Befriending Ourselves, Befriending Humanity

Peaceful greetings Insight Timer community.

My name is Azriela Jankovic and I am so grateful that you're here.

The following meditation is from a recording of my weekly events.

I hope that it serves you every blessing.

And inhale through your nose and when you breathe out you can close your mouth and kind of feel a kind of like an H in the back of your throat in through the nose lengthening deepening like a hissing sound when you're breathing out bringing your attention to the way that breath feels entering through the nose gently back down behind your throat filling your lungs placing a hand on the bottom of your belly you can feel yourself making contact with the chair wherever your feet are what matters is your comfort right now and allowing your breath to lengthen and breathing in calm and presence and letting go allowing your body to relax from the top of your head moving down through your forehead and through your chin and your cheeks and your neck and breathing in feeling your belly rise letting everything else go as you exhale drawing your stomach in and again breathing in and lengthening and allowing yourself this time then as you're returning to the breath the sensation of this soulful breath anything that comes into your mind allowing it to be as a rolling cloud and returning your attention to the breath and the light the path of light before you and we're gonna stay on this path of light together continually returning to the sensation of breath which is intended to anchor us here whatever it is that we're noticing even a thought noticing it without judging it there's no good job there's no bad job here there's simply noticing and returning and as you do so continuing to return to the breath and the sensation what would it be for you right now by way of an intention what kind of an intention would you like to set for yourself right now in this space there's so much to say about what we notice and what we attend to I want to bring you with me on the journey I took this evening walking out of my home in central Israel and onto a dirt path just at the end of the road and into the local forest covered in trees I noticed as I went on my daily walk I've become so familiar with the green evergreen trees and the pine cones on the floor every detail has become familiar to me and over the past few days I've realized that in a very special part of this forest there are going to be residents coming back but the local Bedouins had been leaving signs of their return and this evening I knew that they were back when I heard the bath of sheep and there they were in this open forest space baby sheep hundreds of baby sheep behind a fragile gate between the trees and there were chickens flying up into the trees and so much life teeming forth from this forest and just as the Sun began to slip behind the trees we heard more sheep coming up from the distance with their shepherds and the shepherds a woman and a man herding these animals hundreds of these fluffy sheep of all colors coming up and meeting us where we were and as we stood there we realized that these were the mothers that the mothers were coming home to greet their babies and we were standing in the middle of this moment of reunion and of life and if something that had been completely distant to me as though it didn't even exist a mere hour earlier and I stood there and I remembered that no matter where we are and no matter where our attention is there is always something beautiful there is always life and there is always respite we can experience so many emotions in our daily lives and our practice tonight is noticing as we continually return to our breath it's realizing whatever whatever comes up so you can set an intention if something has come to you or perhaps your intention can be to simply notice to allow yourself to let go of judging anything that might be coming up in your mind any thought any experience any memory allowing yourself to simply be with what is returning to your breath and reminding yourself why so here we are and we're allowing ourselves to notice what's coming up scanning our lives taking this moment to let everything go to relax into the breath and to mentally tune in we're gonna elevate ourselves for a moment we're gonna we're gonna rise up above this chair and we're gonna look down upon whatever it is that we see whatever we see in our lives whatever we've we're noticing about your day or your morning your week scanning life from above and noticing what's coming up for us to attend to what stands out in your mind what's right there for you at the surface tuning into the breath simply noticing whatever it is that's coming up and whatever it is what the mind is kind of stops like some things there beneath the surface that's calling to you it's calling to your heart it's calling to your highest wisdom and as we breathe we're simply gonna ask ourselves what is it here that needs your attention notice if there's any judgments or struggle disappointment uneasiness perhaps it's feeling like there's no way to control an outcome or control what is like a constant running or even a shutting down perhaps it's not realizing how difficult this can be for you and how much you're going through thinking about working on working toward what is it for you we're gonna take a moment to hone in on this one thing and ask ourselves the asking our highest wisdom what is it that makes this challenging returning to your breath the light and accepting whatever is coming up noticing and accepting what is it that makes this challenging and bring up any thoughts for you for so many it can be wanting to do more this eternal soul of yours that is really shining so brightly within wanting to navigate the world around it and living inside of trillions of cells in this physical world it wants to shine and it's shining and yet the fears and the concerns sphere that somehow whatever it is that we're going through like the only one what if I'm the only one I'm different what I'm going through is different separate I'm alone and I misunderstood these are the thoughts it can be so challenging for all of us whatever it is for you it can even be something little for now that's coming up invite it to come into the room good night it to sit next to you returning to your breath and the path of light that you're on and feeling your belly extend with your breath lengthened and you can invite it this challenge to come sit even across the room from you or in your front lawn somewhere that you can see it and as you do just take a moment to notice your body and your breath willingly paying attention to each part of your body beginning with the top of your head and allowing breath like a cool fresh breeze to wash over you from the tippy top of your head all the way down your neck and back and through your belly as you lengthen your breath and simply notice notice what might it need this body of yours what is it going through thinking about remembering or imagining that might be bringing up this challenge and we're gonna place a hand on the heart and we're gonna ask the heart the heart of wisdom the heart that is the Prophet the heart through which the deepest voice of oneness can speak what can you offer to this challenge what does this challenge need really focusing your attention on the space around your heart and consciously lengthening your breath you what care can you bring to this time what inner goodness what deep intentions to love and be loved do you notice within yourself what kind of attention what words of care what kind of wisdom can the heart offer you right now simply listen you'll know this still voice this whisper this loving kind accepting whisper when it comes you take a moment to notice the abundant love within you the care the compassion what are you hearing what does it have to share what does it have to say you can call upon your heart you can call upon a wise mentor a teacher a kind-hearted person and ask them what does it need what is it need we're gonna sit together and we're simply gonna listen I'm gonna remind you to return to your breath we're gonna hold this here for just a few minutes and continually return to the breath and simply ask what do I need to hear with your hand on your heart you may notice your heart beating the sensations as you return to your breath continue to listen what is it that you need to hear take a moment to acknowledge whatever you're noticing I need deeper understanding that might be surfacing for you perhaps relaxing or a softening into the wholeness of your experience and what you've allowed yourself to experience and to notice and perhaps to move through even just a little bit just for now there's always so much strength and so much wisdom on the other side when we quiet down this this quietness that we might even be running from so often and yet sitting and embracing and simply noticing allowing whatever is to simply be to embrace it to embrace it all to welcome it all we can find so much peace so we're gonna conclude this practice and we're gonna come back to the main circle and the first thing that we're gonna do before we connect as a group is take a moment to shake out your hands and your neck and your back and you know kind of stretch out a little bit and just come back to the present moment and you're gonna bring with you whatever you experienced whatever you learned whatever message whatever you received and we're simply going to write what it was like to meet yourself with presence pick up your pen in your journal or your paper and you can just take a moment to write anything down any messages that you received of wisdom of compassion and understanding you can take as long as you need to write and and where you're ready can be your own time you you you you made me feel safe This is really what you're bringing forth for yourself.

This is the gift of the heart,

The gift of time,

And the gift of presence.

This is the gift of the heart,

The gift of time,

And the gift of presence.

This is the gift of the heart,

The gift of presence.

This is the gift of the heart,

The gift of presence.