Closer And Wider

A gentle meditation exploring how attention can move closer to experience and widen again. This meditation is shared as a quiet companion for presence and awareness. You’re invited to listen and notice what unfolds, without pressure or expectation.

~ A Gentler Way ~

© Tarja Moles

Image: alex.stemmer | DepositPhotos

Transcript

Let's allow things to slow down. For a moment. The body can settle in whatever position. Feels most natural. Perhaps sitting. Leaning back. Or lying down. There's no particular posture that needs to be held. We can just let the body find its own way of settling. The eyes may be open or closed. If they are open. They might rest softly on whatever is in front of them. If they are closed. They may simply settle there. Either way. The muscles around the eyes. Can soften a little. Perhaps the face. And the jaw. Soften too. We're simply allowing a gentle softening. To happen here. Today. We are exploring how attention can move in different ways. The way it can move closer to experience. And widen out again. Almost like a camera lens. That can zoom in. And zoom out. We're not trying to change our experience. We're just noticing what happens. When the tension is narrow. And when it widens. Sensations are already present. In the body. Perhaps the movement of breathing. Or maybe a gentle tingling sensation somewhere. If a sensation happens to stand out. Perhaps in the chest. The hands. Or somewhere else. Attention may naturally move a little closer. Almost as if it's zooming in slightly. We might notice the texture. Of the sensation. Perhaps it feels steady. Or changing. Maybe there is a rhythm to it. It might seem clear or faint. We can notice what stands out. When attention comes a little closer. And now we might explore the opposite movement. Instead of staying very close. To that one sensation. What happens if awareness widens a little? The sensation may still be there. But now. It's part of a larger field of experience. Other sensations may also be present. Sounds. The temperature of the air around the body. A sense of gravity. That one sensation. Is no longer the whole picture. It's simply one element. Within something wider. For a little while. Attention can move between these two ways of noticing. Sometimes getting closer. Sometimes. Widening again. Zooming in. And then, Zooming out again. Neither way is better. They're simply different ways of sensing what's here. We might gently wander. What is it like? When a sensation is part of a larger picture. Does it feel different? Than when attention moves in close. There's no need to reach a conclusion. We're simply curious. And now. We can allow awareness to open outward again. Perhaps sensing the space in the room. Tuning into the presence of the body within that space. Noticing the sounds around us. When it feels natural. The body might begin to move a little. Perhaps the fingers or the toes wiggle slightly. If the eyes have been closed. They can open in their own time. And as the day continues. This small possibility. May remain available. That attention. Can come closer. Or widen. And either way. Experience. Can be met. With gentleness. And from here we can continue. In a gentler way.