Beginning by sitting comfortably,
Beautifully,
Alert and also relaxed.
Now it's time to put your projects on hold and become present by following the breath.
So beginning by taking a few deeper breaths so that you can really become aware of breathing.
So breathing in deeply through the nose,
Filling up with this breath,
Maybe pausing at the top before exhaling through the mouth slowly and completely,
Really letting go.
Taking some breaths like this in your own rhythm,
Inhaling deeply and exhaling completely.
Breathing in,
Receiving this breath,
Breathing out,
Letting go of any tension,
Any tightness,
Anything that doesn't serve you right now.
Just letting it go,
Enjoying,
Savoring,
Really being present to the breath cycle and letting your breathing return to its natural rhythm and simply noticing how the body is being breathed without doing anything to change it.
Just noticing and now sweeping awareness through the body,
Just noticing the energies of the body.
If there are any sensations drawing your attention,
Any tightness,
Any tension and inviting any areas of tension to relax,
To let go a little without making that into a goal,
Simply an invitation,
Inviting the forehead to smooth and relax,
The eyes to soften,
Gaze softens,
Maybe bringing a smile to the eyes,
A spirit of curiosity,
Interest,
Friendliness,
Allowing the mouth to relax and the jaw to unclench,
Noticing the energy in the shoulders,
Maybe moving,
Wiggling a little bit or raising the shoulders up to the ears and then letting them fall back and down,
Maybe breathing in awareness of the energies present in the shoulders and breathing out invitation to let go a little bit more.
Sweeping awareness down through the arms and into the hands which are resting gently,
Softly on the legs or in your lap in no particular position,
Just resting gently and softening the hands as we invite the body to soften.
We're shifting out of the way the personality holds itself and into something deeper and greater,
Becoming aware of the sensations and the aliveness in the hands and sweeping awareness down through the legs and into the feet,
Noticing the aliveness in the feet,
The sensations in the feet and then bringing awareness into the front body,
Noticing how the breath moves in the front body,
Feeling the chest and the belly moving in and out,
The front body saying yes to this breath,
To life.
Now drawing attention to the heart area,
Becoming aware of any flavor of emotion that's present in the heart and just letting it be there,
Whatever's there belongs and also bringing this awareness to the mind,
Noticing what the traffic is like in your mind,
Just allowing it to be however it is,
Dropping any layer of resistance that gets in between you and presence.
Now we'll begin the inner journey and if anything I'm suggesting doesn't feel right to you,
Doesn't resonate,
Allowing yourself to be in your own practice,
Modifying however you need to,
Seeing and sensing yourself,
Walking in nature on an autumn day.
The landscape is painted in autumn colors and in the distance up ahead you see a tree that draws your attention.
It's a deciduous tree,
Maybe a maple or an oak,
A tree that releases its leaves in the fall.
Maybe a tree you know well or maybe it's in a place that soothes you,
That is a real refuge for you,
Real or imagined.
Greeting the tree in whatever way feels right to you,
Asking for permission to sit down at the base of the tree and then sitting down,
Maybe directly on the earth or maybe on a blanket,
Feeling the earth beneath you,
Supporting you,
And the Sun above you,
Warming you,
Feeling that like the tree you have roots that go deep down into the earth,
Sitting beautifully under the tree,
Rooted,
Tall,
Supported,
Feeling your back against the tree,
Feeling your roots,
Feeling the Sun's warmth on the top of your head,
Warmth and relaxation flowing down through your head,
Throughout your whole body,
And feeling the vital earth energies flowing upwards through the base of your spine,
Up throughout your body,
Becoming still,
Noticing the movement of the breath,
Breathing with the tree that has your back,
That is your breathing buddy.
The tree releases oxygen which you breathe in.
You exhale carbon dioxide which the tree reabsorbs in a reciprocal,
Interconnected,
Supportive dance of breath.
Throughout the rest of this meditation you might choose to have the breath be your refuge that you rest in,
That you follow,
Or you might choose a different home base.
The breath is a wonderful anchor because it's always with us.
We can always find it again.
However,
If the breath is too activating for you,
Isn't the best anchor for you,
You might choose a different home base.
You might be aware of the sensations,
Energy,
Aliveness in the hands or the whole body,
Sitting here supported by the tree,
Warmed by the Sun,
Resting in your refuge,
Your home base,
Which is what you're present to,
Noticing the sensations of breathing or body sensations with curiosity,
A sense of allowing and receiving.
And if you notice that your mind has wandered away from this refuge,
Well that is a moment of mindfulness,
Noticing where your mind is and bringing curiosity and friendliness and then gently bringing attention back to your refuge,
To your home base,
Breath or sensations or even sounds.
Where is your mind?
Where's your attention?
Has it wandered into thought?
No worries,
Just bringing it back to your home base again and again.
And now when you become aware that thinking is happening,
Seeing the thought as a leaf falling down from the tree,
Noticing how it falls,
Becoming curious.
Does the breeze pick up or subside when you become aware that the leaf is falling,
That thinking is happening?
Noticing the thought leaves falling,
Making their way to the ground,
Coming to rest on the ground without any more momentum,
Bringing attention back to your body,
Sitting here breathing.
Rooted,
Supported,
Warmed by the Sun,
Sitting here breathing with the tree.
The bronchial trees inside your lungs are like the branches of the tree,
Opening to the breath.
The front body is wide and open,
Receiving one breath after another,
One breath at a time.
From moment to moment,
This breath,
Aware,
Receptive,
Curious,
Welcoming,
Savoring,
This breath.
Breathing like this,
With a tree,
Counteracts the feeling of separation and alienation.
In every moment,
We are interconnected.
We breathe with the forest.
No forest,
No plant kingdom,
No breath.
Every breath is a dance of interconnection,
Interbeing.
Watching the leaves of thought fall,
Make their way to the ground,
Lose their momentum,
Become still on the ground,
And directing awareness back to the breath or sensations again and again.
Breathing in,
Filling your cup,
Filling with the nutrients of this practice.
Breathing out kindness and caring wherever you want it to go,
Wherever it seems most needed.
Breathing this dance of life and interbeing with the rest of life on this planet.
And when it feels right,
Thanking the tree,
Whatever way feels right to you,
In a moment I'll ring the bell and receiving the sound of the bell until you can't hear it anymore.
