Welcome.
This will be a guided Vipassana meditation.
We will begin with breath awareness,
Followed by the body scan,
And end with a short loving-kindness practice.
To begin,
Find a comfortable posture,
Preferably seated,
But you may also lie down if you need to.
You can sit on a cushion or a chair.
Now lengthen the spine.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Let your hands gently rest wherever comfortable.
Release the jaw and the muscles in your face.
Close your eyes softly,
Or keep them slightly open if you prefer.
Now take a few moments to arrive.
Notice the space around you.
Notice the weight of the body supported by the earth beneath you.
Allow the breath to move naturally.
No need to change it.
Simply begin to observe.
Vipassana means to see clearly.
In this practice we develop insight by observing our present moment as it is.
Experiencing the breadth of sensations with equanimity,
That is with a sense of non-reactivity,
Not craving pleasant sensations,
Not resisting the unpleasant ones,
Just seeing them as they are,
Impermanent,
Arising and passing away.
This will be a continuous practice that strengthens over time.
First let's begin with breath awareness.
Gently bring your full attention to the area just beneath the nose,
Above the upper lip,
And the nostrils where the air flows in and out.
Notice the sensation of the breath,
The air entering,
The air leaving.
Feel the subtle touch of the air moving on the skin.
There's no need to control the breath.
Simply observe.
Let your breath be your anchor here,
A place to return to whenever the mind wanders.
If thoughts arise as they naturally will,
Notice them with kindness and gently guide the attention back to the breath and repeat this again and again as many times as you need to.
It doesn't matter how many times the mind wanders,
Bringing attention to the wandering and coming back to the breath and the sensations.
This is the practice.
This simple awareness sharpens the mind and steadies the heart.
Keep practicing,
Focusing on the breath and the sensations around the nostrils,
Above the upper lip.
If your mind wanders,
Gently bring the attention back to the breath.
Simply observing,
No need to control.
Just notice what you feel.
Notice what sensations arise,
With the air moving in and moving out.
And if your mind wanders,
You don't need to go into the story.
Simply accept that your mind has wandered and guide your attention back to the breath.
Now we will practice Vipassana,
Completing a body scan,
Moving part by part over the whole body,
Noticing the sensation.
So let's begin by expanding your awareness to a single point at the crown of the head.
Notice what sensations you can feel here.
Know that it doesn't matter if you don't feel any particular sensation at all.
Just come with that awareness.
Keep your focus on this point on the crown of your head.
Then spread the awareness into the whole scalp,
Down the sides,
Around your ears,
And to the back of your head.
Just noticing whatever sensations you can feel.
This may be tingling,
Pulsing,
Numbness,
Heat,
Or nothing at all.
Bring your awareness to your forehead,
The eyebrows,
The space between them,
The eyes,
Deep into the eyes.
Move your attention to the cheeks,
The nose,
The mouth,
Down around the jaw,
And the throat.
There is no need to change anything.
We're just observing.
We don't need to label sensations as pleasant or unpleasant.
In Vipassana,
We simply observe with equanimity the non-reactivity to craving or resisting,
Understanding the flow of sensations are impermanent.
Everything is constantly changing,
Arising,
And passing away.
Continue the scan through the shoulders,
Into the arms,
Elbows,
Wrists,
And feeling into each finger.
Now bring the awareness to the chest,
To the upper back,
To the abdomen,
Feeling into any sensations around the abdomen.
Bring your awareness to the lower back,
The pelvis,
Your backside,
Your genitals.
Noticing all the sensations around these areas.
Now moving through the thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Down to the ankles,
Feet,
And spreading the awareness through each toe.
Each part of the body is a field of changing sensations.
Pleasant or unpleasant,
We observe with the same stillness,
Presence,
And understanding of impermanence.
This is how we cultivate insight,
Not through thinking and intellectualizing,
But through direct experience.
When the mind wanders,
Gently note that it has wandered,
And return to the present through the sensations in the body.
And keep feeling into the sensations of the whole body,
For a few moments longer.
Now let go of the body scan,
And just allow the body to rest in open awareness for a moment.
And from this place of presence and awareness,
We'll begin to offer metta,
Loving-kindness practice.
First we do this to ourself,
And then we share the loving-kindness with all beings.
As you rest in open awareness,
Repeat these words silently,
And really feel them in the body.
May I embrace and embody unconditional love.
Feel the vibration of these intentions,
Without controlling how you feel.
You don't have to feel any particular way.
We'll repeat this one more time.
May I be safe.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful.
May I live with ease and acceptance for what is.
May I embrace and embody unconditional love.
Now expand your heart outward.
Imagine sending this loving-kindness to all beings,
To loved ones,
To strangers,
Near and far.
Feeling into the connection to all beings as you repeat silently.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings live with ease and acceptance for what is.
May all beings embrace and embody unconditional love.
Feel the vibration of these intentions,
And repeat one more time.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings live with ease and acceptance for what is.
May all beings embrace and embody unconditional love.
Notice how you feel in your body.
We'll now begin to gently bring awareness back to the breath.
Back to the body resting here.
Notice the environment around you.
The feeling of the air on your skin.
The support of the ground beneath you.
You may wish to smile and thank yourself for your practice today.
As you are,
You are enough.
You are whole and you are home.
May you carry this awareness and kindness into the rest of your day.
Take a deep breath in.
And a long exhale out.
When you are ready,
You can softly open your eyes.
And just take a moment before moving on.
This meditation is offered with universal love.
