So we begin our practice simply by noticing the sensation of the breath,
Encouraging the mind to rest in the body.
And we do this by breathing in and at the same time knowing this is breathing in.
And then as we breathe out,
Knowing this is breathing out.
Just this very simple practice of uniting mind and body.
And we can start to notice where in the body we feel the breath the most pleasantly or the most clearly.
Perhaps noticing the sensation of the breath in the lower belly.
Noticing with each inhale,
That rising of the belly.
And with each exhale,
The falling of the belly.
Perhaps you notice the breath the most clearly in the heart center as the ribcage expands on that inhale and contracts on the exhale.
You may notice the sensation of your breath as it moves through the back of the throat.
Or perhaps noticing it in the lifting and lowering of the shoulders,
That subtle rising and falling coming with each in breath and each out breath.
You may notice the sensation of the breath at the edges of the nostrils.
Perhaps a cooling sensation on the inhale.
You may even notice a slight warmth on the upper lip on the exhale.
Having noticed many different places in the body where the breath sensations predominate.
Sensing where you feel your breath the most clearly or where it feels the most pleasant to pay attention to.
Perhaps at the nostrils,
The throat,
The shoulders,
The chest or the belly.
Letting this place be an anchor during your meditation practice.
It is natural for the mind to wander.
To become distracted by sensations,
Thoughts,
Feelings.
All of these different experiences of the body mind will arise during practice.
And we're not trying to push away any experience that arises.
But instead,
As soon as we notice that our attention has drifted away from this anchor in the body where breath is most pleasant.
We're using gentleness and kindness to simply steer our awareness back.
To simply steer our awareness back to this next arising breath.
Inevitably,
There will be times in our practice and times in our lives where we will be met with difficulty and challenge.
And this is not a problem.
In fact,
We can use our practice as a support.
Our body can be a support for steadying our hearts and our minds in times of difficulty.
And one of the ways that we can do this in practice is through grounding.
Through really sensing the connection to the earth in our bodies.
I invite you to notice where your body is making contact with the surface of your seat.
If you're seated upright,
Noticing all of the places where the feet touch the ground,
Where the buttocks touches the surface of the seat.
If you are lying down,
Sensing the whole back of the body and all of the points of contact it's making with the ground.
And you can even imagine and bring to mind that there are roots,
Deep roots,
Like roots of a tree growing from your inner body through deep into the earth in those points of contact.
Allowing yourself to feel rooted,
Grounded,
Stabilized,
And nourished by the earth itself.
You may even notice the sensation of gravity holding your body in perfect balance.
Really enough pressure to keep you completely connected to the earth.
And feeling the support beneath your body,
Rising up from the ground to meet you.
There can be a real sense of being held and supported by the earth.
And I invite you to explore that through these different points of contact that your body is making with the ground.
And once again,
Connecting with that rhythm of the breath.
Inhaling and knowing that you're inhaling.
Exhaling and knowing that you're exhaling.
And with each inhale,
Drawing up sustenance and support from the earth,
From the ground.
And on each exhale,
Sinking down,
Grounding even further.
Sensing the weight of the body on the ground.
Sensing the vibration or any temperature you may notice.
Simply allowing the body to come into complete stillness.
Allowing it to be held and nurtured by the ground.
Coming into rest.
And it's perfectly natural for the mind to wander,
For thoughts to come,
But as soon as you notice that your awareness has left this experience of your body connected to the ground,
Just resetting.
Sensing once again those points of connection where the body meets the ground.
It is a certainty that at some time in our lives we will experience challenge and difficulty.
That those we love and care for will experience challenge and difficulty.
And in these times,
This practice of grounding,
Of placing our mind in alignment with the natural rhythm and flow of our breath,
And sensing this sustenance,
This support that can be provided to us just simply by connecting to our bodies and where our bodies touch the earth,
Can be of great support in these times.
These are also the times when it is the easiest for the mind to spin out,
To become lost in thoughts and to lose that sense of ground.
So this simple practice of linking the mind to the breath and the breath to the body and the body to the ground is something that you can remember to draw on in these times.
May it be a great support to you in your life and in the lives of those that you touch.
But I invite you to continue connecting to the ground,
Harmonizing with the breath,
And sensing this support of the earth that is here at all times to support you.
