The foundation of meditation is our posture.
So please,
Wherever you're sitting,
Take a good seat.
Sit fully,
Allowing your spine to lengthen and straighten.
And as we bring our awareness into this present time,
This present moment,
Into this room,
Into this body,
We set our intention to engage in the meditation,
Not just for our own happiness,
But in order to be the best we can be,
To bring as much happiness to the whole world,
To all beings,
As much as possible,
To actualize our full potential.
And we let that be our pole star.
As we settle into a state of relaxation and peace,
I invite you to bring your awareness to the crown of your head and let it begin to slowly descend down through your body as you release and soften any tension around your eyes,
Your jaw,
The back of your neck,
And your shoulders.
Perhaps lift them a bit and then let them release and soften.
Take your awareness down your arms to your fingertips,
Your hands resting gently in your lap,
And then beginning to slowly descend down through your torso,
Your upper back,
Your mid-back,
All the way to your sit bones.
Let your belly be soft to receive the full breath.
Sitting down your legs to the soles of your feet and the tips of your toes,
Let every cell of the body relax into stillness as you feel the places where your body touches the seat.
With a sense of stability,
Of safety,
Of being grounded here in this present moment.
Feel the rising and falling of the belly as the body breathes.
Everything's changing.
This is what we hope.
Allow yourself to have a sense of gratitude for an opportunity to take a trip inside your mind,
To be curious,
To be present,
Letting go of hope and fear.
Letting go of expectation.
As you allow the body to breathe naturally,
Without force or impedance,
At ease.
And if it's available to you to allow your awareness to rest on the sensation of the breath at the tip of the nose,
We fine tune our awareness right there,
Like a sentry at the gate,
Knowing when we breathe out and when we breathe in.
Aware of the turning points.
We'recutting.
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If the mind becomes kidnapped by a passing thought or feeling,
When you recognize it kindly and gently,
Bring it back to the sensation of the breath,
Which is center stage.
Knowing that attention is infinitely renewable,
Rest there.
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On the breath,
It continues to become energized and to expand until it becomes uncontainable.
And we experience it gently passing through all of our pores in all ten directions,
Creating an aura of love around us.
And we know we are loved,
And it is our nature to love.
Allow that sense of loving-kindness to completely fill you up,
And then bring to mind someone you care about,
A loved one.
Let them be before you,
And as you inhale,
Think,
May you be well and happy.
And as you exhale,
May you realize your full potential.
See this loving light beginning to fill them as well,
Removing any obstacles.
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Just like you,
They have joys and sorrows.
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See them receiving this.
Watch the transformation.
And then bring to mind someone you don't know you might call a stranger.
Perhaps it's the clerk at the grocery store or the homeless man on the corner.
And once again,
Think just like me.
You won't be happy.
So think as you inhale,
Removing any obstacles to their happiness.
And as you exhale,
Giving them all the causes of happiness.
And now allow that light to continue to expand out until it wraps around the whole world.
May we all be well and happy.
May we all realize our full potential.
Let it spread out into the universe,
Into the multiplicity of universes.
May everyone everywhere be well and happy.
May everyone realize their full potential.
And then gradually,
Like breath on a mirror,
Let this light begin to contract back from the outside edges.
So once again,
It's the size of the room and the size of your body,
Everything dissolving in its wake.
It's dissolving into this small sphere,
Which becomes smaller and smaller until it becomes imperceivable.
And we rest in the clear,
Luminous,
Knowing nature of awareness.
Beyond concept.
Beyond thought.
Beyond thought.
And then we may close by imagining a world filled with joy,
In which we leap from bed excited to explore the day,
Where nature's beauty surrounds us and everyone we meet inspires us with their generosity and love.
Everyone think,
My goal is to live in such a world and where I don't find it to help create it.
Visit me always,
Go kind.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Begin to feel your body and be an agent of kindness.
Dedicate to the realization of that wish.
