Hey it's Doug.
Welcome to this meditation all about healing by stopping.
As we think about how we go about our day it can feel quite often like a never-ending quest to arrive somewhere.
Where exactly that is we don't know but we keep pushing and we keep striving we keep moving toward it.
We try achieve that thing but no matter how many places we go or how many promotions we get,
How many iPhones we buy,
How many workouts we do,
How many Instagram reels we watch,
We never arrive at that feeling.
We never get to that place of healing or peace and when we feel disappointed we haven't arrived well then we start immediately running again.
Running hurriedly towards peace and calm.
What we don't realize is that we're running on broken legs attempting to run toward a cure while we exacerbate the problem.
The answer is simple but not easy.
We need to stop and for this we need to use Vipassana and Samatha.
Insight and calm.
Two wings of one bird as Thich Nhat Hanh says.
Insight can bring us calm but we need to be calm to gain insight.
Quite the conundrum.
The first thing I want you to do is to get your body still.
We can start calming everything down just by sitting still for a moment,
Allowing the body just to rest for a moment,
Finding a comfortable seat and just resigning ourselves to the fact that for the next few minutes together we're gonna have nowhere to go and nothing to do and that's okay.
So I'm gonna ask you to sit still and just be.
Some of us find this part of the meditation quite difficult.
We'll fidget,
We'll move,
We'll adjust and that's okay.
But I want you to just become aware of your habits and your movements.
Notice how many of your movements are unnecessary.
Your hair probably doesn't need fixing.
That pillow probably doesn't need moving.
Your head almost definitely doesn't need scratching.
What it needs is rest.
We can get rid of this nervous movement by simply stopping the movement.
So give your body calm and just sit and be.
Being aware of these desires to move,
To fidget,
And accepting them but just being aware.
And then if possible,
Letting those desires to move and fidget just fade away.
As you become more and more still,
Become aware of any areas of tension that can be noticed in the still state.
Just giving your body a quick scan from top to bottom and bottom to top.
Now some usual suspects of tension are in the jaw,
In the shoulders,
In your fist and in your hips.
Seeing if you can just give permission to the body to not only be still but be relaxed.
Alright,
Good job.
We're now still and we're relaxed.
Just allowing the body to breathe naturally.
Now start to become aware of where the mind goes when the body is still.
Quite often we can do most of our running around right up here behind the eyes.
Running to the future,
Running to the past,
Running to fantasy after fantasy.
As if the present is just not good enough.
So can you just sit and be?
Enjoying the sound of your breath,
The movement of your belly,
The warmth of your clothing on your skin.
Each inhale is an invitation to be still and each exhale is an acceptance of the stillness.
Once again each inhale is an invitation to be still and each exhale an enjoyment of your experience right here and right now.
This present moment is your home.
This is the place you can heal.
It's not a destination,
It's a recognition.
It's certainly not a thing that you can hold or possess.
It's just something you can experience through your awareness and your stillness.
The two wings of one bird,
Vipassana and Samatha.
It's an acceptance of the present and this is where you can find calm.
In this place every breath is like medicine and you can begin to heal and recover as you enjoy the awareness and stillness of your present moment.
Recognize that this is your home.
Enjoy it.
Honor it.
Just sit and be.
In your home each breath cleanses you and heals you.
So take as many as you need,
As many as you want.
If you would like to stay here,
Please do.
Enjoy it.
But also know this is available to you wherever you are and whatever time of day you find yourself.
You don't need to run.
You can come home whenever you need to heal.
All you have to do is get your body still and then become aware of your present moment as you embrace it with calm.
Happy healing.
