Hello,
This is Stephanie Noble.
I teach Vipassana meditation,
Awareness of the breath.
So settle into a comfortable,
Upright position that feels balanced with the spine erect and the muscles relaxed.
Close your eyes or lower them and notice the various sensations that are present in your experience right now.
You might notice the overall energy of the body.
If you've been moving a lot or you've been still,
The energy is going to be different.
We're not trying to change anything,
Just using it as a way to pay attention.
You might notice temperature,
The temperature on your skin where it's exposed to the air and the temperature where it's under clothing.
You might notice the heat within the body radiating.
You might notice how the air coming into your nostrils is cooler than the air being released on an exhale.
You might notice the texture,
The texture of the fabric that touches your skin.
You might notice light on your eyelids,
Color and pattern.
You might notice sounds,
Certainly the sound of my voice,
But also other sounds near and far.
They'll arise and fall away.
You might notice an ache or pain in the body.
See if you can notice the sensation itself without getting caught up in concern for it or in a story about it.
You might notice digestion happening,
The body performing its natural functions.
You might notice there's tension somewhere in the body.
To whatever degree you're able,
Relax and release whatever tension you find.
By focusing on that area,
Breathing into it,
Sending in a message of ease and letting go.
You might notice thoughts and emotions.
These are just the naturally arising patterns of the mind.
If you can stay anchored in physical sensation,
You can simply let these mental formations pass through your field of experience without concern.
If you find you have been lost in thought,
Something that happens frequently as it is the nature of mind,
Simply come back to an awareness of physical sensation.
There's no reason to scold yourself about having been lost.
Instead,
Celebrate the noticing and return to a focus on the breath with renewed intention.
The way back from being lost,
Either in thought or in a fog,
Is the most valuable moment in any meditation.
Because this is where we learn how to become present again and again,
In any moment,
This is the practice.
As things quiet down,
You might notice that the most dominant sensation is the breath.
It is also the most reliable.
It's always there for you,
Your most intimate companion in this life.
So give the breath your full attention now.
Notice the sensations in the nostrils,
In the chest,
In the belly,
Wherever you feel it most strongly.
Just follow the natural breath.
Don't try to change anything.
Just find just the way it is.
You might find a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the breath.
I'm going to ring the bell now,
But it's not an ending bell,
Unless you need it to be.
I suggest you listen to the bell and then pause this recording and continue meditating in silence for as long as you like.
Then,
When you are ready for the closing part of the meditation,
A loving-kindness practice,
You can unpause and we'll continue.
Enjoy.
Welcome back.
To end our meditation today,
We will do metta practice.
Metta means infinite loving-kindness.
It's radiant,
Like the sun.
It falls on all beings.
Because we can't give what we don't have,
We always begin with ourselves first.
So we say,
May I be well?
This is not a wish for some future condition,
But opening to the wellness that is present in this moment,
The body-mind functioning smoothly,
All processes balanced and efficient,
May I be well?
May I be at ease,
Opening to the infinite ease of metta,
Pouring into the body-mind,
Creating spaciousness and ease,
Softening any tension,
Releasing any tangles,
Letting go of any tightness,
A great warm flush of ease,
Relaxing and releasing any residue of tension.
May I be at ease?
May I be at peace,
Opening to the possibility that in this moment,
The complex inner conversation of the mind can soften and release the need to be right,
To have perfect answers to every challenge,
Creating enough spaciousness within the tangle of thoughts and emotion to allow it to be an ongoing dance rather than a bitter battle.
May I be at peace?
May I be happy?
This is not the kind of happiness that is dependent on everything being just the way I want it.
Instead,
It is the happiness that naturally arises out of being fully present in the moment with whatever is arising,
Embracing it all in the joy and gratitude of simply being alive to experience it,
Even in my most difficult moments.
May I be happy?
Now sit with this sense of opening and receiving these blessings,
This metta,
This loving-kindness.
You could even pause the meditation here to allow yourself to sit with it longer.
Once we feel the abundant generosity of loving-kindness,
We well up with that generosity.
The infinite nature of metta cannot be contained,
And we wouldn't want to keep it to ourselves,
Even if we could,
Because it is in sharing that it grows even stronger within us.
So we become conduits for infinite loving-kindness.
Think of someone or some situation that comes to mind that could really use some extra loving-kindness right now.
Whoever or whatever comes to mind first is fine.
To them you say,
May you be well.
May you be at ease.
May you be at peace.
May you be happy.
And then,
Because this loving-kindness is infinite and cannot be contained,
We radiate it out into our community,
Out into the world,
So that it circles our dear little blue marble of a planet in its open,
Loving embrace and continues on and on and on.
And we say,
May all beings be well.
May all beings be at ease.
May all beings be at peace.
May all beings be happy.
