Meditation doesn't have to be perfect.
In fact,
The very idea of a perfect meditation is a barrier to entry for many.
Your mind is not a blank slate and it was never meant to be.
Thinking is what it does.
It plans,
Remembers,
Imagines,
And analyzes as a vibrant and active organ.
Expecting it to suddenly seize all activity is like asking your heart to stop beating.
Instead,
Think of meditation not as an attempt to stop thinking,
But as an opportunity to change your relationship with your thoughts.
It's about cultivating awareness,
Not eradicating all mental activity.
There will be distractions.
Your mind will wander and you'll likely feel restless at times.
This isn't a sign of failure.
It's simply the nature of the mind.
Each time you notice your mind has strayed and you gently bring your attention back,
You're not failing.
You're meditating.
You're building the muscle of awareness,
One imperfect moment at a time.
In this meditation,
We'll be practicing returning,
Returning to your body,
Returning to the meditation.
Begin by taking a comfortable seated position,
Maybe in a chair or with your back against a wall with props underneath you.
And if need be,
You can also be lying down with the intention to stay awake during the meditation.
Pause this recording if you need to,
Arrange your props and get cozy.
Let your mind take a seat in your body.
What does it feel like when you show up in your body?
Allow your body to get comfortable for meditation.
Move or adjust any way to make yourself more relaxed,
More comfortable.
Drop into any sensations that you feel.
What emotions,
Thoughts,
Or feelings are currently present?
Appreciate gratitude for arriving and allowing yourself to be here.
Appreciation for the things that aligned to allow you to be here.
Appreciation for this moment,
For choosing to be here.
Receive.
Notice your mind and heart in the act of receiving.
Receive each moment here in meditation with curiosity.
Present to the experience.
When mind wanders,
Return.
The practice of meditation is momentary.
When your mind leaves your practice,
Where does it go?
Where does your mind habitually abide?
Are you thinking,
Planning,
Judging in the story within your mind?
Moment to moment,
You are choosing to be here.
How long can you stay with a sensation before your mind checks out from your body?
Where is your mind most often frequent?
If the body begins to send signs that there is danger in sitting still in meditation,
Remind it that you are safe.
Sometimes the body is in contraction and is trained to believe that contraction equals safety.
We must teach the body softness and openness can equal safety.
That stillness is safe.
If the body still needs to wiggle or shift to be more comfortable,
That is okay.
Quietly rearrange with awareness and move back to stillness of mind and body.
Consider your conditioning.
Is there lacking,
Resentment,
Judging,
Shame,
Discontent,
Restlessness?
There is no reason at this moment to understand the cause and the conditions.
Simply recognize the presence of it in your mind.
Feel it and then let it pass.
Notice what arises.
Inquire,
What is this thought or feeling in service of?
How is it benefiting you to let your mind remain dwelling on this right now?
Receive.
What is your nervous system trying to run from?
What are you avoiding?
The seed of joy is always here.
We can cultivate it by arriving here more often in the shelter of kindness with a heart that is open to the appreciation of all things moment by moment.
If you are unable right now to participate in joy,
Enter through the emotion that's most prevalent.
In sitting with sadness,
Guilt,
Anger,
We can find appreciation that leads us back to joy.
You may not be able to change what is,
But you can change your perception of it.
You are becoming empowered not in spite of your experience,
But because of it.
In meditation,
You are building the capacity to live beyond your memories,
Your experiences,
Your fears,
Your shame or guilt,
And the lack of trust in yourself.
Moment by moment,
Choosing to be here.
Noticing now the sounds that you hear in your space.
Noticing your body in meditative position,
Aware of the points of pressure and gravity,
Hardness and softness.
Maybe noticing digestion,
Moisture in the mouth or dryness.
Returning,
Noticing temperature of the skin,
Air on the skin.
Without opening your eyes,
Aware of all of your space surrounding the distance of your body from other objects in the room.
Returning to movement.
Beginning to move your body in ways that feel awakening,
Slow and mindful movement.
When you feel ready,
Begin to slowly open the eyelids,
Letting in the light.
Thank you for practicing.
May you continue to choose moment by moment to be present,
To connect to the seed of joy.
