In this practice,
We'll explore returning to our natural,
Innate capacity for presence.
I invite you to begin by listening to your body to see what it needs,
Maybe to stretch a little bit,
Look around,
Or even take a deep breath or two.
When you're ready,
Settle into a comfortable position,
Where you can feel relaxed and alert,
Sitting,
Standing,
Lying down,
Whatever's most supportive for your body.
As you settle in,
Become aware of the space around you.
Notice how it's open,
Unobstructed,
If you like,
You can let your eyes close and imagine that the space around you felt warm,
Welcoming.
You might bring to mind a friend,
A favorite place,
Or anything that evokes that sense of an invitation,
That it's okay just to be here.
Notice if this has any effect on your heart,
On how it feels to be here right now.
Then,
Notice the places where your body touches the ground,
Your feet on the floor,
Chair,
Mat or cushion beneath you.
Feel the steadiness of the contact with the earth.
See if you can begin to give your weight to the ground beneath you,
Allowing yourself to rest into that steady support.
Feel the weight of your body,
Contact touching beneath you.
Begin to sense that there's something here that can receive us,
That can hold us.
Can you let that register in your heart,
The ground supporting you?
Can you allow yourself to feel held by the ground,
To lean on it?
What's it like to feel received,
Supported?
And again,
As you begin to take that in,
Notice any effect in the heart or on your muscles,
Your tissues.
Is there any softening,
Any sense of relaxing,
Opening,
Maybe a deeper out-breath?
So we're inviting a process of downshifting and connecting with something that feels supportive.
Let that process continue by noticing an anchor,
Something simple and easy to feel,
Like the breath,
The weight of your body,
Or the sounds around you.
Let your attention begin to rest lightly with this anchor.
Notice how it's already here.
You're already breathing,
Sitting,
Or hearing.
The anchor's naturally present.
So you don't need to force anything.
You don't need to grab the anchor or try to hold on to it.
Just as we leaned into or rested on the earth,
It's almost as if you're leaning on the anchor,
Like you're using it as a walking stick,
Or like you're resting against a wall.
It's here for you to just touch and be with.
Take some time to feel the sensations of the anchor come and go,
Whether that's your breathing,
Sensations of sitting or reclining,
Or the sounds,
The experience of hearing,
Just gently inclining your attention there.
So as we arrive and practice,
We're making an explicit shift in focus,
From the tendency of our attention to go outwards to settling back inwards.
So we often live with a certain momentum,
A habitual impulse to move on to the next thing,
To a part of the mind that's always scanning,
Fixing,
Adjusting,
Or drifting.
Instead,
You allow the attention to rest back and begin to receive and sense what's already here as it's unfolding.
This is a fundamental shift at the very basis of the heart.
Instead of feeding our habitual drives to argue,
Worry,
Find something,
Get something,
We step back,
Sense what's here,
Receive it,
And allow things to be known.
In this world of being so overstimulated,
Burdened,
Rushed,
Harried,
Can you allow life to come to you,
To touch you,
Even just for a moment?
Settled back,
Aware,
Receiving,
Sensing,
As you rest with the anchor,
Feeling whatever's present.
As you practice in this way,
You can notice that there's something here that's aware,
That's sensitive,
That's listening,
Quality of presence.
We're not trying to generate a special state or get back to some place we've been before.
We're just touching into this quality of presence that's available right here and now.
Presence isn't a thing,
It's not a sensation or even a state,
It's an innate capacity,
A receptivity,
A kind of sensitivity in the heart.
So we're recognizing and returning to this tender place inside where experience lands and touches us.
Just one moment at a time,
Attending carefully,
Appreciating our capacity to be aware and allowing ourselves to become more fully here.
Sensing the anchor,
But also recognizing presence,
The sensitive knowing in the heart.
From this natural awareness,
You can also notice whatever's present for you.
Different sensations,
Thoughts,
Feelings or impulses.
However it is for you right now,
You can notice how the heart-mind is relating to your experience,
Resisting it,
Pulling away,
Maybe getting swept up or carried away by it,
Or kind of ricocheting off into a daydream.
With any experience,
Impulse or reaction that arises,
See if you can let your attention return to this natural reflective awareness,
Just allowing things to be known with a quality of balance,
Warmth.
Returning,
Resting in natural presence one moment at a time and allowing what's present to be here,
Just as it is.
And then in your own time,
You can let your attention begin to widen,
Feel your body,
Surface of your skin.
Noticing again the space around you,
Maybe taking a deeper breath.
You can let your eyes open,
Bring some movement into the body.
Thanks so much for your practice.
