Begin by sitting with the spine erect or lying down in a comfortable position.
Take a moment to make yourself totally comfortable so you can relax and focus on what's present.
When you're ready,
Allow the eyes to close.
Bring attention inward.
Become aware of the experience of breath.
Without struggle or strain,
Take a few deep breaths in through the nostrils.
Breathing in steadily and completely,
Fill the lungs and exhale through the nose or mouth in a soft,
Steady,
Unbroken stream,
Emptying the lungs completely.
Let yourself relax a little more with each exhaling breath.
Pay attention to how it feels to breathe fully in and out.
And let yourself relax a little more with each exhaling breath.
Now gently release any effort to breathe.
Let the breath move spontaneously.
And notice what you can sense and feel in your body on the level of sensation.
Pay attention.
Become aware.
Notice what's present.
Perhaps you can feel the movement of breath or the pulsation of blood moving through the veins and arteries in the body.
Whatever is present,
Just be aware and experience it.
Now expand your attention to include any sounds that are present in the environment.
Functioning as sounds arise and subside,
Appear and disappear.
Notice if there are any smells present,
Any tastes.
Simply allowing all the experiences of each moment to arise and be experienced and subside.
If the mind is restless,
Drawing you into lines of thought,
Bring your attention deliberately back to the breath.
Continue to breathe consciously until you've reestablished the connection with the breath.
And then once again,
Releasing any effort to breathe,
Relax back and be the observer,
The one experiencing all the different experiences that are arising and changing from moment to moment.
Notice how all this,
The sensations,
The sounds,
The smells,
The tastes,
Even the thoughts in the mind,
All is unfolding on its own.
There's nothing you need to do.
Simply be present to it.
Experience it without any effort to manage or control anything that's happening right now.
What does it feel like to allow life to unfold?
Notice the breath breathing itself.
Feel a sense of gratitude,
Gratitude for all that's unfolding around you and within you without any effort on your part.
With an exhaling breath,
Allow the eyes to open and allow whatever is in your field of vision to come in,
Simply receiving what's here in through the eyes without any analysis or mental commentary,
See what is as it is.
Be the recipient of all that is present.
Notice how this may be different than your habitual way of engaging with life.
Once again,
Allowing the eyes to close and feel a sense of peace welling up from within you.
Realize that peace comes from within us.
It emanates from that quiet core of steady awareness.
It's always available.
We have only to turn our attention inward and connect.
Remain in this state of relaxed presence as long as you like.
When you're ready,
You can open your eyes,
Continue on with your day and resolve to enjoy life,
To allow it to come to you moment by moment,
Resolve to experience it fully with an open mind,
An open heart,
And see how this approach influences your actions and interactions.
