Now I would like you to find a comfortable sitting position either cross-legged or on a chair.
The important part is that your back is straight.
Whether you're leaning against the chair or just sitting holding your back erect.
Rest your hands gently on your thighs or your knees or you can fold them underneath your belly.
Slowly let the eyes gently look down the bridge of the nose.
Then you may either close the eyelids or just let them droop.
Allow your breathing to be normal.
Do not control it.
Just let it be.
Allow your belly to soften.
Allow the tip of the tongue to rest just at the palate of the mouth where it meets the front teeth.
And now we're going to start by moving our awareness into our feet.
Just notice whatever sensations are there.
Do you feel a tingling sensation?
Are they hot?
Are they cold?
Just explore your feet a little bit and see what's going on there.
And now let's move our awareness gently into our calves and our shins.
And again just connect with those with all the little cells that are there.
With all the vessels and tissues and blood,
Bones.
What can you feel there?
Or do you feel there?
Even the lack of a sensation is a sensation in itself.
Just notice what's going on there.
And let's move our awareness into our thighs.
And just notice the sensations that are there.
Any sort of tightness.
How are your hips?
And let's move into the abdomen.
And just take a moment to breathe into that belly and just really let it out.
Let it become big and inflated as you breathe into it.
And then notice as it contracts as you breathe out.
Let all of that tension go.
And now let's move your awareness from the belly up,
Up into the heart.
Your heart center.
Energy center.
Your heart does so much work for you.
Just take a moment to appreciate that.
Just feel how strong and diligent this heart is.
Just notice any sensations that you feel there.
Maybe a light fluttering or a pumping.
Perhaps it's tight or open.
Or you feel energetic.
Just notice what is there.
Let your mind rest in this space.
And now let's follow the energy from the heart using our consciousness.
Let's follow that energy into the shoulders and the arms.
And now you should be able to feel what's going on in there.
Is there something to follow there?
Can you feel what's going on in your arms?
Now let's continue down,
Down the arms,
Into your hands.
And again,
Use your mind,
Your awareness to explore your hands.
Feel all of the energy in there.
Feel them,
Feel them alive.
Feel hot or cold.
Is there a feeling of energy there?
Or a feeling of emptiness?
Just note what's there.
Don't expect anything.
We're just explorers.
We're finding what is.
We're not creating.
And let's continue.
Come back to the throat.
And feel the throat.
Feel all the signals of the blood neurotransmitters,
Fluids flowing up and down your throat.
Feel the breath traveling through.
Do you feel the sensation of stiffness or tightness?
Breathe into that and let it go.
And now let's move your awareness into the jaw.
And just notice the tension there.
Is there tension there?
Just drop the jaw a little bit.
Just separate the teeth ever so slightly so you're not clenching.
And feel that relaxation.
Follow that relaxation.
Wave into your face.
Your cheeks.
Your nose.
Again,
Just contemplate the sensations that are there.
And again,
Move your awareness into your temples.
And just pause there and notice.
Is this any different than any of the other places we've been today?
So now let's bring our awareness into the center of our forehead.
Just follow from the temples to the center.
And just notice what's going on in between those spaces and in those spaces.
Do they feel any different from each other?
Is there pressure?
Movement?
Openness?
And now bring your awareness up,
Up to the top of your head.
Follow that line right to the crown.
And just feel what's there.
Can you feel the crown?
Or is it a lack of sensation that you're feeling?
Whatever is there,
Just notice it.
And then just let your awareness relax.
And now,
I invite you to bring your awareness back to the tip of the nose.
And just notice the sensations of the breath at the tip of the nose.
The sensations of the air flowing in a little bit cool.
The sensations of the air flowing out.
Pressure,
A little bit of warmth maybe.
The sensation in between the breaths,
Or maybe a suspension or a shift in direction.
Or a lack of sensation even.
Keep your awareness on this breath at the tip of the nose.
And as you breathe in,
Silently in your head,
Count one.
And as you breathe out,
Silently in your head,
Count one.
And then two,
Two.
And so on,
Up to ten.
And if you find that you make it to ten without losing track of your awareness of the breath at the tip of the nose,
Then just start over at one.
At some point,
You may notice that you've been counting without your awareness on the breath.
And just smile and thank yourself for noticing because the goal here is actually to notice the breath has been lost.
It is not to get to ten.
At some point,
You will lose focus and it's actually the intent is to notice when that happens.
This is the training.
This is the awareness.
And if you should find that you've lost track of the breath at the tip of the nose,
Just smile and thank yourself for noticing.
And then gently bring your awareness back to the breath.
And begin your count again.
And so on,
Up to ten.
And if you should find yourself nodding off,
Maybe gently open the eyes a little bit and take a couple of deeper breaths.
Just give yourself that energy recharge.
And when you've brought your awareness back,
Settle back into observing the breath at the tip of the nose.
Slowly increase your breath.
Take a couple of deeper ones.
Gently open your eyes.
And just notice how different this is.
Just notice how your mind and your body feel in this moment.
And then create the intention to carry this out to the rest of your day.
And may all the merit from this meditation be dedicated to the benefit of all beings.
Namaste.
