So just begin by feeling the weight of your body against where you're seated.
You might've chosen to begin laying down.
You can also start that way.
And sometimes if we're sleepy,
Might begin standing up.
Just begin to settle in,
Feeling your weight,
Noticing your breath,
And then finding softness or ease in the skin of your shoulders.
And the muscles in your face.
And just notice that you are in a body and that body is breathing.
Sometimes bringing awareness to the fact that you're breathing does change the breath.
So if that feels supportive,
The breath can shift and you can just notice that with a bit more intentionality.
But it's just sufficient enough to be here and notice that you're breathing in no special or specific way.
Just check in,
Like,
How are you?
What's on your mind?
What's on your heart?
Just a slow fade of our attention onto thoughts,
Right?
The thoughts are always there.
We have these anchors,
These,
Gosh,
These beautiful places to rest our awareness and our attention.
Maybe you rest your awareness and your attention on your breathing.
You might decide to give your awareness and your attention to the sounds that you hear around you.
Maybe it's the felt sense,
The sensations in the body,
This body that is always right here.
Maybe the life in the body is a nice place to rest the attention.
One of those places,
Breath,
Sound,
Or sensation.
You know the mind will wander.
You know the mind will drift.
Our attention will shift towards our thoughts.
So it's this practice of returning moment by moment,
But returning in a particular way,
Not in a way that criticizes or punishes yourself for drifting,
But returning in a way that feels tender,
Returning in a way that feels easy,
Returning with a softness in the voice that guides you back.
Maybe this,
Maybe just this idea that this moment is enough.
This moment sitting or laying down or standing is fulfilling.
This moment is special.
In this moment,
We can sense our heart and the compassion and the heartfulness.
It's right here.
This moment,
We might feel blessed,
Thankful.
It might feel and have the possibility of feeling satisfaction right here.
In this,
Just this regular moment,
Maybe right here in this,
Just this regular moment,
We can sense contentment.
You might notice if the attention drifts to the thoughts that maybe some of those feelings get shattered,
Right?
Like,
Ah,
Where's that peace and satisfaction?
So we come back to the present moment,
Come back to our breath,
To sounds or sensations,
Just returning again and again to this moment.
And as you bring in your moment-by-moment awareness,
You softly bring your attention to the sound of my voice and these words by the poet David White,
Enough,
These few words are enough.
If not these words,
This breath,
If not this breath,
This sitting here,
This opening to the life we have refused again and again,
Until now,
Until now.
Notice your breath in,
Notice your breath out.
With a curiosity,
Just inquire,
How am I right now?
Take a moment to extend gratitude to yourself for taking the time to engage in this practice.
And if your eyes have been closed,
Let them gently open.
