So just finding yourself a comfortable seated position.
Perhaps having some kindness towards your body today.
And there's a difference between kindness and self-indulgence.
So perhaps seeing if you can find some nice balance between being very harsh and I will sit upright and I will meditate and the other end of the spectrum which is maybe oh I deserve just to curl up on the couch and just let the words wash over me.
Maybe seeing if there's some way of capturing some kindness towards yourself in terms of listening to your body,
Responding to it appropriately.
And that kindness may also include actually taking a meditation posture,
Perhaps sitting a little straighter and perhaps putting a cushion behind your lower back.
Perhaps imagining the string out of the top of your head or coming out of your sternum pulling up and perhaps actively breathing out and relaxing parts of the body.
And with kindness just noticing if the body needs to be moved a little.
Just to come into that just perfectly balanced,
Comfortable,
Alert yet relaxed state.
And if that's just simply not possible today can you be kind about that too?
Having the sense of settling in and allowing the attention to drop into the breath perhaps as lightly as a butterfly lands on a flower.
How is it to be noticing the breath?
Is there some contentment,
Some satisfaction,
Perhaps even some a trace of joy or delight being with the breath?
Noticing the breath in,
A little gap,
The breath out and the little gap.
A constant ebb and flow of the breath.
Perhaps even there's some wonder that no breath is the same.
Every breath throughout your life subtly different.
Perhaps you may even play with having a little affection towards the breath.
Imagining the breath is a little entity of its own.
Gently playing with this affectionate breathing.
And if your mind wanders as it absolutely will remembering there's no problem with that.
So kindly noticing our thoughts and bringing the attention kindly back to the breath.
Perhaps even noticing the different state from being lost in thought and being right in with the breath.
Affectionately breathing.
Perhaps there might even be some appreciation for that breath that not only keeps us alive but connects us to the outside world,
To nature.
And for some of us there might even be an appreciation of having this delightful breath to be able to focus on,
To have as an anchor to the present moment.
You you you you to seeing the breath with a soft affectionate mindfulness.
You Noticing if my suggestions of kindness and affectionate-ness and friendliness are perhaps evoking quite contrary reactions.
Knowing that that can be part of the practice too.
If that's happening is it possible to be kind and friendly towards those very difficult feelings.
And now perhaps noticing the effect of the breath on the whole body as best you can.
Expanding the awareness to notice the whole body breathing.
You Perhaps noticing the expansion and contraction,
Subtle movement of the body with the breath.
Noticing all the different sensations that are present in the body.
You all cool movement stillness throbbing vibration pulsation itching heaviness,
Lightness,
Softness,
Hardness,
Tight,
Dense feelings,
And loose,
Flowing feelings.
Just very lightly playing with the concept of affection towards the body sensations.
How is it to kindly notice sensations in the body,
Both pleasant and unpleasant?
How is it to be affectionate towards this amazing sensing instrument?
Acutely sensitive system.
Seeing sensations in the body.
Can we be kind if we notice a lack of sensation,
A numbness?
How do we stroll in these emotions?
No need to strive or really try hard here.
Just allowing sensations to be received rather than going out looking for them.
Perhaps you might even want to experiment with having a lot of a little smile on the lips.
Some people like to imagine having a smile in the heart.
Noticing with curiosity how that affects the mindfulness of the body sensations.
Does it make it easier to be friendly and affectionate towards the body or not?
Or not?
Tiet Nhat Hanh says,
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile.
But sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
Perhaps you may even want to send some well wishes to your body.
May this body be as healthy as is possible.
May this body be soft and gentle.
May this body be calm and peaceful.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
May this body be as healthy as possible.
A poem by Rumi Don't worry about saving these songs.
And if one of our instruments breaks,
It doesn't matter.
We have fallen into the place where everything is music.
The strumming and the flute notes rise into the atmosphere.
And even if the whole world's harp should burn up,
There will still be hidden instruments playing.
So the candle flickers and goes out.
We have a piece of flint and a spark.
This singing art is sea foam.
The graceful movements come from the pearls somewhere on the ocean floor.
The poems reach up like spindrift in the edge of driftwood along the beach wanting.
They derive from a slow and powerful root that we can't see.
Stop the words now.
Open the window in the centre of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out.
