This is a practice of inviting stillness of the body to cultivate stillness in the mind.
The presence of the mind that enables us to access the deeper dimension of ourselves.
Begin by finding a posture that you can settle into and feel relaxed,
Where you don't have to fidget for a few minutes,
Where you can rest into stillness.
It helps to be upright,
With your spine erect and your heart area open.
Your hands resting at ease.
Your eyes gently closed.
Become present to your physicality.
Letting the body settle into its own natural stillness.
A state of ease.
Not forcing anything.
Feel the solidity of the chair or cushion beneath you.
The ground beneath your feet.
And just root yourself there.
Letting awareness move from the mind to the easy stillness of the body.
Commit yourself to being still.
Just for a few moments.
Don't worry about your mind.
You may be thinking or not thinking.
It doesn't matter.
You're just not feeding the thoughts.
Notice that when the mind fidgets,
The body does not need to follow.
The body can continue to rest in stillness.
Let stillness in the body invite stillness of the mind.
So,
Committing yourself for these few minutes to let your body become very,
Very still.
Notice that your body is breathing.
Resting your awareness on the breath wherever it is most vivid for you.
Feeling the air move into your nostrils.
Cooler as you inhale.
And warmer as you exhale.
Noticing the little pause that you're feeling.
Noticing the little pause between the inhalation and the exhalation.
And between the exhalation and the inhalation.
And letting yourself fall into that quiet space in that beat between the breaths.
Feeling how the breath fills your tummy gently.
Feeling your abdomen move up and down softly like a baby sleeping.
If we're not used to resting awareness in the breath,
It can feel a little tight at first.
You might notice jaggedness or some attempt to alter or control the breath.
That's okay.
That's normal.
And it will change.
Not grasping onto the breath,
But just resting our awareness on it.
Just witnessing it.
And as your attention is focused on the breath,
Allow your peripheral awareness to stay open and relaxed.
Sounds may come and go.
You don't need to push them away.
No need to grasp onto them.
Just letting them pass through like clouds in a vast sky.
Resting with a bright posture,
Remaining alert,
Present.
Present to the breath.
Present to whatever is happening.
The mind will wander.
That's fine.
It might help to gently count each breath on the exhalation.
Counting up to 10 breaths and then relinquishing the counting.
When the mind is busy,
Counting just gives it a little something to do.
If you lose count,
Just pick up where you left off.
No judgment.
Just noticing.
Focusing not on the air itself,
But the movement of it through your body.
Noticing its rhythmic quality.
How the breath calms the whole nervous system.
Your breath is always there for you.
There to anchor you.
A ballast deep in your belly,
Centering you.
The mind may be busy,
But awareness itself is completely silent.
Not cold,
Detached awareness,
But intimate,
Loving,
Gentle awareness.
Noticing the breath,
Watching the body breathe.
And each time the mind wanders,
Gently,
Compassionately,
With this intimate,
Kind awareness,
Bringing yourself back to the breath.
Even if the mind wanders a hundred times,
It doesn't matter.
No judgment.
Just patience,
Compassion,
Witnessing.
If you notice any tight spots in your body,
Letting that contracted area feel this stillness of the breath.
Letting the breath gently move into that area to release it.
So you And in the hours and days to come,
Knowing that whenever you feel lost in the vortex of events of your own thoughts,
You can always pause and drop down into this quiet space.
You can let go of grasping for the right response for what to do next.
You can ride on a single breath into this stillness.
And let the deeper response find you.
So trust yourself,
Dear one.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be at peace.
May all beings be free.
So
