Release Attachments And Rest

The Buddhist concept of attachment can help us recognise where we are causing our own suffering. What do you feel you cannot be happy without? Let’s notice what we are striving for, the things we are worrying about and working hard for. We can offer ourselves forgiveness if that need has driven us to exhaustion and see how it feels to put down the burden and rest.
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Transcript

Let's make ourselves comfortable. Putting our arms and legs somewhere neutral where the joints are comfortable, At ease where they can be still for a little while. Feet planted if we can do that. And when we inhale next we'll have a slightly deeper breath and we'll get a little bit taller. And as we exhale we can settle into our chair, Relax our shoulders and the muscles of our face. We've got a bit of alert, We've got a bit of relaxed, A bit of a balance between the two. We'll take our attention away from the external world and bring it inside ourselves. Noticing our breath. Noticing how breath links the internal and the external world. And we share the breath with the whole atmosphere as we breathe out. Take in the atmosphere into our bodies as we inhale. Let's see if we can be with that for a few moments. Here is a continuous stream of atoms being moved between us and the air. Less in the world, The atmosphere of the world. And we can do that on an energetic level as well because we can draw in energy, Good energy on an in-breath. And allowing anything we don't want in our bodies, In our energetic beings to be breathed out. And we only need to have the intention to do that. There's no other, Nothing else we need to know other than that is what I would like to be doing right now. Bringing the prana from the world and the atmosphere into our lungs. Maybe you can imagine like a dark cloud, Negative feelings and stuff we don't want escaping as we breathe out. Breath is still comfortable. And as we focus on the breath you might notice we are becoming more relaxed, Quiet and still. And amongst the chaos of the external world we've carved out a space for you, For me. For quiet. All those demands of the external world. Sometimes it feels like a storm. But inside our own energy we can find peace. That storm of demands upon us are often because we want things to be a certain way. They're our demands. We'll put it another way, The things we want for ourselves because we think we need them to be happy. The things that we try and hold on to or try and draw into our life. So that's in the attachment in the Buddhist sense of the term. Or in mindfulness language it's the things we cling on to and grasp. So just when we consider our clinging and our grasping what comes up? What pops into your head? Lastly are we able to have some compassion for ourselves? Because it's okay to want things. It's completely natural, Normal. It's okay to want ease and comfort. It's hardwired. So let's just forgive ourselves for that straight off. And then explore a little what it is that we feel we need to be happy. Why we feel we need that thing or those things. It's going to be different for each of us. But I would guess that they fall into broad categories of security. So physical security of some kind, Sufficient resources for our well-being and comfort and a emotional security so relationships, Our loved ones. These are the things we commonly find ourselves holding on to, Grasping, Reaching and if it's different for you then that's fine let it be so. Let's see if we can find our observer's seat. I notice how those attachments work in our life. How it plays out for us. Maybe driving a lot of activity, Worry. Our worry is the things we think we need. Trying to make things the way we think it should be. Things we think we need to do to make it right. And are we able to hold that in compassion? Are we able to look at that with love, Recognise it's difficult for the one experiencing it? Just as we would allow our shoulders to relax when they're tense, Let's try for just a few moments allowing those things we think we need to be just as they are. Taking a few breaths with things just as they are. And we may find we need to put these things down again and again because we have a tendency to pick them up again and again. So maybe we can soften our body and use that as a symbol for putting these worries aside. Not into that big unknown future just right now. And seeing how it feels when we do that. And if we find that's difficult we can observe that too and go through the same circle. We feel compassion for ourselves. Note that it's difficult. And release that. Resting for a moment with all those worries, Things we want, Feel we need. Maybe at our feet or you can imagine them put to one side. Whatever works for you in the bin. If you have a belief in the divine you can imagine giving those worries to the universe. Putting them down for your higher power to deal with. And to see how that feels. Despite my efforts, My work, My constant worry. I haven't achieved these things and it's wearing me out. It's causing suffering. And I choose to put them down for a little while. Resting with your breath and the lightness that you might experience without those worries. Resting with your breath. Resting with your breath. We might like to try or I could offer you the idea that you could enjoy your day despite those things. That you could try being happy despite those many imperfections. Try that on for size. Might feel like a bit of a stretch. Maybe you could be willing to have a good day. You could be facing the direction of having a good day. Despite those many imperfections, Many things you would change if you could. You might try on that happiness and go, Yes I could wear that today. Some version of facing a little brighter future that works for you. So imagine you're wearing that garment. You might call it happiness, You might call it contentment or you might be willing to look in that direction. Maybe it's a t-shirt with some words on it. Or a shirt of a particular colour, Whatever resonates for you. Step out into the rest of your day wearing that garment. Before we leave this place just return to the breath. On the exchange. Noticing we are continually connected to our environment. Physically and energetically. And that if you can be a little bit happier then that environment is a fractionally happier place. Because your sadness serves no one. So wearing your garment we will take a few deeper breaths and bring movement back into our body. Have a little stretch and gradually return to our waking state. Thank you for practicing with me.