A Life Worth Living

Hello my friend,

Thank you so much for joining me.

Welcome.

I know how challenging it can be at times to carve out the time to simply do nothing,

Or at least that's what the perception can be,

That meditation is nothing's really happening,

We're not getting anything done.

But actually,

In all truth,

Amazing things are occurring when we intentionally,

Deliberately engage in the activity of mindfulness.

This innate and inherent capacity and faculty of mind that we all possess to be aware,

Attentive,

And receptive to our life.

It is this quality of mind that brings a wakefulness to our life,

And not the kind of wakefulness of having a good night's sleep,

But this vibrant,

Zestful,

Excited,

Enthusiastic love affair with life.

In all its complexities,

Difficulties and struggles,

And simplicities and beauties,

All of it.

So this is time well spent,

Dear friend.

And without further ado then,

Let's begin.

And I trust that you already have,

That you've assumed some comfortable position in your body,

And that you've begun orientating to a sense of stillness.

And in this space,

Noticing that awareness is present,

The faculty of mindfulness has come online already,

It's here.

And you now can become an observer of your life.

So often we are the star of the show,

And we're so engaged in what's happening that we lack the awareness to even know what it is that we're doing.

Just operating on automatic pilot.

Not really here nor there.

And with mindfulness,

We shift into a different mode of being.

A way of being that actually allows our being to be known,

To be felt,

Where we can be present with our lives.

Be present with the tenderness of our mind and heart and body.

So noticing whatever's most dominant in your present moment here.

You might have a natural lenience towards the breath.

So you may already be savoring those pleasant sensations of the in-breath and out-breath.

Riding the waves of the breath and the body.

It's important here to not think about breathing.

That can be a technique where you can try to direct the mind in a very rigid way,

Like tethering it to the breath.

But when we're observing the breath and the body,

There's spaciousness.

I love the instruction another teacher gave one time around just letting the attention hover over top of the sensations of the breath.

So if breath is your anchor,

You can work with it in that way.

Or maybe sounds are what's really grabbing your attention in this moment and that there's awareness around the soundscape.

And of course,

With any awareness practice,

There's many things that are operating within the field of awareness that we can be aware of,

But it can be helpful to hone in on one as if that's our main companion for this practice.

And then allowing the other sense inputs and experiences just to be there in the periphery,

Right on the edges of awareness.

And every now and again,

We might go to them,

But really we're inviting ourselves in this practice to find one particular experience that can become our home base so we can feel deeply held by this collective consciousness.

Awareness is not ours or ours alone.

It's a part of,

It's really a gift of life itself.

All things are conscious.

So you can feel that consciousness in your body and maybe the physicality of your being is your home base or a certain region of the body.

You feel that there's a connection there to the hands,

The feet,

Or the legs,

Or the seat,

Or maybe the center place in your body,

Right at the solar plexus or between your eyes.

And then there can also be awareness as an anchor.

This meta-awareness,

We can be aware that we're aware.

And in this experience,

We might sense a more expansive field of awareness where awareness begins to take shape and fill the room that we're in and even beyond those walls,

That there's no limits to what we're aware of.

We're simply aware that we're aware,

Which is another dimension of mindfulness.

And all of this is happening in the service of appreciation.

It's like we're nurturing those very beautiful qualities of mind and heart.

Give joy,

That sense of joy to life.

It brings the vibrancy of life into the foreground.

So if you're not already smiling,

Please do,

My friend.

This is one of the most impactful ways we can hold our body or a particular part,

Is to invite the edges of our mouth to very gently and effortlessly lift up.

As if they're moving onwards and upwards in that direction,

Again embodying that upliftedness and delighting in being alive this moment in all its richness.

Feeling that life force energy,

The vibrations of life moving through.

There's no barriers to receiving it.

The only barrier is the mind.

So tend to your mind with great care.

Don't get caught in judgment or thinking that I can't do this.

This isn't for me.

My mind's too busy right now.

I have too much on the go.

I can't settle.

Those are just fruitless thoughts.

Not worth entertaining.

Instead,

Simply notice them as activity,

As energy.

Oh,

It's just energy happening.

And then returning to your home base,

That place or where you feel utterly held and safe,

Where your being can be.

And don't lose that smile or do your best to maintain it.

And checking in with the body.

This is a very helpful practice.

Even if the body's not your primary anchor,

There's a lot of value in bringing awareness to it every now and again,

Every few moments,

Really.

I'd say minutes,

But probably more frequently than that.

Just checking in,

Dropping in.

There's areas of tension,

Those patterns of energy that feel stuck.

Letting them dissolve,

If possible.

Diffuse through the activity of awareness.

And whatever doesn't,

Smile.

And allow.

Letting be.

It's okay.

Trusting in the body's innate wisdom to do what it needs to do.

To thrive.

Not just survive,

Thrive.

And for the final few minutes of this practice,

Sweet one,

I invite you to engage in a practice with me,

An additional practice.

I feel it's very complimentary and might be quite accessible for you now.

That you've been nurturing the faculty of mindfulness and presence that paves the way for joy and peace and ease and well-being.

And gratitude and appreciation.

So in whatever strength that quality of appreciation and gratitude are here right now,

Enjoy intentionally nurturing it,

Feeling it,

Feeling its presence,

And observing any images or felt sensations in the body that emerge within this quality.

Maybe there's things that are occurring in this moment,

In your present experience right now that you can appreciate,

You can delight in.

Even the sanctity of a single breath or the soundscape.

A tingling in the body,

Maybe some ease that's been generated in the mind and heart.

Openness.

A peace of mind.

Don't limit this appreciation.

Let the mind run wild with it.

Let the heart stay open.

And the challenge is to allow as many things into this heart of appreciation.

And to really bask in it.

It's like seeing there's no limits to what we can feel grateful for in our life.

And again,

It doesn't have to be grand.

Maybe it's a feeling of warmth.

The love from a pet.

Love from a loved one.

The warmth of a smile,

A warmth of our own smile,

Our own capacity to smile.

The gentleness in our eyes.

We can appreciate all our sense doors that create a rich tapestry of experiences.

So by abiding in this ocean of gratitude and being a conduit for it and sending it out,

And,

Of course,

If there's other qualities there like love and kindness and compassion and care,

It's like,

Oh,

Just allowing your own being to be a vehicle for that and conduit.

That friendly reminder to smile.

If it's been lost,

No problem.

Feel no judgment.

Feel what happens when it returns.

Maybe a more immediate sense of joy.

So may we all nurture a gracious heart,

One that appreciates this life for what it is,

Even the difficulty and the challenges as we understand they're necessary for us on our journey,

Helping us to learn and grow and discover and connect and care.

And may we return to this place of aliveness,

Of presence,

Of vibrancy,

This zest for life as much as possible,

As if it was our last moments here.

Can we take in as much as we can of this experience?

It's truly a gift.

It's a wild ride.

And may we love deeply and hold heartedly,

Sincerely in all directions.

And may we be free.

This unbridled freedom.

Makes life worth living.

Thank you,

Dear friend,

For your presence and your practice and your beingness.

It's enough.

It's plenty.