Take a comfortable seat in a place that is quiet and free from distractions.
Close your eyes and sit up a little taller.
With your chin neutral,
Lift the crown of your head towards the sky and,
At the same time,
Release your shoulders,
Soften your belly,
And relax into your thighs.
Breathe slowly,
Patiently,
And evenly in and out through your nose.
Let the length of each exhalation be at least as long as the length of each inhalation.
Settle in on a breathing pace that is quiet,
Comfortable,
And easy.
As you sit here,
Watching and noticing your breath coming in and out,
Notice also how the mind is always at play.
Thoughts come and go,
Perhaps emotions too.
As thoughts arise,
If we can let them be,
They'll also dissipate or fade away,
And then another thought might take its place,
Or maybe there can just be space.
Recognize that space between the thoughts,
The moments when it is just you sitting here,
Watching the breath.
There is nothing to do right now other than to pay attention to the breath.
And,
If as you sit here present with your breath,
There is still movement in the mind,
This time when you recognize a thought or the process of thinking,
Watch that thought as if you're watching it from a distance.
Notice how there is a part of you that's thinking,
But also there is a part of you that's watching,
Witnessing,
Noticing the thought.
There is also a space between your thoughts and you,
The thinker.
And further back,
Behind all of that,
There is the you that's awareness itself.
Awareness and the movement of your mind are appearances in your mind like clouds appear in the sky,
Moving,
Changing,
Coming and going.
They take shape,
They last for a while,
And then they dissipate,
Like a cloud dissolving into thin air.
Some light and flimsy,
Others heavy,
Creating storms and causing rain.
But each of these clouds,
Every thought and emotion,
All this activity of the mind is just a dance of energy across the sky.
The sky is the foundation.
It is the greater awareness from which these clouds arise and come into play.
The sky,
Sometimes obscured by the clouds,
But it is always present,
Always there underneath,
Spacious,
Clear,
Infinite and free.
The sky is never disturbed by the clouds.
Through all the storms and any change of weather,
It is there,
Present,
Stable,
Unmoved.
As you notice any movement in your mind,
Thoughts or emotions,
Use this image.
They are the clouds passing by,
And you can always turn further inwards,
Home towards the sky.
Identify with this spaciousness,
This broad awareness that is the foundational ground in which the clouds get to play.
What's the true nature of the sky?
Identify with this sky-like sensation,
This clear luminosity.
Identify with the spaciousness,
With the ease,
The peacefulness and the joy,
The inherent nature of the sky-like awareness.
And as you turn inwards to the sky-like mind,
Remember this is who you are.
You are not the clouds,
Not the weather,
Not the storms or the rain.
You are the witness,
The observer,
The container for it all.
You are spacious,
And no matter what,
You are at peace,
At ease,
Fast and free.
Practise in this way for a few moments.
You are the witness,
The observer,
The container for it all.
You are the witness,
The observer,
The container for it all.
And whenever you feel ready,
Take a few deep breaths and gently open your eyes.
