Open awareness meditation.
For this meditation,
It is best to be sat somewhere where you can look out onto a spacious scene.
If this is not possible,
Just do the best that you can with whatever environment presents itself to you,
Wherever you are.
Let us once more get established in our meditation posture.
Make yourself comfortable and rest your hands comfortably in your lap.
If you wish,
You can place a cushion in your lap to raise your hands to a more comfortable position,
Keeping your chest open and expansive.
Now take a few slightly deeper breaths than normal and start to feel your body relaxing and letting go of any tension on each out breath.
Feel your shoulders relaxing and feel your body giving itself up to gravity.
Really feel the weight of your body settling down onto the cushion,
The floor or the chair.
Gently take your mind around your body and check that your posture is stable and that you have a sense of being grounded.
Make sure that your spine is straight and resting into its natural S-shaped curve.
If you are sat on a chair,
You might like to sit a little forward of the back of the chair,
Unless of course you have back problems,
Then by all means place a cushion there as support for your back.
Also,
If you are sitting on a chair,
Make sure your feet are planted firmly on the floor or place a cushion or meditation block under your feet if you cannot reach the floor.
Check your shoulders.
Let go of any tension on each exhalation.
Check that your head is balanced.
Imagine that you are supporting the sky with the top of your head.
There should be a sense of quiet dignity about your posture.
Breathing slightly deeper than normal,
Bring your awareness to your breath.
As you breathe in,
Imagine that your awareness is expanding and on each out breath,
Breathe that awareness out into the space in front of you.
If you have any health conditions that might be impacted by breathing slightly more deeply than normal,
Then you should simply breathe normally.
Have the sense that you are arousing or bringing to life your awareness on each in breath and then releasing that awareness into the space in front of you on each out breath.
Do this for maybe 15 or 20 consecutive breaths.
Don't worry if you lose your focus or your mind wanders.
Just acknowledge this and bring it back to the process and carry on from wherever you were.
Thank you.
Now,
Just gaze gently out into the space in front of you.
Stop meditating.
Stop doing anything special.
Just relax on your chair or your cushion and enjoy the scene in front of you.
You are not focusing on anything,
Not attaching to anything.
If the sky is particularly beautiful or the sound of the birds particularly inspiring,
Then note it and let it go.
If there is the sound of cars rushing by and it's unpleasant,
Don't try to block it out.
Note it and let it go.
Notice the space in front of you and around everything.
Be expansive in your awareness and keep bringing your mind back every time it wanders.
Now close your eyes and become aware of your internal space.
Notice any thoughts or emotions or perhaps bodily sensations.
No need to engage with them.
Simply note their presence and let them go.
Let your body be still and notice how it is feeling in this moment.
Make a mental note of this and let it go.
Be aware of the temperature of the body and any places of tension or resistance or aches or pains.
Allow softness to seep into these areas.
Allow your eyes and brow and face to soften and settle back into this space of expansive inner awareness.
There is nothing you need to do right now.
Just be open and expansively aware of your whole inner environment.
Just be in stillness.
If your mind gets caught up in thoughts or feelings,
Then you may open to the external space once more and repeat the breathing process and resting your awareness on your external environment for a while before internalizing your consciousness once more.
Dissolve whatever separates your internal world from the external world.
See these two experiences merging into one experience.
Just sit with it.
No need to do anything.
Just gaze into space,
Utterly aware and stay like this for as long as you wish.
Now,
Bring your attention back to your body and its connection to the earth through the cushion or the chair.
Focus your breath and then come back into your center in this moment.
Take one or two breaths,
Moving as you wish when you are ready and then continuing with the rest of your day.
