Alright,
Good,
Good.
Let's,
Let's go ahead and start.
Essentially,
It's a reminder that we're all imperfect,
That life itself is imperfect,
And it's always changing.
There's no finish line,
So to speak.
There's no final destination where boy,
If I could just get to this place,
Everything is going to be fine.
And that the idea that there is some future state of okayness can actually be a really toxic fantasy,
Because it prevents us from just enjoying what's going on right now.
And to remind ourselves that in the end,
None of us really know what we're doing,
And we're all just doing the best we can and winging it.
So that's really a lot of the message of what we're going to do today in session 17 of our 30-session Introduction to Meditation course,
Where we continue exploring equanimity.
And equanimity is one of the great secrets of meditation.
It's an evenness of mind,
Especially when we're under stress.
It's being balanced,
Being completely composed.
Sometimes people have used the word even keel to describe that state.
There is an all-pervading deep peacefulness and unification of our mind and body.
And equanimity may sound strange or even impossible,
But it is a very real skill.
It is radical,
And it is something that you can learn to do and then bring as a resource to all the situations in your life.
Tonight,
If you're also changing the subject,
If you're interested and haven't tried it yet,
Perhaps try meditating with your eyes open.
Not open all the way and fixing on something,
But sort of letting gravity pull your eyelids down about halfway,
Staring at a 45-degree angle down,
And your eyes are just softly gazing in front of you,
Not focused or unfocused.
This is a really different eye position,
But it can be a big aid if you're either feeling sleepy or if your mind is very active and you're having a hard time dropping into your concentration.
So during the meditation itself,
If you want to try eyes open for a little while,
Feel free to experiment with that,
Or you can leave your eyes closed.
Totally up to you,
Whatever you feel most comfortable with.
Okay,
Let's go ahead and begin the meditation.
Coming now to sit.
Entering into our meditation.
Setting your intention to be here,
Present,
And alert.
Settling into your meditation posture.
Back straight.
Upright.
Aligned.
Sitting as tall as you can,
With the least amount of effort.
Body relaxed.
Surrendering to gravity.
Resilient in the balance between effort and ease.
Your posture gives you a sense of dignity,
Strength,
Stability,
And presence.
Beginning with three deep,
Calming breaths.
Breathing in through your nose,
Exhaling through your mouth,
Making a soft sigh.
Softening your forehead,
Cheeks,
Jaw,
Mouth,
Neck,
Shoulders.
Loosening your chest.
Relaxing your lower back.
Releasing your belly.
Soft,
Warm.
Pelvis.
Groin.
Legs.
Feet.
As you relax,
Continuing to adjust your posture,
The alignment,
The chair or cushion.
Dropping deeper and deeper into your meditation.
Activating your equanimity.
Your attitude is easygoing,
Even dignified.
Holding yourself with an openness and self-respect.
Making a commitment to stay present.
Not to push things away that you don't like.
Or grab onto sensations and things that you do like.
An intention to stay open and brave in the face of both ease and adversity.
Simply appreciating this opportunity to be with each other and ourselves with our breath.
Good.
Ease your attention to the sensations of breathing.
Wherever that sensation is most vivid.
Your nose.
Your chest.
Your belly.
See how into your breathing you can get.
How close into the experience of feeling your body breathing.
Almost as if you were experiencing your breath for the very first time.
Seeing and feeling the awe and wonder of it.
Deeper and deeper.
Settling into your meditation.
Noticing the subtleties and textures in depth to breath.
You're in no rush.
Be patient as you do this.
Breathing in.
I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out.
I know I am breathing out.
When your mind wanders,
And it will,
It's just what minds like to do.
Smile for noticing.
Take a moment to notice where your mind went.
And then ease your attention back to your breath.
And simply begin again.
If you're feeling restless,
If you've got lots of thoughts and feelings,
All of that's okay.
Give yourself space to accept all of this and keep going.
Acceptance is a kind of self-care.
It's saying that each moment has its ups and downs,
And that you're going to be there for yourself regardless.
Open-hearted and brave.
Accepting.
Holding it together for yourself exactly like you would hold it together for someone else.
Acceptance is the seed of equanimity.
Aware of your breath,
Moment by moment.
Here.
Now.
And if you notice any judgments or criticisms or expectations that are arising within,
See if you can allow those to go all on their own without you even trying.
Watching them pass across the sky like clouds,
Arising,
Staying around a while,
And then moving along.
All in their own time.
Confident that meditation works even when you're distracted,
Or sleepy,
Or restless.
It's like it flows below the surface,
Opening things up,
Setting things aright.
And all of this happens regardless of what's happening on the surface.
So see if you can be a little easier on yourself.
Relaxing into your practice.
Whatever is happening.
Now,
Just coast.
No need to work at all.
Relax,
And let everything integrate.
I know I am breathing in.
I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in,
My breath grows deep.
Breathing out,
My breath goes slow.
Slow.
Slow.
Breathing in,
Aware of my stable posture.
Breathing out,
Enjoying the stability.
Stable.
Enjoying.
Dwelling in the present moment.
Breathing out,
Knowing it is a wonderful moment.
Moment.
Wonderful.
Breathing in,
Feeling joyful to be alive.
Breathing out,
Feeling happy.
Joy.
And happy.
Now,
Allow yourself to actually bring a smile to your face.
Breathing in,
Smiling to your body.
Breathing out,
Smiling with the moment.
When we stop chasing the highs and running from the lows,
We learn to find something deep and true in both the highs and the lows.
They all have something to teach us about being human.
The sun shines,
We are here.
Rain pours,
We are here.
Through it all,
We are here.
Now,
In the moment.
With our breath.
With our breath.
Slowly,
Gradually,
Emerging from your meditation.
Releasing your meditation posture.
Wiggling your toes and your fingers.
Taking a big breath in,
And as you do that,
Stretching your arms up to the ceiling in a nice big stretch.
And as you lower your arms,
Letting out a sigh.
Rubbing your legs,
Rocking side to side,
Back and forth.
Bringing a little bit of motion back into your body,
Waking it up slowly.
Breathing.
Reaching behind to your lower back,
Giving your lower back a massage.
Sliding your hands around to your lower belly.
And gently holding your lower belly,
Repeating your phrases of metta to yourself as affirmations.
I am well.
And hands over your heart.
I am happy,
Loved,
And loving.
Crossing your arms.
Putting your hands on your opposite shoulders,
Giving yourself a hug.
Lightly stroking down your arm from shoulder to elbow.
As you repeat to yourself,
I am safe.
At home.
In my body.
With my breath.
Caressing your face.
Your forehead.
Your eyes.
Cheeks.
Jaw.
Mouth.
Through your hair,
Over your head,
Around to the back of your neck.
Pausing to give your neck and shoulders a massage.
Sliding your hands back to your heart.
And back to your belly.
Repeating,
I am peaceful and at ease.
Thank you very much.
