Welcome,
Friends.
Please close your eyes and get comfortable,
Relax your shoulders,
Breathe.
Just take this time to settle in.
Every breath,
Every breath is an invitation to arrive here,
To be present.
So,
Bring all of your awareness right here.
Come right here and gather it all in.
All of those tendrils that are spreading out far and wide into the past,
Things you could have,
Should have,
Would have done,
Or into the future,
Dreaming of what lies ahead.
Gather in those tendrils and rest right here,
Breathing,
Breathing.
Because,
Right here in the present moment,
My friends,
You are not stuck.
You are not stuck.
You are here.
You are breathing.
And you can notice,
You can notice if your breath is getting stuck anywhere in your body as it travels.
The more still you are,
The more you can notice.
Observe.
Observe when you grab onto a thought,
I should be more of this or I really should be less of that.
Just very gently notice it.
Notice it and don't engage.
This is one of the keys,
To observe rather than engage.
Observing means to widen your attention almost as if you wanted to get a bird's eye view so you can gaze down upon yourself.
Breathing,
Widening your awareness.
From this vantage point,
You can observe,
You can notice,
Oh,
I am grasping,
I am ruminating,
I am making things up that may or may not be true.
Just notice.
Establish yourself here,
Observing from moment to moment.
And you may notice that when you reach for something or grab onto something,
You experience certain sensations in your physical body.
Maybe a tightening or pressure or you feel your heartbeat increase.
Just notice from here.
And whenever you notice some grabbing,
Grasping or clinging that's creating a feeling of being stuck,
Just breathe and send the warm light of your attention,
Send your compassionate attention to that part that's grabbing or grasping.
And notice.
Emotions may arise.
Simply breathe and feel.
Everything is welcome.
Everything.
And as you breathe,
You are sending love to these places that are grasping,
That may be experiencing emotions and sensations.
You're flooding those places with tender care and light,
Welcoming them into a compassionate embrace.
Take your time,
My friends.
Surrender any agenda.
There is no rush,
No hurry.
And if the mind gets busy,
Just notice returning to the breath of compassionate awareness,
Letting it circulate through your whole body,
Your whole being.
Yes.
Noticing how it can feel so good.
And if you find yourself getting snagged,
Holding tightly,
Be patient.
Be patient and gentle with yourself.
Awareness has infinite patience,
And everything is welcome here,
In this vast space of compassionate awareness,
Compassionate love.
So dear friend,
Let us take these last few minutes and sit silently.
Sit silently knowing that you are held,
You are safe,
You are loved.
And very gently,
Bringing yourself back feeling the effect of turning toward yourself and offering yourself compassionate,
Loving attention.
Thank you,
Friends.
Thank you for practicing.
Thank you for showing up for yourself,
For showing up for peace,
For showing up for love.
