In this guided meditation,
We'll be looking to find contact and rest in the I am sense.
That's the sense of being you,
The most fundamental truth of your being,
Before thoughts come in and create a sense of identity.
Normally,
And you can try this now if you like,
When you say I am and then wait,
The mind will offer up a thought that creates a sense of identity.
For example,
I am hungry,
Or I am a parent,
Or I am a good person or a bad person,
Or I am an alcoholic,
Or I am tired,
And so on and so on it goes.
But with this meditation,
The idea is to notice these labels and not buy into them.
Either let them go,
Or let them be there without indulging them,
Without believing them.
And then feel into the part of yourself that existed long before any of these labels were added.
So as we do this together,
Resist the urge to define yourself and enjoy feeling into the mystery that is you,
The pure I am sense.
And a little word of warning before we start,
The mind will often fight against this process.
It might say that you're not doing it right,
Or it's not doing anything,
Or you are wasting your time,
Or you might suddenly feel extremely sleepy,
Or agitated,
Or bored.
These are all defense mechanisms that the mind uses to fight against a process like this,
Because this style of practice is threatening for the ego.
So just be aware that that might happen,
And allow it,
Don't fight against it,
But also don't give in to it.
Everything is allowed to arise,
And it can be there,
But we'll gently favor the I am sense above everything else.
That's the only thing we're interested in.
We're not buying into anything else for the next 15 minutes,
Or however long this meditation lasts.
This is the perfect practice if you want to begin to dis-identify from all of the ideas and concepts that you've been collecting over your lifetime,
That obscure the truth of what you really are at the deepest level,
And weigh you down.
Don't get me wrong,
You can still have those layers of identity,
Such as being a good parent,
But for this short period of meditation,
You're putting all of that aside,
And attempting to contact and rest in the basic sense of your own existence.
The pure,
Untainted,
Open,
Alive presence that is always here.
There really is a beautiful mystery right at the center of you,
And if you keep orientating towards that,
Letting go of what's false,
And looking deeply within,
The truth of what you really are,
Beneath the ego,
Will begin to shine through more and more,
And that leads to a sense of liberation,
Freedom.
Now,
Sometimes that happens slowly over time,
And sometimes that happens in a sudden flash,
A shift,
Of absolute knowing,
Often called Kensho,
Or awakening.
But either way,
Don't worry about all that now,
Just enjoy the practice,
And see what happens.
Any time spent doing this practice is deconditioning the mind,
And allowing the truth of what you really are,
At the deepest level,
To shine through.
So with that said,
Let's dive in.
Get yourself into a comfortable sitting position.
The eyes can be open or closed for this meditation,
Or anywhere in between,
And we will start by taking three deep,
Cleansing,
Relaxing breaths together.
So follow along with me.
Nice big,
Deep breath,
In through the nostrils.
Slowly breathing out,
And as you breathe out,
Relax the whole body.
Allow the whole body to go relaxed,
And limp,
And loose.
Very good.
And again,
Same thing,
Nice big,
Deep breath,
In through the nostrils.
Slowly breathing out,
The body goes relaxed,
And limp,
And loose.
Relaxing the jaw,
The shoulders,
Just letting it all go.
And again,
Nice big,
Deep breath,
In through the nostrils.
Slowly breathing out,
Letting the body go relaxed,
And limp,
And loose.
Very good.
And now you can allow the breath to find its own natural rhythm.
You don't breathe,
The body breathes,
And you can simply rest.
Letting go of any drive to seek,
Or attain,
Or desire,
And just be with things as they are,
Right here,
Right now.
Nothing to fix,
Or change,
Just this.
Allowing everything to settle,
To find balance.
This is a very simple practice,
Because we're not looking for anything that's hidden.
We're going to our immediate experience,
That familiar sense of being here,
In this moment,
And we're exploring that.
So now,
Say to yourself,
Either in your mind,
Or out loud,
I am.
Just I am.
And then notice what happens next.
Thoughts might come,
And add something on.
I am this,
Or I am that.
Notice that mechanism,
But don't buy into it.
Go back to I am,
And rest in that fundamental sense of existence,
That always is there,
And always has been there.
I am.
It's okay if the I am sense is vague,
Or if there's a sense of not knowing.
That's normal.
The I am sense is mysterious,
And you can rest in that mystery.
Feel into it.
Maybe you can even enjoy it.
So feel into it now.
I am.
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Emotions,
Sensations can arise,
And it's all fine.
It's all welcome,
But don't buy into it.
Feel back into the I am sense,
The basic fundamental sense of existence itself.
I am.
Nothing needs to be added,
Or taken away.
Just I am.
And stay there.
If any thoughts come,
And try to affirm an identity,
Notice that as nothing more than mind activity.
Just thoughts.
There's nothing real or solid in thoughts.
And right now,
During this practice,
We're not indulging our usual identity.
For now,
Just I am is enough.
I am.
Feel into that sense of alive presence.
That sense of being here now.
I am.
What would be here if there was no memory of past,
No ability to predict the future,
And to visualize the future,
And no language available to commentate on the present moment?
Rest in this mysterious sense of presence that's always here.
I am.
Thoughts can only tell us what the mind has been conditioned to believe over our lifetime,
So don't buy into it.
For now,
Go to the immediate sense of being here right now.
You exist,
Not as a concept or an idea,
But as existence itself.
See if you can feel into that.
I am.
What we're looking for here isn't exotic or far away.
It's the most natural,
Most intimate sense of you,
Right here,
Right now.
We don't need to try hard or struggle.
Just rest in and as this I am sense,
And notice if the mind tries to pull you away or reaffirm a sense of identity.
Try not to let that happen.
Come back to yourself and the I am sense.
Thoughts will try to define you,
But don't buy into it.
We're deconditioning the mind right now.
Every second spent in contact with the I am sense is precious because it's deconditioning the false sense of identity.
We're feeling into what's true.
We're being with the absolute truth of existence here,
So go to that.
I am.
Feel it.
Rest in it.
I am.
Enjoy the simplicity of it.
I am.
Here in the I am,
There's no self-judgment,
No self-image,
Just pure,
Alive presence.
Existence itself.
Any judgment or identity is added on later.
So for now,
See if you can ignore any noise made by the mind and rest as the pure I am.
The mysterious,
Alive presence that's always here.
I am.
I exist.
It's okay if memory or evaluation or planning starts up.
That's the psychological self trying to come online,
But don't buy into it.
Go back to the I am sense and rest as that.
I am.
Go to the immediate sense of being.
It's so close and so immediate.
Stay close to yourself.
I am.
Maybe you can notice how your entire self-identity is just a creation of thought.
And if you do notice that,
Then come back to the pure I am.
Very good.
Very good.
And now we will finish this guided meditation here,
But feel free to carry on if you wish.
Thank you for your practice.
