Ease yourself into a comfortable position,
One in which you're upright.
We want to be relaxed,
But not so much so that we invite sleepiness into our meditation.
You may like to have your feet planted firmly on the ground,
Or perhaps you're comfortable with your legs crossed.
Find what feels right for you.
And your arms,
Placing them comfortably with your palms facing upwards,
Poised with an open heart.
Bringing a gentle awareness to your body,
Sitting.
Noticing points of pressure where your body is making contact with another surface.
Perhaps a chair against your back,
Or your soles touching the floor.
Sitting effortlessly,
Here in this moment.
And as you do,
Take note of the natural rhythm of your breath.
No need to change anything about it.
Our job is just to take note of what is here without interfering.
A body sitting,
Breathing in,
Knowing that there is breathing in.
Breathing out,
Knowing that there is breathing out.
No effort is being exerted,
No forcing or doing.
Just noticing.
Tuning into the sensation of the breath as it meets the nostril,
Or noticing the rising and falling of the chest or the belly.
There's no right or wrong here.
Breathing in,
Simply noticing,
Breathing in.
Breathing out,
Simply noticing,
Breathing out.
And as you do,
You may notice a thought appear.
Maybe you're wondering if you're doing this right,
Or you may have an inner dialogue like my mind is not settled,
Or I don't think I can do this.
And it's natural for these thoughts to appear.
In the instant that you notice that you have moved away from the focus on the breath,
You simply invite your awareness back.
No inner conversation about it,
Just a gentle return.
Breathing in,
Simply noticing,
Breathing in.
Breathing out,
Simply noticing,
Breathing out.
And with time,
A sound may appear,
Moving your mind away from your breath.
At the moment of noticing,
Simply bring it back to the breath.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Nothing more to do.
Just breathing in,
Breathing out.
And so we'll remain in this stillness for a short while,
Breathing in and breathing out.
And it's through both our daily mindfulness practice,
Where we notice what's happening in our body and mind,
And our formal meditation practice,
Where we build concentration,
That we'll be empowering ourselves to be okay with that which is not okay,
And to learn to live like a lotus remembering,
No mud,
No lotus.
