First of all we want to make sure that we're setting ourselves up with good physical conditions,
Being kind to ourselves in the way we're sitting,
And we want to make sure that we're not holding onto any unnecessary tensions,
We're not making ourselves sit in some uncomfortable way,
But we want to make sure that the body is relatively upright,
That the chest is open,
That we can breathe freely,
All of this helps to bring about a sense of confidence and poise,
But we also want to be relaxed,
So we can let the body soften as we breathe out,
So just recognizing that all of these things are acts of kindness,
And just checking in with whatever experiences are arising from the outside world,
There may be sounds,
And if sounds are arising then just allowing them to be there,
Allowing them to pass,
And if sometimes these sounds are disturbing or jarring,
Then just noticing that,
Just allowing those unpleasant feelings to be there,
Noticing them in the body,
And now becoming more aware of what's arising in the body,
Being open to all the various sensations,
From the soles of the feet,
Up to the crown of the head,
And if there are any uncomfortable sensations arising in the body,
Feelings of tension or pain for example,
And just giving them permission to be there,
Just treating them in a friendly way,
A kind way,
And any parts of the body that are tight,
Painful or tense,
You can just allow them to move as you breathe in and out,
Just tuning in to the natural movements of the breathing,
Letting those movements be a kind of massage for any areas that are in discomfort,
And you can imagine that your breath is flowing through and around any parts of the body that are tense or in pain,
Not with any expectation that this is going to instantly fix anything,
Make your pain go away,
But just as an act of kindness toward a part of ourselves that's suffering,
And you can even talk to parts of the body that are in pain,
You can lay a hand there gently if that's possible,
And you can say to them things like,
I know it's painful,
I know this is unpleasant,
But I'm here for you,
And I care about you,
And I want you to be at ease,
I want you to be free from pain,
And you can be aware of whatever feelings you're bringing to this period of practice.
Sometimes we feel happy,
And our experience is generally pleasant,
Sometimes our experience is a bit neutral,
We're not sure how we're feeling,
And sometimes we bring sadness,
Or anxiety,
Tiredness,
Or some kind of low mood,
Or irritability,
And just allowing those feelings to be present as best we can.
We don't try to push them away,
We don't judge them,
We don't try to fix them,
We're simply aware of them,
And we allow them to be there,
And we can talk to our uncomfortable feelings too.
You can lay a hand gently on whatever difficult feelings most prominently experienced in the body,
You can say things like,
I know you're finding this hard,
But I'm here for you,
And I care about you,
And I want you to be happy.
And as we're cultivating kindness toward ourselves,
By accepting difficult experiences,
We can also consider the larger picture.
Life is difficult for all of us,
To varying degrees,
We're all doing a difficult thing just in being human,
So in finding life hard sometimes,
You're not failing,
You're just being human.
And you can offer yourself some support and encouragement for the next few minutes,
Recognizing that you're doing this difficult thing of being human,
By dropping in phrases such as,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be kind toward myself and others,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I be kind toward myself and others.
And now,
Calling to mind a person that you have difficulty with.
Perhaps you get irritated by this person,
Or they make you feel uncomfortable,
Or they do or say things that you feel hurt by,
Maybe you just don't trust them.
And as you call this person to mind,
Notice how you feel around a heart,
Around the solar plexus,
Perhaps nothing much changes,
And that's okay,
Perhaps there's more of a sense of tightness or hurt,
Heaviness,
Coldness,
Discomfort.
And if anything like that is arising for you now as you bear this person in mind,
Allowing those feelings to be there,
These are normal responses.
It isn't something that you're doing,
It's just something that's arising within you.
You can just receive those feelings as they arise.
Kindly.
And then considering the other person,
And recognizing that they're in the same situation as us.
They too are doing this difficult thing of being human.
They too desire some kind of happiness or peace,
And happiness is elusive.
Just accepting that life is complicated.
None of us really understands ourselves,
Or the way our minds work.
We don't really understand how happiness comes about,
Or how suffering comes about.
That's true for you,
And it's true for this other person.
They're just struggling their way through life,
Just as you're doing.
And recognizing that you have these things in common,
Offering some support to this person too.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be kind toward yourself and others.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be at ease.
May you be kind toward yourself and others.
So just wishing this person well.
Expressing your solidarity with them,
As one struggling human being to another.
And gradually becoming more aware of the world around you.
Space.
The sands.
The light.
Physical contact your body is making with your seat,
With the floor,
With the air surrounding you.
Aware that whatever beings you meet next in your life,
They are just like you,
Beings who struggle.
And so bringing your attention more fully into the outside world,
Allowing the eyes to open,
Allowing the eyes to open.
