Let us get into our most comfortable space,
Whatever that is for you.
That can be a laying down posture,
But if you're seated,
What I'd recommend is that you find a position in which your spine and neck are aligned.
Immediately when we begin to close the window of our senses from the sight,
We begin to notice our internal atmosphere,
Our internal environment.
Your internal environment may be turbulent or it may be ease.
Whatever your current state is,
You just simply become aware of it and not try to change it.
If you're feeling anxious,
Maybe you just note to yourself,
I'm feeling anxious.
If you are feeling elation,
Noting elation,
You may feel joy,
Happiness,
Sadness,
Anger,
Malice,
Fear,
Compassion,
Or fear.
Compassion or love.
All of these sensations in their impermanence,
Just noticing them,
Not taking any action,
Trying to resolve or tell any stories,
But simply becoming aware of the rising and falling of emotion,
Sensation,
Or feeling.
To begin witnessing,
I want to start by watching the breath.
Anupana is mindfully watching or witnessing the breath.
As you begin to breathe,
You may notice areas in the body that respond to respiration.
Your nose,
Your mouth,
Your belly,
And those are the key areas most people witness.
As you tune in,
You may begin to isolate them.
Maybe you simply witness the belly.
Maybe you simply witness the shoulders.
Feeling the belly rising and falling,
Maybe even noting that,
That it is rising and falling as it comes in saying,
Rise.
And as you exhale,
Fall.
In this noticing process,
You may witness the heart rate.
In this witnessing process,
You may tune in to the area in which the breath enters the body.
If it is coming in through your nasal breath way,
Just identify that.
Nose,
In.
Nose,
Out.
You may be also be able to witness it coming in through your mouth if you're using that.
Just noting it.
Mouth,
In.
Out.
Even as I say the word breath,
You may begin to force the breath utilizing deeper breaths or even more shallower breaths in a way to avoid forcing it.
What I want you to see if you can do is tune in to the unforced breath,
Exactly how it is without changing it.
As you begin to tune in to the unforced breath,
Your attention may go further inward,
Bringing your awareness right to the point of entry of the breath.
For some,
That is the small space underneath the nostrils.
You may begin to notice if it's coming in deeply or shallow.
If the breath is deep,
Let it be deep.
If the breath is shallow,
Let it be shallow.
If the breath is high up into the chest,
Let it be high into the chest and just noticing and noting that that is where it's coming and going.
If it's deep within your belly,
Witnessing the breath and noting that belly breath,
Belly breath,
Rising and falling,
Noticing any unforced breath.
As we move through practice today,
You may hear a chime similar to this.
When you hear the bell,
This is simply a notation to come back into that unforced breath and witness it,
Giving it a name,
In or out,
Deep or shallow,
Chest or belly.
You can use any of these labels or all of them in an effort to stay in the present moment.
As we begin to notice the breath,
This is our anapana practice.
You can come back to anapana as a home base for mindfulness in vipassana.
This is step one of this process.
This may be where you stay today,
Just simply noticing the physical body in its wholeness and in its respirating,
The whole body breathing.
Maybe you notice it in your kidneys or your legs,
But you notice the breath as it fills your head.
Maybe you notice a releasing in the hands as you exhale.
Want you just to note any of these sensations as they rise,
As soon as they start to rise,
Witness them.
And as they fall,
Witness them.
Some of these sensations may be uncomfortable.
They could be an itch.
They could be an ache or discomfort in the hips from sitting.
See if you can note those sensations also.
Ah,
Discomfort.
Ah,
Itch.
Some of them may feel unpleasant like a cough or a sneeze.
They may feel as though they are inappropriate for the meditation.
However,
Just by you witnessing that sensation and coming back into the process,
You are practicing vipassana.
Don't shame yourself for the distraction because the contrast is certainly part of the process.
Noticing any strong experience in the body,
Whether it be a physical sensation or maybe you're already tuning in to the whirlwind of the mind.
Those too,
Let those rise and fall.
If it's not strong,
Let it be.
But if it is calling for your attention,
Fear,
Delight,
Joy,
Excitement,
Agitation,
Give it space to open as you witness it.
Give it a moment of your attention and then watch it fall away as we move into the next moment.
You may notice that those same strong emotions or sensations in the body return asking for you to give it attention.
And in those moments,
Maybe you simply say,
I'm noticing,
Noticing,
Noticing.
Or maybe you simply identify that sensation,
Compassion,
Fear,
Delight,
Shame.
Just noticing it as it rises within you,
Asking for your attention.
And then you simply with your exhale,
Come back into the experience of a vipassana,
Just witnessing it all unfold right here.
If the breath is not the anchor you would like to use today,
The anapana,
You're welcome to utilize the sensations of the physical body where it's grounded in your chair or on the ground,
Noticing those sensations.
Some people like to witness the temperature of the air.
If there's a breeze going across your face,
Maybe that is your point of concentration.
And coming back to that every time the mind wants you to wonder,
Asking for your attention.
This is not time for us to solve any problems,
To negotiate or to tell stories.
Watch the wave rise and rest in the stillness of the breath as it falls.
This space as it falls.
I like to call the space of loving awareness.
In some instances I utilize that phrase loving awareness as my point of focus in vipassana.
I am loving awareness.
I am loving awareness.
I am loving awareness.
Notice the unforced breath and any strong sensations that call to you in this moment.
Let them rise and watch them fall.
Listen what's really happening here in this moment in your space.
This is you in your physical incarnation.
This is you in your non-physical incarnation.
This is you in your vital energy incarnation.
This is you watching it all rise and fall.
If the physical body is tugging at you for attention,
Rest in the moments of stillness after that fall,
Even if it's for a short moment celebrating that moment.
Come back to awareness.
As we tune in,
You may find that your awareness of the breath is becoming highly refined to where you can feel the smallest change in temperature in the air coming through your nasal breath way.
The opposite is true.
You may find that you're quite distracted and that is your point of focus.
Just naming that sensation distracted,
Wandering,
Wandering.
Then come back to what's actually happening in this moment.
This is me in my physical body,
In my non-physical body,
Becoming an observer of thought,
Of sensation and not reacting at all.
Just observing it.
Feeling and loving awareness.
There may be many moments when the mind is telling you that you're doing this wrong.
And you're not.
The mind may take you elsewhere.
Offering yourself a little love and compassion,
A little loving awareness by saying,
I am practicing the rising and falling of awareness and I'm doing it right.
I'm witnessing my mind telling stories and then resting in the stillness between the stories.
Let's take time and look at our hands.
If the sensation is not strong,
Let it be.
If it's strong,
Ask for your awareness or attention.
Name it.
Watch it.
Release it.
Release it.
Release it.
Release it.
Release it.
Release it.
Release it.
Release it.
Sounds and sensations may come into your experience.
Traffic noises,
Neighbors,
Animals.
And they may feel as though they are unwanted.
But maybe they're just a part of your vipassana practice.
Watching it rise and fall.
Watching your emotions saying unexpected.
Watching your emotions say unwanted.
Taking just a moment here.
Maybe with the eyes closed.
To become familiar with your space.
The environment,
The temperature,
The comfort or discomfort.
Drawing your awareness to the furthest thing that you can hear.
With each breath,
Drawing it back into the body.
Hearing sensations or noises closer to you which might be your breath or maybe a gentle whisper of wind or fan.
As you prepare to come out of your vipassana,
Just offering gratitude for the experience of being in the moment.
In that place of loving awareness.
A space where you can see things more clearly as an observer.
It may not all tie together now.
But as you watch this and you practice your vipassana,
You may find instances and scenarios in which this practice relates to how you relate to others.
How you conduct yourself.
How you navigate being human.
And how you can see clearly as you slow down and watch it all unfold.
As you come back into the room,
Space.
Just listening for the chime.
Maybe you open your eyes slowly after the chime.
The chime.
The chime.
The chime.
