Okay,
Here we are.
Thank you very much for joining me if you are here on the live with me.
A very good morning to you or if you are joining me on the replay,
Good afternoon or good evening,
Whatever time it is for you.
You're very welcome and thank you so much for joining me.
I'd love to hear about your journey of meditation if you have been meditating with me.
Please do share your experience with me either with a private message or in the comments below.
I would love to hear from you.
Oh,
Isabella,
Thank you so much for joining me.
I hope you are well today.
And so for today's practice,
Before we get started,
I just want to speak a little bit into equanimity.
So in Buddhism,
Equanimity is like it's the steady conscious realization of a transient reality.
So we have this steady conscious awareness of a changing reality.
And a practice of equanimity helps cultivate a state of mind that is both grounded and flexible and able to respond most effectively in the moment of the experience,
In the moment.
So it could be especially in the midst of an intense emotional experience.
So when there's suffering,
You know,
We respond with compassion without getting knocked off balance.
And so it's just like cultivating this state of mind.
So with today's meditation,
We will continue with our awareness and,
You know,
Bringing our focus within and being aware of our response to certain thoughts that arise and just feeling our response in our body and just separating,
Becoming more and more aware of what it is that we are experiencing,
Continue to bring that focus within.
So as we get started,
I invite you to close your eyes.
Please do let me know.
You know,
I know sometimes when I put the music on and I go live on Zoom,
It just automatically defaults to maximum.
So I hope I fixed that.
Please do let me know if there's an issue with that.
Just see.
OK,
Great.
OK,
That's great.
Thank you so much.
So I invite you to close your eyes and take some deep belly breaths,
Breathing in through the nose,
Holding briefly and breathing all the way out,
Emptying your lungs.
So breathing in fresh oxygen,
Holding on to it and then breathing it all the way out.
So we'll do that.
I recommend like nice,
Deep belly breaths.
If you feel like you need a couple more,
You're more than welcome,
Whatever feels right for you.
So nice big breath in.
When you are ready,
Letting your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Just gently in through the nose and back up out through the nose.
Keeping your focus to your breath.
Just noticing as the breath enters the body,
Feeling the lungs,
Feeling the lungs expand and contract as you exhale.
Just beginning to bring awareness to your body.
Feeling the body breathe.
Feeling the rise and fall.
With each breath.
Just noticing the feelings in the body.
Just being aware of your overall state at this moment.
With each breath,
Opening your awareness,
Moving wider.
When something comes up,
Tune into the mind.
Noticing when you get knocked off balance.
Certain thoughts or feelings in the body may feel more charged.
Perhaps pulling you away from your calm state of mind.
Just noticing.
Noticing the thoughts,
Being aware of the feelings.
Just noticing when you're being pulled away.
Just sitting in awareness of your own balance.
Watching the thoughts.
Noticing the feelings.
As you sit relaxed,
Breathing with ease.
Just being aware of what is there for you.
Which thoughts are bringing more feelings?
Perhaps there's more than one thought.
Perhaps you're focused on one thought.
On yourself.
Getting tangled in the experience of the thought,
The story of the thought.
Just being aware.
Aware of the feelings that arise with those thoughts.
Notice if they are putting you from your calm state of mind.
Feeling your awareness expand with each breath.
Just noticing the thoughts and being aware of the feelings.
Now on your next outward breath,
I invite you to bring someone to mind that you care about deeply.
Now I invite you to connect with your intention to care for this person.
Recognize that although you care for this person,
You cannot control their happiness.
With this intention to care for this person,
I invite you to offer new phrases of equanimity such as,
May you be happy.
May you be in charge of your happiness.
Your happiness is dependent upon your actions,
Not my wishes for you.
You can repeat these phrases for this person,
Your intention to care for this person.
May you be happy.
May you be in charge of your happiness.
Your happiness is dependent upon your actions,
Not my wishes for you.
Now on your next outward breath,
I invite you to switch to somebody else you care about.
Again,
Connecting with your intention to care for this person and recognizing that although you care deeply,
You cannot control their happiness.
I invite you to offer some phrases of equanimity.
Say,
Be happy.
May you be in charge of your happiness.
Your happiness is dependent upon your own actions,
Not my wishes for you.
Just repeating these phrases a couple times,
Sitting with the intention to care for this person deeply.
Now on your next outward breath,
I invite you to find someone who is currently experiencing some pain or suffering.
Connecting with your intention to care but remain stable,
Offering the following phrases of compassion and equanimity.
May you be free from suffering.
Maybe take action to care for your pain.
Your freedom is dependent upon your actions,
Not my wishes for you.
Staying with the intention to care for this person,
Remaining stable.
Picking these phrases,
Maybe be free from suffering.
May you take action to care for your pain.
Your freedom is dependent upon your actions,
Not my wishes for you.
Just taking a moment to sit with this intention,
Just taking a moment to sit with this intention,
With this individual.
Finally,
On your next outward breath,
I invite you to bring to mind somebody in your life who has had some joy or success recently.
Offer a few phrases of appreciative joy and stay connected with your equanimity.
Offering praises such as,
May your joy continue,
May you be in charge of your joy.
Your joy is in your hands and is not dependent upon my actions for you.
Stay connected with this intention of appreciative joy,
Remaining connected to your equanimity.
May your joy continue,
May you be in charge of your joy.
Your joy is in your hands and is not dependent upon my wishes for you.
Just taking a moment or so,
Breathing into this intention.
After a few moments of offering these phrases,
I invite you to return to your experience,
Your own experience.
Recognizing that your happiness is in your own hands.
Be proud of your efforts in practicing and encouraging happiness for yourself.
So maybe both grounded and flexible,
In the midst of any experiences that rise.
As you return to your own experience,
I invite you to take a couple of deep breaths.
Perhaps rolling the shoulders,
Having a little bit of a stretch,
Bringing your awareness back,
Slowly opening your eyes.
I thank you so much for joining me and I will see you here tomorrow for Day 23.
Bye for now.
