This meditation is 15 minutes long and it's about as simple as we can make it.
I think over my 10 years as been a meditation teacher we add so many layers to life that we just don't simplify things enough and I think sometimes we just got to take a step back and just what's the simplest and most efficient way of getting some enlightenment some wisdom and some inner peace and quiet and out of everything I've tried I think this is the number one.
So we're just going to sit and do a sazen meditation and you do that simply by just finding a cushion or a chair to sit on you can always pause this while you do that and just allow your body to relax but stay alert in this moment.
Now and if you are on a cushion you can and you can cross your legs into the lotus position if possible or simply sit with your feet flat on the floor and place your hands on your lap with your palms up and one hand over the top of the other just so your thumbs are near each other or gently touching and again if you cannot get into this position just whatever position you can stay alert and relaxed in and just breathe naturally through your nose and as you're becoming aware of your breath you don't have to do anything with it all you are is just a witness watching your breath whether that witness is in your mind or somewhere in your body and at this point you can either gently close your eyes or just soften your gaze just a few feet in front of you I sometimes find it a bit easier just to find something to look at and then soften my gaze on that one thing and while I'm looking at that object I just be aware of my chest rising and falling and just allow your body to relax allow your mind to relax I know that seems a strange thing to do but when you allow things to be what they are allow your muscles just to relax into this moment they know how to relax just as your body knows how to breathe and you notice the whole world suddenly becomes quieter and you might suddenly notice sounds around you just be aware that they're sounds you may notice sensations coming up in your body they're just feelings and emotions you don't have to do anything with them we have one job here right now and that's just to be aware aware of everything that's happening and if a thought or story comes into your mind and you find your mind wandering just give a gentle smile thank you for the thought I'm just here being aware for the next few minutes I'm going to give very few instructions just simply be aware and be okay with whatever comes up don't favor it or don't try to push anything away everything is just what it is and you may notice the mind is just taking notice of what's happening and it might try fooling you into thinking that the thinking has been aware and it might try to coach you into a story or something about this moment just smile and thank you and bring yourself back to your breath the mind is doing exactly what it's evolved to do think stuff up the heart and the body is doing exactly what it's evolved to do the heart and the body is doing exactly what it's evolved to do make you aware to try to get your attention and you give it your attention just by acknowledging and then doing nothing with it if you notice somewhere on your body you've got a little itch or just mindfully scratch it it's all okay and then return to the state of awareness and you may notice in this state of awareness and you may notice in this state of awareness it has no pull or it has no feeling it has no thought it's just a little gap between each one of them every now and again there's a little moment of just nothing and there's a couple of thoughts and phrases that i use in this moment especially if they are a little stubborn and they're coming thick and fast it's i have thoughts but i am not those thoughts i have thoughts but i'm not those thoughts i have thoughts and i am watching those thoughts i am watching those thoughts there are feelings there are sounds there are sensations and they all come and go and in this moment you have the ultimate control of what you do with them and this peace and solitude of the awareness just watching them come and go like a beautiful dance of thoughts and emotions and sensations as well as sounds just like the taste in your mouth come and go the awareness of the sounds come and go just like the awareness of your breath comes and goes and you may be able to just allow your body to relax just a little deeper and this moment you don't have to do anything with it nothing's actually happening until it arises and then we become aware and in a moment i'm going to come back from five and we're going to bring the awareness back to the room and back to this present moment but just before we do that it's really quite profound and quite enlightening when we realize that we have thoughts we have feelings that we have emotions we hear sounds and we have tastes and they all just come and go and we have an opportunity in that moment just to ah there they are but i don't have to do anything with them and that's the ultimate enlightenment that's the ultimate peace and the wisdom if you really want to know yourself know that witness that's witnessing all these things coming and going that's the true self it's always at peace it's always wise so five just become aware of the sounds around you four just gently open your eyes if they're closed look around three just move your arms and gently shake out your hands wiggle your toes two just stretch your body a little bit and one just look around and be perfectly aware and what's really important whenever i do this meditation it's so simple just what's arising and i don't have to do anything with it and i think that's where most of our frustration most of our stress and anxiety comes from we feel the need to do something with it if we have a thought what do i need to do with it if we feel something what do i need to do with it and sometimes it's just acknowledging it ah here you are again ah here's that message again and just by stepping in and going ah i hear you i see you i feel you you can then take control of virtually your whole life and that's what it means to be in control that's what it means to know yourself i hope that helps i'm stephen webb and meditation like this to this depth and so simple the ego needs to have it a few times so come back daily and i really appreciate your support on insight timer
