In this short practice,
We're going to be doing the mindfulness of breathing.
Now I say we're going to be doing the mindfulness of breathing,
But we're going to be exploring the difference between doing and just being.
Often we think of ourselves as doing something where,
In fact,
When we look more closely,
We just see that that thing is happening without us having to do very much at all.
So in this short meditation on the breath,
We'll see if we can move from a sense of doing to a sense of simply being with the breath.
So taking some time to get comfortable,
Making sure you have everything you need.
And just breathing in a natural way.
No special kind of breathing technique.
Simply breathing in and breathing out.
We breathe in,
We breathe out.
And just starting to become curious.
This breathing in and breathing out.
Is it really something you are doing?
Or does breathing just happen all on its own?
Amazing.
Just take your awareness to the body.
Notice how at this suggestion,
The body comes into awareness all on its own.
Very little effort is needed.
The whole body is breathing.
The breath is breathing the whole body.
Feel how the whole body is breathing from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes.
Feel how the breath is breathing the whole body from the tips of your toes to the crown of your head.
The body is taking care of the breath and the breath is taking care of the body.
This is all happening on its own.
Amazing.
Thoughts come and go.
Are we thinking those thoughts?
Or do they just appear by themselves?
Sometimes,
Thoughts carry us away,
Turning into stories.
Then suddenly,
Awareness is just here and now.
Amazing.
Notice how this happens every single time.
We get caught in the stories for a while,
Maybe for a long time,
But awareness always comes back to the here and now.
This happens all on its own.
It's not something we can do,
But it is something we can completely trust in.
Each time it happens,
Let yourself be amazed.
Maybe the distractions are protecting us from something.
Maybe it's too hard right now to be present with our body for too long.
That's okay.
Trust that awareness always comes back to the here and now.
The more we trust,
The more it happens.
Breathing is happening.
The body is breathing.
The body is breathing.
The body is being breathed.
Thoughts appear and disappear.
Thoughts appear and weave themselves into stories.
The breathing body disappears from awareness.
Then suddenly,
Awareness is here and now.
The body is breathing.
This is how it is.
This you can trust.
Sit with this for as long as you like.
There's no ending bell.
At some point,
Your body will rise from meditation.
When it does,
Watch how that happens all on its own without you doing anything amazing.
