So we'll begin to explore the present moment by taking the first element of earth and become aware of our body and in particular to begin with all the parts of the body that are in contact with something.
So scan through your body and notice all those points of contact and feel that sensation of connection.
So for example with the feet and the floor,
Feeling the pressure,
The temperature,
Feeling that sensation of connection between the body and whatever your body is in contact with.
So I'll give you a few moments just to explore those sensations of connection across the body.
The second part of the earth element section is to also feel the weight of your body.
So get a sense of the heaviness or the lightness of your body and really allow the chair you're sitting on the floor to really support your weight,
To take your weight.
So you can begin to let go and allow the body to relax and feel held and supported.
Now this feeling of weight is actually the feeling of gravity in the body.
So what we are experiencing directly in the body is the earth pulling our body towards the earth.
So we're feeling that direct,
Visible,
Physical connection with the earth.
So allow the earth to gently pull your body towards the earth.
The next element of air invites us to become more aware of our breath and feel the air entering and leaving the body.
Really enjoy the sensations in the body as you breathe in and out.
And if you can,
Feel as if the element of air is breathing your body.
The body is being breathed by the air rather than thinking that you are doing the breathing.
See how that feels.
So allowing the breath to flow freely through the body and allowing the earth to support the weight of the body.
So starting the meditation feeling grounded and connected and present with the body and with the breath.
The third element,
The element of water and for this see if you can feel that your thoughts are flowing through your mind just like water flowing through a river or stream.
So allowing your thoughts to follow each other one after the next.
And the content of your thoughts are completely irrelevant so it doesn't matter what you're thinking.
The invitation is just to keep that awareness nice and open and light and allow all your thoughts to pass through your mind.
Don't try and change them in any way at all.
Allow them to flow freely.
For now we'll move on to the next element of fire and for that feeling the fire in the body,
Feeling the aliveness of the body.
A very basic sensation of being alive,
Of having this living organism of the body.
How does that feel?
And noticing any other emotions and sensations in the body.
So checking in with how you're feeling emotionally.
See if you can connect those emotions with sensations or energy in the body and connecting that with an aspect of that feeling,
This feeling of being alive,
Living energy of sensation and emotion in the body.
And just as with the thoughts it doesn't matter what the emotion is,
It doesn't matter what the sensation is.
It's about really exploring and allowing that feeling and sensation in the body.
Really feeling the physical presence of the body and allowing your body to be fully in this moment,
Fully alive.
So moving on to the element of sound and beginning to listen to all the different sounds that you can hear where you are right now.
Noticing the more obvious sounds and the loudest sounds,
Maybe the closest sounds.
Also being open and allowed to noticing maybe any background continuous sounds,
The quieter sounds,
The occasional sounds.
And really allow your awareness to be open,
Broad and wide and be alert to noticing any distant sounds,
Or the most distant sounds that you can hear.
They may be very quiet,
May be very occasional,
So staying alert and open to the most distant sounds.
And after a while of listening intently to that openness of awareness,
You may begin to get a sense that you can actually,
As well as listening to sounds,
Also listen to quietness and to silence.
And you don't need there to be an absence of sound,
To notice the stillness and the silence.
There's a sense that there is an ever-present silent space within which each and every sound comes and goes,
Arises and falls back into the silence.
So behind and between every sound,
A space of silence.
And in time as we become familiar with this feeling of this open silent space,
You can experience it as an empty space out of which everything arises and falls.
So not just sounds,
But my thoughts.
Each thought arriving out of an emptiness,
And when it leaves,
Disappearing back into that emptiness.
Each breath coming from that openness,
And as it leaves the body returning to that open,
Still,
Silent space.
Each moment created anew from this empty,
Silent,
Still space.
And as I become aware of all the changes happening in each moment,
Whether it's breath,
Thoughts,
Sensations,
Sounds,
You can get a sense that these moments of time are passing by and they also exist within this open,
Empty space that itself is timeless,
Changeless.
So all change,
All experience,
Each moment coming and going within this unlimited,
Open,
Empty,
Silent space.
And in time,
As practice,
We can begin to bring that background of emptiness and quietness into the foreground of our awareness and allow everything else,
All the changes,
The sounds,
The thoughts to move into the background.
We can feel the closeness,
The presence of that stillness.
And the final step is to just imagine or feel that space,
That empty space within which all my experiences happen,
Within which all changes occur.
That space is awareness,
Awareness is that space.
And the self is that awareness,
So I am the space within which everything happens.
So all my experiences happen within,
Within myself,
Within my awareness.
So be the space within which all your experiences come and go.
So to conclude the meditation,
We just run back down through those elements.
So the final element of light,
The light of awareness,
The light within which everything happens,
The space within which everything happens,
The space within which all the sounds you can hear now are happening,
Listening to the sounds come and go.
And the same space within which your thoughts are coming and going,
Allowing your thoughts to flow freely through this space of your awareness.
And aware again of the rise and fall of the breath in the body.
Just gently holding your breath within your awareness.
And aware of the emotions,
Feelings and sensations in the body.
Feeling the weight of the body.
And feeling all those points of contact,
That sensation of connection.
Feel the connection between your body and the floor,
The ground,
The earth.
Connecting to the present moment,
Through the body.
Body is always here,
Always now,
Always connected.
And your body is always within your awareness.
This present moment is always within your awareness.
And the last couple of moments just enjoying the simplicity of being present,
Allowing yourself just to be in this moment.
The most peaceful moments of meditation sometimes come right at the end when you have given up making any effort.
