of equilibrium.
Be fully aware of your entire body.
Gently bring it to a state of peace.
Bring your attention to the sounds of the environment.
Note any changes that have happened.
Maybe as people are waking up the environment outside is becoming busier and noisier.
That's okay.
Bring your attention now to the breath.
This time narrow the point of concentration so that you are focused on the point above your upper lip,
Just below the nostrils,
About the size of the tip of your forefinger.
Become intensely focused on this spot to the exclusion of all other sensations in the body.
Notice what the mind is doing.
Is there a greater quietness,
A quietude now?
Or are there still lots of busy thoughts?
Note what you notice.
Be aware of the experience and gently go back to the focus point below the nostrils and above the upper lip.
What sensations are you aware of here?
Just this one focused point.
Draw all your attention to this one.
Draw your attention gently back to that one focused point.
Nothing else matters.
Think of a pool of muddy water.
If you stir it up,
The pool stays muddy.
If you let the water stand,
All the particles of mud sink to the bottom,
Leaving clear,
Still water.
The water becomes so clear that you can easily see the sediment at the bottom.
Simply by observing,
Simply by concentrating on this one focused point,
Your mind settles into quietness,
Into peace.
Be aware that the mind settles and becomes quiet.
Notice that as it does,
We become aware of our presence.
The noise of thought dies down and what is revealed in us is a deep,
Quiet presence,
An awareness of being that is usually covered over and veiled by the busy nature of our lives,
Our thoughts,
And our actions,
And the various stories and dramas we occupy ourselves with.
When the pool of our mind becomes clear,
Presence arises.
Notice that as we go deeper into our meditation and stillness arises,
That we are able to focus still on our one point below the nostrils and above the upper lip.
But notice too that in that awareness,
In that concentration,
There is also a sense of spaciousness surrounding that one point.
Check to see if this is true for you.
Keep your concentration on that one point and then try to see what else you can notice in this field of presence.
Expand your awareness so that the puddle becomes a pond,
Becomes a lake.
The lake becomes the sea and the sea becomes the ocean.
Gradually bring your attention back to the body and begin to include the feelings of your body.
Become aware of how your hands are placed in your lap.
Become aware of your buttocks on a cushion.
Become aware of your legs,
The feeling in your toes,
Your feet.
Bring your attention to your spine.
Gently sway from side to side.
Consider your shoulders.
Roll them back and forward,
Releasing any tension that may have arisen.
Rotate your head to the left and to the right.
Stretch your hands close together above your head.
Nice long stretch.
This is the end of Anapana Meditation.
