And during this meditation,
We've developed skill in acknowledging present experience in order to develop insight.
If you just start out by taking your meditation posture.
Using one hand in the other,
Resting in your lap,
Thumbs lightly touching.
And allowing your eyelids to gently close over,
Allowing them to relax.
Letting that relaxation become to your face.
Feeling that relaxation in your cheeks,
In your jaw.
Letting your shoulders to drop slightly.
Lacing your chest to your upper back.
Letting the relaxation flow down your arms,
Your hands,
Your fingers.
Lacing your belly.
Lacing your hips slightly and allowing the relaxation to flow down your legs to your feet.
Notice how relaxing into your body in this way establishes mindfulness.
Notice how relaxing into your body in this way establishes mindfulness.
Now,
Gently bring your awareness to your hands resting in your lap.
Becoming aware of your thumbs touching each other.
That single point of touch.
To help focus your attention on this experience,
You can use a simple label.
By silently repeating,
Touching,
Touching.
Notice how the first word brings your attention to the point of touch.
The second allows you to experience it.
Suiting touching touching.
February 16,
2014 Now gently open your awareness to the room around you.
Tuning into distant sounds,
Their flow,
Their change.
The touch of air on your skin.
How nice it is just to be here in this room.
To help focus your attention on this experience,
Silently repeat,
Knowing,
Knowing.
Notice how the first word brings your attention to just sitting in the room,
The second allows you to experience it.
Knowing,
Knowing.
How nice it is just to be here in this room.
How nice it is just to be here in this room.
Now gently soften relaxed awareness into your body.
Becoming very aware of sensations within your body.
Can you notice any coolness or warmth within your body?
If you can,
Just keep them gently within your mind.
Continue to soften relaxing to your body.
Aware of the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.
Becoming very present within your body.
To help focus your attention on this experience,
Silently repeat,
Sitting,
Sitting.
How nice it is just to be here in this room.
How nice it is just to be here in this room.
Now to develop insight,
Gently soften your mental grip on your body and allow your attention to wander.
If your attention gets drawn out to a sound,
Simply acknowledge it by silently saying,
Hearing,
Hearing.
If your attention wanders off to a thought,
Simply acknowledge it by silently saying,
Thinking,
Thinking.
And with a few slow softening breaths,
Soften relaxed awareness back into your body.
Now to develop insight,
Gently soften your mental grip on your body.
Now relax your chest and belly,
Allowing breathing to flow freely and naturally within your body.
Becoming aware of the gentle movement of that breathing.
As you relax,
Allow awareness to sink inside your chest,
Inside your lungs.
Feeling the gentle movement of breathing from that point.
Notice as the breath comes in,
Your body gently stretches outwards,
A gentle stretch.
How nice it feels.
And as each breath goes out,
Your body naturally deflates.
It relaxes.
It feels good to relax.
The breath comes in,
Your body stretches,
A gentle stretch.
The breath goes out,
Your body relaxes.
How nice it feels.
And as each breath comes in,
Your body naturally deflates.
Notice how you can know when the breath is coming in.
Notice how you can know when the breath is going out again.
Simply keep that knowing of what the breath is doing within your mind.
The breath comes in,
Body stretches.
The breath goes out,
It relaxes.
To help focus your attention on this experience,
Silently repeat.
In,
In.
In line with each in breath.
Out,
Out.
In line with each out breath.
Notice how the first word brings your attention to the breath.
The second allows you to experience it.
Exhale.
If your attention wanders off to a thought,
Simply acknowledge it by silently saying,
Thinking,
Thinking.
Then with a few slow softening breaths,
Soften relaxed awareness back into your body.
Then gently breathe out,
Relax and wait for the breath to draw in naturally by itself,
Resetting mindfulness of breathing.
If a particular thought continues to arise,
You can clarify it with a simple label,
Planning,
Planning,
Remembering,
Remembering,
Fantasizing,
Fantasizing.
Now learn to observe the experience of breathing and distractions without using these meditative labels,
Simply through silently observing.
Notice how you can know when the breath is coming in,
Notice how you can know when it's going out again,
The breath is coming in,
The breath is going out,
Simply keep this knowing within your mind.
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Now,
Coming back into your body.
Very present within your body.
Very present within your body.
And when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
Thank you for spending this time meditating with me.
Take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.
