Song From The Silence Meditation

This meditation is an invitation to rest into the deep silence and holding of the fabric of life that connects us all. Allowing everything to be as it is, we witness and allow thoughts, emotions, and experiences without trying to stop, fix or change them, but give our attention to that which lies behind and underneath it all. From this blank canvas of silence and stillness, we open the flower voices petal by petal, loving and accepting these miracle living instruments that we are. Enjoy!

Transcript

Welcome to this meditation friends.

So just finding a way that you can feel comfortable however that looks,

However that is.

Somewhere where you can rest for 20 minutes or so.

And just really welcoming you here exactly as you are,

However you're feeling right now.

Whether your mind is really busy and there's a lot going on,

Lots of plates spinning in your life.

Or whether you're feeling quite calm and relaxed,

Whether you have some emotional bubbling going on.

Or whether you're feeling quite practical.

Any state at all,

Especially for those who feel,

Oh I don't really know about this meditation stuff or I'm not really sure about my voice or I wonder if I can sit still for 20 minutes.

Just welcoming it all and that,

That actually meditation is already happening all of the time since the moment we were born.

It's not something we have to do or conjure up.

It's almost like conjuring down all of the other stuff just to rest in the vast wide open space that is always there and has always been there behind,

Behind everything.

So we're just going to,

It's very simple really,

Just going to rest,

Just going to rest together.

Just going to be together.

So when you've found a way that feels comfortable for you to sit,

We'll just begin resting into our breath.

This one breath as it breathes.

Not needing to control the breath in any way but just allowing this body to breathe.

And all those moments when you were concentrating on something else,

The body still knew how to breathe.

Almost as if life is breathing through me.

What a relief that I don't have to do anything to be alive.

I don't have to work at being alive or try to be alive.

If I let go,

Aliveness is still there,

Shining.

So let's settle into some stillness together,

Some silence together.

And the silence that I speak of is,

It's kind of a full emptiness.

It's like a singing ringing always there behind everything,

Behind every sound.

Deep silence,

The fabric of life itself.

Upon which all thoughts,

All feelings,

Sensations,

All sound,

If there's any sound that you can hear right now.

You might lean towards that sound as something that you like,

Maybe birdsong,

Something that's pleasant to receive or maybe you're irritated by the seemingly unwanted sound of a neighbour or traffic.

But what if all of that was just bubbles,

Bubbling through something so much more vast and unchanging and deep.

Something into which we can always rest regardless of what forms the bubble takes in this moment,

In this day,

In this time of my life.

Go through all the layers of what we may be experiencing right now,

Those layers may be the sounds around,

Those layers may be sensation,

Agitation or simply just a feeling in the body,

Maybe just the feeling of the touch of your clothing on your skin.

Feeling of a tongue resting in the mouth,

Feeling of a bum pushed up against the cushion.

Maybe there's several tabs open of thoughts that are arguing for your attention,

Things that are absolutely sure they need to be attended to and gnawed upon and mulled over and over.

Maybe there's whispers in the heart that are a bit more quiet but still want to be heard.

So just welcoming everything,

Welcoming everything within this wide open space that we rest in.

So rather than perhaps our attention as it usually does get pulled to the loudest sound or the loudest thought,

In a world where any sense of control is mostly an illusion,

In a world where we are just taken by the river of life,

What you might find is that where you place your attention,

Where you choose to place your attention is one of the most powerful abilities,

Empowering actions or movements in consciousness.

In a world where everything is unknown,

Fundamentally,

Of course we have pockets of our lives where there are places we feel we are in control but ultimately we don't know what's going to happen next,

How can we,

How can we know?

So inviting us to choose where our attention goes right now.

Let's bring our attention for a moment to the breath,

Not controlling it but just flowing with it as you exhale,

Letting it all drop downwards towards the belly,

Towards the earth,

Perhaps imagining roots growing down into the earth,

With the attitude of a mountain,

Solid,

Big,

Timeless,

Feeling the whole of the body,

Feeling the whole of the body,

Feeling the whole of the body,

And any thoughts that pull us away and try to grab our attention,

We're just listening to the body right now,

I'm choosing to be here where life is,

I'm choosing to be present where it's happening,

Where truth lies,

This where this is,

And opening our ears,

Even if there are bubbles of sounds,

All shapes and sizes,

With that choice that we have,

That empowering choice that we have,

Guiding our attention behind,

Underneath,

Inside and through the bubbles,

To the true fabric of life unchanging,

Deep,

Shimmering silence.

We've always known this,

Almost like maybe oxygen has a smell but we're so familiar with it that we can't smell it anymore,

Maybe that longing for peace and that longing for a break,

That longing just to be free,

Maybe we're searching for something that we already are,

That we are intimately bound with and woven into,

Woven through the fabric of deep peace,

Always there,

It's just that we don't recognise the smell of it anymore because we're so used to it because it is us.

That rich silence,

Stillness,

Wide open space of presence through which all things bubble and move and paint,

Is always there for us.

Every moment we can choose with the power of our attention to rest here,

Even when life,

Especially when life is throwing some big bubbles at us.

So resting here,

Listening,

Listening to,

Behind the bubbles,

Listening to behind the sounds,

Resting inside the deepest silence of our beings,

Of life itself,

That silence which connects all of us,

Everything,

Everything,

Everything that exists,

Wrapped up in the web of consciousness,

Of presence,

Boundless space.

Taking a few breaths into that stillness,

Into that silence and really feeling inside the body.

Isn't it a miracle that it's all just doing it without us having to remember to beat the heart,

To pump the blood and that space,

That space inside just by listening.

And what magic to be able to access all manner of colours of bubbles that we didn't even know were there,

That may bubble up from inside this instrument,

This living,

Breathing,

Blood pumping instrument.

It's not you anymore,

It's just life bubbling through us,

So allowing your voice,

Life's voice in the huge space that is everythingness.

Just allowing some sound to come through,

Bubble through colours,

Shapes,

Bubbles of life.

With the power of our intention staying present here,

Curious in this world of sound that bubbles through silence.

Any thoughts,

The inner critic for example,

With the empowerment of our intention and attention and intention,

Leaving her or him outside of this space,

Protecting this space.

So with as many breaths as you need in this protected space of pure presence,

Allowing ourselves to bubble through the silence.

But like massive bubbles,

Like ex Emperor ji teaching,

't once again the restrainṛana Letting the sound of your bones and organs and blood and flesh and the space in between it all,

This living instrument.

Massage the inside of your body.

Bubble through the space,

Massaging your heart as it comes through.

Be free with this sound.

Give yourself this gift to let go into sound.

To play with the magic of what's available in this life as a human,

As an instrument.

Switch to Oh,

Na-ah-ay-ay Na-ay-nay-nay,

Oh Na-ay-wah-wah-wah-wah-ay Ah-ay-ay-ay-ay Inviting some different sounds,

The mouth to move But maybe the body to move,

The hands to paint I am freedom I am freedom The time is now,

This moment is all We have to take the time to make the time I am free I am free I am free Move the body as much as it wants to Na-ay-ay-ay-ay,

Oh I spread my wings and I fly I am free Na-ay-ay-ay-ay,

Oh I spread my wings and I fly Thank you to these voices,

Keep them coming,

Keep them singing Na-ay-ay-ay-ay,

Oh I spread my wings and I fly Our companions in this life to dance with Na-ay-ay-ay-ay,

Oh I spread my wings and I fly Thank you my voice that I can learn from you,

You guide the way Na-ay-ay-ay-ay,

Oh I spread my wings and I fly So many teachings of listening and tenderness Na-ay-ay-ay-ay,

Oh I spread my wings and I fly You connect me to myself You connect me to the nature all around To life itself To all living things Thank you,

Thank you,

Thank you Thank you to this sound which flows Through the sky and to the ground I know that I don't know,

That I don't know Just being here Hey ya na nuku ke le la lu ka na na na,

This is it Na na na nay So simple Na na nay We keep singing Na-ay-ay-ay We keep singing Oh thank you That I am alive Through all the challenges that bubble by,

Oh And this mind of mine,

Oh give me peace Well as the mind continues to turn Its tricks and its somersaults round and round We don't need to shut it down or run away or push it past Just focus on the now and expand This tension in a loving embrace of all that is In this very place I accept you This mind I accept you every thought Everything is included Everything is welcome I just might not give you my attention I want to live in truth I'm just looking at the time and I'm seeing that When song comes into play it just becomes completely timeless So we're going to wrap up this stillness into song meditation With a couple of minutes coming back into silence Any sounds that still want to hum through chest and face Or sing through lips Let them spiral,

Continue to spiral as long as they need to And when you're ready just dropping your attention back down into the body,

Into the breath Into the space Into the silence underneath thought,

Underneath the bubbles Thoughts are welcome,

Everything included,

But just listen behind Just listen behind Just rest underneath And bring what's underneath to the foreground Let's just close the meditation with one hand on the chest and one hand on the belly You can't see my one that's on the belly but there it is Feeling this whole instrument just thank you Thank you my voice for having the courage to dance a little bit Long may I sing,

Long may we sing,

Long may you sing,

Everyday