Finding your comfortable posture,
Sitting as you are right there on the cushion,
On the mat,
Ensuring that your hips are above your knees and your knees are rooted down into the earth.
If the knees aren't really rooting down into the earth,
It can help to put a little something underneath the knees to offer some support.
Just kind of a balled up pair of clean socks does the trick,
Doesn't do something special,
But it's really nice to have the knees fully,
Firmly rooted down.
The hips up above the knees.
And sometimes I like to pull the flesh of my buttocks back so that the sit bones can root down.
So we start by getting a stable foundation with the base of our body,
With our legs and our butt.
Rooting down,
Feeling that.
And then lifting up out of the pelvis,
The lengthening of the spine,
The crown of the head,
Lifting up while the spinal root,
The coccyx,
The tip of the spine,
Roots down.
So there's a lengthening that occurs.
And the shoulders broad and out,
Opening up,
Allowing for as much room as is possible in the chest and the heart and the gut.
Lengthening up,
Opening out,
Rooting down.
As we lift up from the crown of the head,
The chin tucks ever so slightly so that the spinal column can have its full length.
Of course,
There's a gentle curve to it and the spine doesn't get straight.
We take care that there's a lengthening through the back of the neck.
And allowing the arms to rest wherever is most comfortable.
Could be resting on the thighs,
Palms down or palms up.
Might be resting in the lap,
One hand inside the other.
And we might find that we want a little pillow cushion,
Maybe a small blanket folded up,
A scarf or a shawl,
Even again,
Another pair of clean socks to lift the hands up a little bit so that there isn't any strain on the shoulders,
On the back,
If we choose to rest one hand in the other on our lap.
I mean,
We don't need any support like that.
We're all staying in our posture so that it's easeful and supported,
Solid and stable,
Wild light and flexible.
Taking care to take time in the beginning of each practice period to settle in and find our posture,
Not rushing into the start of practice,
But having the settling into the body and the posture.
Be the practice as we begin.
And then we allow our attention to find the sensation of breath in the body.
For this practice period,
Using the breath as the anchor.
The breath,
Our constant companion,
As long as we're alive,
Always available.
Resting in and down to the sensation of breath in the body.
Wherever it's most pleasant or easiest to observe might be the nostrils.
Taking that out,
Feeling the nostrils as we breathe in and out.
Just noticing that the breath is a little cooler as we breathe in.
A little warmer as we breathe out.
Or maybe that difference in temperature isn't discernible at this moment in time.
That's fine.
Exploring,
Checking it out,
Coming to know how the breath feels in the nostrils right now.
It's not supposed to be any particular way.
And continuing the exploration of the sensation of breath in the body.
Going down to the sensation of breath in the chest.
Noticing the expansion that comes with each in-breath.
It might kind of feel like we're inflating a balloon.
You can feel the expansion of the chest forward and backward and toward the sides as the ribs move to make room.
And as we breathe out,
There's kind of a deflating that occurs.
Let go fully and deeply.
Allowing the breath to be just as it is.
To become curious,
Interested in the sensation of breath in the chest.
Allowing the breath to be just as it is.
And of course,
Attention gets pulled,
Wanders away.
Not a problem.
Each time we notice this,
This is a moment of mindfulness.
This is a moment worthy of celebration.
We notice,
We become aware.
We're no longer lost in thought.
We're present.
And we allow that presence to expand and settle back into our chosen object of awareness.
Which at this very moment in time is the sensation of breath in the chest.
Let's continue our exploration of the breath.
Moving down into the low belly.
Down to the hara or the dantian,
The dantian.
Two or three finger widths below the navel and inside that same distance.
Special little spot there.
Inviting our attention and awareness to rest there.
And return.
No,
It'll matter.
No big deal.
We can feel the breath in the low belly.
Experiencing the expanding and contracting that accompanies each breath as the diaphragm moves.
Delivering the breath to be just as it is.
Become more aware or engaged.
We might become aware that we're controlling the breath.
It's really common as we begin to practice awareness of the breath that we start to control it.
No big deal.
Grateful that we can be aware of this.
Bringing and settling into the experience of the breath in the low belly just as it is.
Shallow.
Deep.
An upward chakmi.
Big,
Small,
Long,
Short.
Just being with the breath as much as we're able to.
Keeping ourselves kindly and gently with love when we notice that attention is elsewhere.
Appreciating that known as seeing.
And expanding that known as seeing.
Broadening it and allowing it to settle back into our chosen object of awareness.
Breathing into the breath in the low belly core.
Final area of investigation for this practice period.
Noticing what it's like to rest into the broad sense of the body being breathed.
How is it to just feel this body being here breathing?
Rather than the single point of focus of breath in the low belly or chest or nostrils,
Just feel the breath of our breath as the body breathes,
Is breathed.
Settling into one of these anchors mindfulness of the breath in the body.
Behind this ball of light Dy Serie.
Hiding the waves of each breath coming and going in and out,
Breath by breath.
Breathing in and out.
Of course,
Attention wanders.
Awareness gets pulled away from this precious present moment.
No problem.
This is the nature of things.
When we notice,
That's a moment of mindfulness.
We can appreciate that.
Savoring this gift of presence that's being cultivated here.
Allowing it to expand out.
And settle in and down.
Just as it is resting in the breath.
And just as it is resting in the breath.
And just as it is resting in the breath.
Allowing the breath to be just as it is.
Simply coming to know.
Perhaps the breath is shallow or deep.
Good.
It's all good.
Being curious,
Open,
Receptive.
Noticing if the breath is rough or smooth.
Recognizing if the breath is long or short.
It's all good.
Whatever it is,
Coming to know.
And letting go of that temptation to make the breath the way we think it should be or the way we want it to be.
And instead coming to know how it is.
Rough,
Smooth,
Long,
Short.
No matter.
The matter at hand is coming to know.
Waking up,
Becoming aware.
Cultivating mindfulness and presence.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
Noticing if the breath is rough or short.
Noticing if the breath is long or short.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
And just as it is,
Coming to know.
We practice on the cushion so that it can inform our lives,
And not so we can become good meditators,
But so that we can be present to the ups and downs of life.
