So settling into your form of normal sitting meditation posture,
Whatever that might be for you.
And upright if at all possible.
I know in the chair sometimes it can be more difficult to keep an upright posture,
But as best you can keeping that in mind.
It's an alert,
Awake,
Comfortable posture.
So settling into the body,
Just kind of feeling the center of gravity shift from the mind and the head and down through the body into the lower part of the abdomen or belly.
It's kind of a light and easy touch as we let attention settle into the bottom of the belly.
I'm sensing into the breath in the belly.
I'm not trying to control the breath,
I'm trying to control the mind.
Just paying attention to the breath as it naturally flows in the belly.
This meditation that I'm offering today you can kind of consider a foundational meditation.
It's one that you might do most of the time.
So we're beginning this with a commitment to stillness,
To bringing stillness to the body.
You can't force your mind to be still or your emotions to be still,
But you can commit to the body being still.
So bringing that commitment to the fore in your practice and stillness of the body.
And sometimes the body might want to move or adjust itself to discharge some energy or distract.
Just bringing that commitment to be still into the practice.
We're not holding the body in any rigid way,
Rather we're kind of relaxing into stillness.
And as you do this,
Bringing attention to any unnecessary tension that might exist in the body.
Simply bringing awareness to the tension,
Not trying to push it away.
Simply bringing awareness to it.
So just taking a moment to scan the body and see if there's any unnecessary tension or holding,
Stress.
Noticing how the attention itself is the invitation to soften any pockets of tension.
And continuing to tend to the breath as a way to gather attention.
Perhaps noticing the rhythmic quality of the breath.
Remembering that that breath is always there to rest attention at any time during the meditation if you get lost or distracted or confused.
Always come back to the breath to anchor attention.
Remembering that meditation is not a goal-centered activity.
We're not striving to attain anything in particular.
It's more of a,
You could say,
A process of discovery,
Of just resting in the mystery.
Simply noticing what happens in the body,
In your being,
As you attend to the breath.
There's something unique about resting attention with the breath.
Okay.
Sometimes it's helpful to sense into the space around the breath.
While seeing the breath and noticing intuitively or sensing into the space that's all around the breath,
This is awareness.
The more you soften and open,
The more you can sense into that space around the breath.
You might also notice a very natural,
Already present quality of silence.
That the movement of the breath is happening within this silence.
It arises and disappears with the innate silence of awareness.
So we can rest attention on either of these three touch points.
The belly,
The space around the breath,
Or the silence that is in the innate quality of awareness itself.
Just sensing or intuitively orienting yourself toward one of these touch points or portals,
Whichever seems most natural or easiest.
The body,
The space around the breath,
Or the space around the breath,
Or the silence that is in the innate quality of awareness itself.
And therefore,
When you get lost in thought,
Very simply and without judgment,
And simply returning attention to the breath or the space around the breath,
Or with the silent presence.
Meditation is essentially the art and practice of letting go or letting be.
Letting things be as they are,
Not grabbing a hold of anything.
When you're noticing any quality of grasping,
Remembering the quality of letting go.
Kind of a continual process of letting go,
Clinging to nothing.
And as an aid to letting go,
Allowing everything,
Everything,
Absolutely everything,
To be just as it is,
Moment to moment.
Allowing everything to be just as it is.
Allowing everything to be just as it is.
Allowing everything to be just as it is.
You may feel some part of the mind or the ego resisting some part of the practice.
If there is any existence arising,
You don't need to struggle with it.
Even the resistance,
Just letting it be.
This reflex to hold on to or pursue some pleasant quality of experience,
Or to push away some aspect of experience,
Such as too much thinking.
This is simply the movement of the ego mind.
This is how the ego sustains itself and remains in the center of consciousness.
To push back against the ego only works to sustain it.
So we're not pushing back against anything,
Not even resistance.
Letting everything be.
Letting everything be as it is.
Simply another way of saying letting go.
Letting everything be.
Letting everything be.
Just abiding or dwelling in this inner space and quiet without grasping or forcing anything.
Settling into this inner space of aware presence.
Completely letting go.
It may even be helpful to pose the question,
Can I let go a little more?
Let go just a little bit more.
Not looking for an answer,
A yes or no answer.
Rather inviting a little more letting go.
Not trying to make it happen.
Simply inviting a little more letting go.
Not needing to create anything,
Including the silent atmosphere.
This silent atmosphere is already there.
We simply notice it.
It's already there,
So we don't have to make it happen.
Awareness is already and always present.
We might focus our awareness in one direction or another.
But the innate quality of awareness is always there.
So instead of trying to be more aware or to create something,
We are simply abiding or recognizing the ever-present awareness.
And resting in that recognition.
Thank you.
This is a foundational meditation.
As we are discovering the nature of our own being,
It is underneath,
Often overlooked,
Underneath the surface of all the self-image and thoughts.
We're simply sensing into this,
The whole expanse of being,
What you are,
Which has nothing to do with the old narrative in the mind.
We can actually experience this open space of quiet,
Stillness,
Thousands of times without ever noticing,
Noticing that it's an experience that you're having.
It's an open space of awareness and is actually who we are.
It's beyond all ideas.
It's present.
It's there every time we dip below the definitions that we hold of ourselves.
Underneath all that,
There's always this clear,
Open space of being.
Thank you.
Letting go gives you access to a more fundamental dimension of being,
Access to your true nature.
This inner silence or stillness is really the access point or portal.
This inner silence or stillness is really the access point or portal.
This inner silence or portal is really the access point or portal.
This inner silence or portal is really the access point or portal.
You're not noticing any even subtle sense of grasping or pushing away and returning again and again to letting go.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
No grasping,
No pushing away,
Just allowing everything to be.
