So just inviting you then to find that comfortable position which for you is supportive of both relaxation and also alertness and if it feels good maybe taking a few intentionally slower deeper breaths just to help with that sense of arriving and settling sometimes it can be helpful on the in-breath to get a sense of the spine lifting up,
Straightening and then on the out-breath a sense of that letting go,
Settling,
Softening the belly and maybe allowing the sensations of the breath coming in and the breath going out to maybe signal our intention to turn our attention inwards and perhaps to explore the inner landscape and getting a sense of what's present for you right now sensing into the body noticing sensations those points of contact where the body meets the seat where the feet meet the ground and perhaps gently scanning through the whole body just noticing any sensations that seem obvious to you and perhaps there are particular sensations that feel pleasant maybe some that feel less so maybe unpleasant and however you are right now just seeing if it's okay to allow yourself to meet this moment just as it is not needing to push anything away and also not needing to make anything in particular happen either just accepting what's here just accepting yourself just the way you are right now and seeing if it's okay for this moment to be enough just being with the body noticing how the body breathes gently placing awareness on the sensations of the breath coming in and the breath going out just allowing the body to breathe by itself in the way that it naturally wants to do and if the mind wants to take your way into different trains of thought or ideas or plans just noticing that that happens and there's nothing wrong with the mind wanting to process but we don't have to follow the thoughts where they are leading we can be aware of them observe them from the sidelines and then gently escort our attention back to the sensations of the body and the breath seeing if it's possible to follow the entirety of the breath from the beginning of an inhale or the end of an inhale all the way through to the end of the exhale not needing to place any more attention on the breath than is necessary just to know that the body is breathing and sometimes as we're aware of the breath attention may be drawn to particular sensations in the body maybe areas of pressure tightness timbling and if that's the case just momentarily allow your awareness to rest with those sensations for a while and notice what happens to the sensations as you're aware of them do they get stronger do they get weaker do they move of course if we stay with sensations long enough it's impossible not to notice that they change that is the nature of this constantly evolving experience moment to moment when it no longer holds your attention feeling free to let your awareness go back to the sensations of the breath coming in and out awareness may be drawn to many different sensations distractions sounds thoughts and that's absolutely okay as we become aware that attention has been called in this way we may begin to recognize that there is the thing that's being noticed and then there is the simple knowing itself and recognizing that quality of just knowing our experience it's quite a wonderful thing to recognize this knowing this awareness that seems to be quite limitless and boundless in just what it can be aware of so as sensations and thoughts feelings arise seeing if it's possible to rest as the awareness of those things the changing constantly evolving elements of our moment-to-moment experience resting as the awareness often each of these things can be like the clouds rolling over the sky and we can remember that they're just the clouds awareness itself is the vast expansive empty transparent sky that contains it all we're just coming back to the sensations of the body and the body breathing the body breathing all by itself as it always does and then maybe expanding our awareness to take in the whole of our body once again sensing our posture sensing those points of contact between our body and the chair our feet and the ground and just before we bring the meditation to a close with three sounds of the bell reminding ourselves of the good intentions that we have for ourselves and for others may the merit of our practice be for the benefit of all beings may we all be happy may we all be healthy in body and mind may we all live with ease
