So we begin by doing a check of the body,
Or the feet flat on the floor.
Feet flat on the floor.
You want your thighs to be parallel to the ground.
So your thighs are fully resting to the extent they're touching the chair,
They're resting on the chair.
And for some of us,
That means our feet are not under our knees,
But maybe five,
Six,
Eight inches in front of our knees.
For those of us with shorter legs,
We have a cushion,
A pillow,
A blanket,
A towel we put under us to support them.
And then sit with your buttocks tucked up there in the chair.
So in that space between the seat and the back of the chair,
There's a space there,
Have your buttocks tucked up there.
And this gives you support in your lower back.
You want your back to be straight,
But in order to straighten the back,
Be mindful of having the sternum lifted.
Now your shoulders.
Roll the shoulders a couple times.
Forward,
Roll the shoulders backwards,
And then let the arms drop.
So you're surrendering your shoulders to gravity,
But you're experiencing the lift in the sternum.
And get a feel for that.
Your body will probably be giving you the experience of feeling grounded,
Supported,
Solid,
Supported by the earth,
The ground,
The chair.
And yet also lifted,
Vigilant,
On duty,
On guard.
It's that combination that we're looking for.
And then turn the awareness inward.
Now we begin the inner journey.
Let the awareness drop inside the body down into the pelvic region.
Allow the sensations arising in that area of the body to manifest themselves.
There are a variety of sensations,
The sensations of the bones,
Sensations of the hips,
The sensation of weight,
Pulsating,
Vibrating,
Tingling sensations.
Now notice,
Where is awareness?
Is awareness up in the head looking down at the body?
And if so,
Drop the awareness.
Drop the awareness down into the body.
So let awareness drop into the body so that actually awareness is in the belly,
Not up in the head looking down at the belly.
And in this way,
Your attention and your body are directly connected.
So let the sensations speak to you without any mental overlay.
And experience the quiet of the body.
And then next,
Without losing awareness,
Let it expand throughout the body.
So let the awareness roam throughout the entire field of the body.
And awareness roams by being attentive and connecting with and knowing sensations.
As the awareness roams through the body,
You may notice places in the body where there's tension.
And wherever there's tension,
With each exhalation,
Relax that area of the body.
Relax the shoulders,
The neck,
As the body releases the breath.
Surrender them all to gravity.
Don't hold on,
But relax and release.
If there's any tension in the eyes,
The forehead,
Relax the forehead,
The eyes and the eye muscles.
With each exhalation.
If you did nothing more than this for the five or ten minutes of meditation,
It would be time well spent.
This is all we're doing this week is learning how to cultivate awareness by restraining it to the field of the body and learning to let go.
Let go of any places where the energy of the body is blocked,
Where there's tension.
But also,
Whenever the mind begins to cogitate,
Whenever it throws up some images or ideas,
You simply say,
Not now.
I'm not going to do the thinking.
I'm not going to do the judging.
I'm not going to do the planning.
I'm not going to do the evaluation.
I'm not going to redo that conversation.
No matter how disturbing or interesting or fascinating or abhorring it may be,
I'm going to rest.
I'm going to do my duty.
And instead,
I'm going to do something more interesting.
I'm going to explore what it's like to be me,
To be present.
I'm going to explore what it's like to be awake,
To be aware.
So for the next two minutes,
Just practice on your own,
Doing the best you can.
Thank you.
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