Welcome.
Please close your eyes and inhale,
Filling your lungs,
Your chest,
And your stomach.
And slowly exhale,
Allowing your chest and your shoulders to fully relax.
Take a deep breath in and hold your breath at the top.
As you exhale,
Release any tension and pressure you may be feeling.
Focus now on your breath gliding in and out of your body.
When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation,
The cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them.
So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice.
Years later,
When the teacher died,
The cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session.
And when the cat eventually died,
Another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up during meditation.
Centuries later,
Learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly essays about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.
As men and women,
We are meaning-making machines,
Eager to derive meaning in order to make sense of the world around us.
Habit,
Repetition,
And tradition do not mean something is good or right.
They are merely an action repeated.
On a cultural level,
We have examples of slavery,
Segregation,
Women's rights,
Gay rights,
All historical traditions and laws that once examined further were overturned.
Yet time and time again,
On an individual level,
We live by habits,
Behaviors,
And traditions that exist merely because it's the way it's always been or it's the way I've always done it.
Whenever we begin to justify our actions,
Traditions,
Or habits because it's the way it's always been done,
It's time to pause,
Reflect,
And observe.
Ask,
Does this repeated habit,
Behavior,
Or tradition serve me?
Does it make me happier,
Healthier,
More capable of living a fulfilling life?
Perhaps it can be something as simple as the way you start your day.
Do you immediately check your emails?
Do you meditate or the food you choose to eat?
Do you hydrate before you drink a coffee?
As you inhale,
Take a moment to question one habit,
Behavior,
Or tradition you repeatedly do,
Perhaps without much thought.
Perhaps you have a cat in your habits or behavior,
Or behaviors.
Ask,
Does this behavior serve me?
Does it serve those around me?
Am I doing it because it leads to a more fulfilling life or am I acting on autopilot?
If you find it challenging to identify daily habits as it may be for many,
This is an opportunity for you to become more mindful of how you operate throughout your day.
Pause before you grab your cup of coffee.
Breathe and become aware before you start work.
Through observation and critical thinking,
We can become more aware of the ingrained habits that guide our everyday lives.
From that place of awareness,
We can question and if we so choose,
Change our habits,
Behaviors,
And traditions so that they serve us and not the other way around.
Take a deep breath in,
Filling your heart,
Your lungs,
Your chest with air.
Hold your breath at the top and slowly exhale,
Allowing your body to fully relax.
Inhale,
Following your breath as it nourishes your body,
Reaching every cell in every corner and exhale,
Releasing any thoughts that may have come up.
Focus on your breath,
Gliding in and out of your body.
And if thoughts arise,
Acknowledge them,
And return to your breath,
Moving in and out of your body.
If you've become distracted by thought,
That's normal.
Just return to following your breath as it glides ever so gently in and out of your body.
You Thank you for joining us today,
For taking the time to look,
To observe,
And change if you so choose.
May you have a meaningful day.
You
