Coming now to sit,
Entering into our meditation,
Setting your intention to be here,
Present and alert.
Settling into your favorite meditation posture,
Sitting as tall as you can with the least amount of effort.
Back straight,
Aligned,
Body relaxed,
Surrendered to gravity.
Resilient in the balance between effort and ease.
Take three deep,
Calming breaths.
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
Making a soft sigh.
With each out breath,
Letting any cares and worries fall away.
Setting them aside,
Softening your forehead,
Eyes,
Jaw,
Mouth,
Tongue,
Shoulders.
Loosening your chest muscles,
Relaxing your lower back.
Releasing your belly and groin,
Legs and feet.
Feeling the sensations of your breath as it passes in and out.
Just resting here with your breath for a bit,
Enjoying the sensations of breathing in and breathing out.
Slow.
Breath is soft and silent.
Aware of your whole body as you sit,
Breathe.
All the points of contact between your body and the surface that supports you.
Your feet on the floor,
Your buttocks on the chair or cushion,
Hands in your lap or on your thighs.
Feeling the comforting weight of your body.
The presence of your body.
Letting your body ground you.
If and when your mind wanders,
Which it will,
Because that's just what minds do.
Notice it wandered without any judgment or self-criticism.
Smile for noticing.
Congratulations.
And then escort your attention back to breath and body and begin again.
Now expand your awareness out from your inside into the space around you.
Observing and sensing the volume in the room.
Just observing the space around you.
All the while anchored in your breath.
There are seven directions in space.
Inside you.
To the left.
To the right.
Behind.
Above.
Below.
Any one of these directions might contain a little bit of silence and fullness that you can actually palpably feel.
Lightly and playfully expand your awareness into these different directions one by one.
And then pausing there for a few breaths.
And in the beginning,
It can help to silently say an object's name that is in that direction.
So your awareness naturally flows towards it.
A table.
Painting.
A door.
Window.
Ceiling.
Floor.
What's so interesting is you can consciously move your awareness into these little pockets of silence and fullness and hang out there whenever you find yourself in a stressful situation.
Go ahead and explore this on your own for a bit.
Inside.
Left.
Right.
Behind.
Above.
Below.
Good.
You're immersing yourself into the sense of space inside and around.
Keep exploring freely and gently casting your awareness around the room.
And if at any time the exercise becomes uncomfortable or you have a sense of disassociation,
That's okay.
Just come back to your body and your breath and the sense of contact that your body has with the surface that supports you.
And stay with your breath for a bit.
And only if you want,
Continue the exercise.
Remembering that you are always 100% in control.
And now bringing your awareness completely back into your body.
Breathing in.
Knowing you are breathing in.
Breathing out.
Knowing you are breathing out.
Breathing in,
Aware of your whole body.
Breathing out.
Your body feels solid.
In.
Deep.
Slow.
Soft.
Silent.
Enjoying the feeling of breath and pure relaxation.
Enjoying the feeling of breath and pure relaxation.
Enjoying the feeling of breath and pure relaxation.
Enjoying the feeling of breath and pure relaxation.
Enjoying the feeling of breath and pure relaxation.
Namo Myoho Re.
With the next in-breath,
Opening your eyes.
