Making yourself comfortable,
Whatever posture you like to take.
Landing,
Landing in this body,
Landing in this body.
What if this body in this moment,
Taking a posture as if you are not feeling well,
As if your energy was limited.
Letting go,
Letting go of ambitions of more,
More,
More in this moment.
And as if you are not feeling well,
As if you were sick,
Let your body sink.
Ah,
Let your body sink into the cushion.
All the tension,
Tightness,
Fighting with the circumstances.
Letting them sink,
Letting them drain away.
And letting the breath be received in this body,
Nourishing,
Keeping this body alive.
As if you were sick,
Be each breath precious.
Be each breath not to be taken for granted.
The entirety of this breath,
Just this breath,
Embraced.
Gently,
Gently received.
Can remember you're practicing as if you were sick.
You don't have too much energy for wanting or fighting the circumstances,
Wanting things to be different.
Just receiving,
Letting go.
It's like this right now.
Explore for yourself the next few minutes,
Just receiving the breath in the body.
What does it feel for you?
What does it feel like for you to practice as if you were sick,
As if you were ill?
There can be a sense of contentedness when we are sick,
Sense of contentment to just be and breathe,
Be breathed.
No fighting,
No receiving.
Letting go.
And just receiving the breath.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Practicing as if you're sick.
Not enough energy in the mind and the body to get entangled in thoughts.
You can watch them come and go,
But not so much energy to get entangled in them.
Just watching them come and go.
As the breath is received,
The breath comes and goes.
A light touch,
A lightness.
That awareness can have receiving phenomena,
Not getting entangled in phenomena,
Just receiving phenomena.
When we are sick,
Our functioning is reduced to what is essential.
What is essential?
Like a sieve.
Only what is essential is attended to,
Is participated in.
A light touch.
When the mind comes up with self-judgments,
Not enough energy to get entangled and follow that thread to beat ourselves up.
Not enough energy for self-flagellation.
Just let that thread go.
Come back with a sense of contentment,
The breath,
The body.
Letting go.
With this light touch of awareness,
Just enough energy to be aware and receive phenomena.
Let there be a light touch of care,
Not forceful,
Not tight.
Just a gentle care for this body,
For this being,
As if you were sick.
Wishing yourself well,
Not being hard on yourself.
This is not the time to be hard on yourself.
You wouldn't be hard on a child who is sick.
You would take care of the child who is having a fever,
Is ill.
That attitude,
That perspective is available to you.
See what it feels like to put it on as if putting on glasses that you look through.
Sense of gentle care as if you were sick person,
As if you were sick right now.
This being,
For this body,
Just breathing.
And if there is enough energy in this supposedly sick body for the metta phrases,
Bring them in.
And if they feel like a lot of work,
Don't.
Or you can simplify them.
Just,
May I be well.
May I be well.
A sick version is an ill person's version.
Simplified,
Low energy.
May I be well.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So practicing as if sick.
So many things can be let go of.
Whatever is extra,
Not needed.
Over-efforting can be let go of.
Simple,
Simply receiving.
Breath sensations.
The sense of care and kindness for this being,
This body.
That is myself.
All the what is essential.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Everything gets simplified when we're sick.
With not enough energy in our minds to go after,
What's not essential.
See if you can feel the simplicity in your body,
In your heart and mind.
The mind goes after us all through story,
Self judgment.
I'm sick.
I don't have energy for this.
Coming back to the simplicity of this moment.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And for the last moments of this practice period,
If there are any judgments arising or what this practice period was,
Whether the mind was restless or sleepy or filled with thoughts.
Again,
As if you're a sick person without the energy to fight with yourself,
Letting go,
Letting go of what's not essential.
These self-criticisms,
Not important,
Not essential.
You don't need to be followed or believed.
Letting them go,
Practicing like a sick person.
The mind staying with what is essential.
May all beings everywhere be well.
May all beings everywhere be free in their hearts and minds.
