So just dropping into a sense of presence.
Being with yourself as you are just now.
Maybe particularly just noticing what's different about your experience after the first half of the morning,
After that wonderful extended period of practice.
And also the opportunity to connect with others over a cup of tea.
What's different?
How are you now?
And then in the same way that we began the body scan,
We can begin here in this seated meditation.
So just exploring where the body is in contact with the cushions,
With the chair.
Adding the weight of the body fall down through the building into the ground beneath us.
Plugging into the earth here.
And drawing on the qualities of stillness,
Stability that the earth provides.
And then also aware of the upper body rising into space.
So really having a sense of taking your place here with dignity.
And aware of the breath.
So rather than having to make anything happen,
We can just allow the breath to naturally support the mind.
Awareness to drop into the body,
Into sensations.
Allow the mind to become absorbed with the sensations of breathing here now.
So simple.
What's it like to be in a breathing body?
What's it like to be in a body?
So let's just spend a bit of time exploring sounds.
We're just going to get really interested in sounds.
So opening completely to the soundscape all around us.
Allowing sounds to arise and pass in this broad open awareness.
Allowing them to be interesting to us.
Really feeling into the sounds all around us.
Allowing the body to come closer to us.
You may be aware of the mind's natural habit to want to categorize sound.
So as soon as you hear a sound,
Maybe a label for that sound also arises in the mind.
So you don't have to do anything about that,
But just get curious about the process there.
Get interested in that.
Also what it's like if we don't know what a sound is,
If we can't identify how that is.
Alright,
Good!
We may get interested in preference around sounds.
So maybe there's some sounds that we like and welcome and others that we dislike and resist.
So again just noticing your process there,
The push and pull,
How that is.
So Okay,
And then just dropping in the effort you're making.
Come back to the breath.
Just anchoring back into sensations in the body.
Resting in the points of contact with the ground for a few breaths.
Okay,
So now we're just going to do the same thing that we did with the sounds.
We're going to bring that same quality of curiosity,
Interest,
Allowing sensitivity to the mind and to thoughts.
So we're seeing if we can be aware of thoughts without getting caught up in them.
And often when we do this,
When we begin to intentionally turn towards the mind,
It goes very quiet.
But you don't have to wait very long before thoughts begin again.
So just giving a bit of space now to see what's arising in the mind,
In the thought stream.
So there's a few things we can get curious about here.
We could get curious about the space from which the thought arises.
So where is the thought coming from?
You might even have a sense of location in the body or in the room.
We could get curious about the movement of the thought.
So if it seems to travel in a particular direction or move in a certain way,
Maybe it has a shape or a color or a taste or a smell or a sound.
We could get curious about the strength of the thought,
How much energy is tied up in it.
And we could also get curious about whether we can feel it somewhere in the body,
Whether there are sensations that we associate with that thought or that arise with the thought.
So I'll give you a bit of space now to just explore all of that as you open to the mind,
To thoughts.
So here,
I'll open it up a bit more and go back to the comment from you.
Just notice how much effort you're making.
See if you can't rest back a bit.
You don't have to try to do anything here.
Thoughts will naturally come.
Thanks.
And there may also be gaps between thoughts that you can be aware of.
So noticing the absence of thought when that happens,
Dwelling there.
Emotions don't seem to Hop to understand why it is obviously it gets rid of thought comp 못 What's happening now?
What's happening now?
Alright,
So just take a few deep breaths.
You can stop any effort that you're making.
Come back to the heart.
Come back to however you are now.
If there's any sense of judgment or rigidity,
Just seeing if you can't soften,
Bring some kindness towards yourself.
Whatever happened in this practice will have an effect,
Even if you don't know what that is.
Once again,
You can open the eyes gently if you'd like.
Put the hands palm up on the lap or the knees.
Rest back and just allow yourself to soak in the effects of the practice.
Absorb what's there.
Come back to the heart.
What's happening now?
