In today's mini practice on the divine ground of being we will anchor ourselves in the breath.
Entering our ground of being is like entering deep dreamless sleep,
But in a completely conscious way.
So this does not mean that we are going to go to sleep here.
In this practice we will open to the dimension of being that is as silent and unmoving as deep sleep,
Yet if we know where to look for it,
It is present in every waking moment of our lives.
So because the experience is similar to deep sleep,
It is important for us to have an anchor for our attention and this is why we focus on the breath.
We anchor on the breath in the lower part of the belly.
The ground of being is actually beyond location,
But this lower part of the belly is resonant and a good access point for the ground of being to access the deeper mystery and unknowability of the ground.
The meditation teacher Adyashanti says he thinks of this as having a color,
The color black,
Not the black of emptiness,
But the black of deep impenetrable mystery of pure potentiality,
The rich and beautiful black.
So close your eyes.
Without trying to grasp or understand,
Simply rest in the inner darkness you see when your eyes are closed and let your attention relax down into the lower part of your belly.
You may want to pause for a moment to let yourself feel the breath settle into this lower part of the belly.
You might picture the way a baby's belly rises and falls with each breath.
And resting here,
Sense the silence and the stillness of your inner being and with heartfelt devotion and focus,
Abide in the feeling of surrender.
Surrender into the unfathomable ground of your being,
A dimension beyond all knowing,
While continuing to anchor in your breath,
Rising and falling with each breath,
Letting go into the dark mystery of inner silence.
As you offer your awareness to this vast unknown inner silence of your being,
This dark,
Almost thick inner silence is your contact point with the dark void of eternity.
Continuing to anchor in your breath,
If your mind wanders,
Just gently return attention to the sensation of breath in the lower belly and the sense of dark mystery of being that abides there.
Your breath is always there to anchor you,
To offer you stability.
The deeper you go,
The more you relax into it,
The more refined the breath may become,
Like a subtle breeze.
The body will breathe at whatever rate is necessary.
There's nothing you need to do.
Letting yourself thoroughly let go into this space.
No strain or tension.
Letting the mind merge into effortlessness.
Now gently,
Softly open your eyes a little,
Looking out from this deep inner silence,
Taking your time,
Letting your senses readjust to the world of sight and sound.
You might feel a sense of timelessness,
As if eternity is looking out from your eyes.
And as you go about your day,
Invite yourself to retain some background awareness of this sensation of timelessness.
It can be helpful to repeat this practice a couple of times during the day and again before you go to bed.
And enjoy.
Be well,
My friend.
