Good morning,
Good afternoon,
Good evening.
So we're going to start off with a poem.
This is called The Visitor,
It was inspired apparently by Rumi's Guesthouse.
I sat to find the silence,
A quiet empty space,
But longing came to sit with me and sorrow claimed a place.
It brought a heavy blanket,
It wore a sighing gown,
It whispered in the stillness and turned my vision down.
My heart began to chatter,
My breath was fast and tight.
Go away,
I told the feeling,
I'm trying to find the light.
But stronger grew the guesthouse,
And louder was the plea,
Until I dropped my doing and let the feeling be.
It only wanted welcoming,
It only wanted room,
A fleeting passing shadow,
A visitor in the gloom.
I touched the ache of longing,
I sat with fears and grace,
Then watched them drift like weather and vanish into space.
So,
It's Wednesday and we tend to turn towards whatever,
If you've just joined us,
Welcome.
We've just had a poem,
You may want to watch the recording if you send me your email.
So,
Let's just sit.
Eyes open or closed.
And we notice what the evening of the night of sleep has left us with.
Or a day at work.
What's here now?
A sadness,
A fear.
So,
Just feel what we find.
If the attention's been dragged around by thoughts.
And take the attention to the end of the out-breath,
That natural letting go there.
Just to steady it all for a few minutes.
What does it feel like?
Just notice the texture of whatever you're giving attention to.
Maybe it's heavy.
Maybe it's hard or rough.
So,
We're exploring the history of this.
The why.
Just feel what's there.
Feel what's here.
Don't try to do anything to what's here.
Don't zap it with white lights or try to heal it.
Just leave it be.
Just feel it.
Give it space.
Let the silence do the work.
Let the experiencing do the heavy lifting.
You don't need to do anything.
When you notice that you're at the thought bar,
You're lost in stories.
New thoughts.
Just drop them.
Just thinking.
We turn back to presence.
Just feeling the body.
It's all you need to do.
You can feel the breath if that's a little easier.
Not trying to attain anything.
Let this something,
If it is a sadness or whatever,
Let it reveal itself.
Where are you now?
Where's the attention?
We only ever leave the present moment in the imagination.
If you like,
You can,
As it were,
Expand the attention.
You start listening to the sounds.
Literally just sit and see what comes to attention.
Be like a receiver.
Just hear.
What's happening right now?
You're listening to mind or you're listening to life.
There's just this moment unfolding.
Sounds,
Sensations.
Our own experience is part of that unfoldment.
Just checking that you are still relaxed,
You haven't tensed up.
If you have,
Just take a deep breath.
And drop into the body.
Okay,
That brings us to the end of the session.
Have a little wiggle,
A little stretch.
Thank you,
Guys.
