Welcome.
Take a moment to arrive here.
To pause whatever came before this.
To feel the simple fact that you are here,
Breathing,
Being.
You do not need to prepare for this moment.
You do not need to become calmer or more focused before you begin.
You are already in the right place to listen.
Let your body settle where it is.
Notice the contact points between your body and the surface beneath you.
The chair,
The floor,
The bed.
Whatever is holding you,
Let it hold you completely.
You do not need to hold yourself up right now.
Let the surface take your weight.
And now,
Turn your attention gently to the breath.
There's no need to change it or control it.
Just notice its rhythm.
The natural rise and fall.
The quiet miracle that has been here all along.
As you begin to settle,
You might notice the hum of activity in your mind.
Thoughts arriving,
Words forming.
The familiar inner commentary beginning to speak.
That's okay.
You don't have to stop it.
You don't have to argue with it.
You can simply notice that it is there.
From a three principles understanding,
This voice,
The one that comments,
Plans,
Criticizes or narrates,
Is not who you are.
It is simply thought passing through awareness,
Moment to moment.
Like clouds drifting across a vast sky.
Sometimes the clouds feel thick and heavy,
Full of judgment or noise.
Sometimes they are light and barely there.
But the sky itself,
Your awareness,
Is never harmed by them.
Notice now that you are not the voice you hear.
You are the one who is aware of it.
The one who notices it.
As you rest here,
Begin to listen for what exists underneath the voice.
Beneath the stream of thoughts and opinions about yourself.
Beneath the stories of what you should have done or could have done better.
There is something quieter waiting there.
A space.
A stillness.
A depth that asks nothing of you.
Each time you become aware of the voice again,
Gently come back to the breath.
Back to the feeling of air moving in and out.
Back to the sound of these words guiding you home.
You do not need to force the mind to be silent.
You are simply learning to listen differently.
If a thought arises that says,
I'm not doing this right or my mind is too busy.
Notice that this too is just another thought.
It comes and it will go.
Everything that moves through the mind has the same temporary nature.
What is constant is the awareness that sees it.
You might start to sense how thoughts have different tones.
Some sound harsh,
Sharp or insistent.
Others are gentle,
Creative or curious.
Yet all are made of the same energy of thought.
Temporary.
Fluid.
Ever-changing.
The three principles remind us that consciousness allows thought to appear real.
That is its power.
It can create a whole world of meaning in an instant.
But just as easily as it appears,
It also fades.
Let yourself rest as the space in which all thoughts come and go.
That space is untouched,
Peaceful and whole.
It is who you are before the voice begins to speak.
Now bring your attention softly into the body.
Notice how the body feels as you listen.
Perhaps you sense warmth,
Tingling,
A sense of openness.
Or maybe tightness,
Resistance or tiredness.
There is no right way to feel.
Just notice.
You don't need to interpret these sensations.
They are simply energy moving through,
Reflecting the thoughts being believed in this moment.
Even the feeling of tension or discomfort isn't proof that something is wrong.
It is simply a sign that your mind has wandered away from truth.
Let your breath bring you back again.
The gentle rise and fall.
The sound of air moving through your nose or mouth.
The subtle movement of your chest or abdomen.
Let that rhythm be your anchor.
Notice how each time you return to the breath,
There's a slight shift,
A softening,
A settling.
You may even feel a faint sense of relief as if your system recognizes where home is.
Now begin to listen again.
Not for the words in your head,
But for the quiet that exists underneath them.
This is not the quiet of a silent room.
It's a deeper quiet.
The quiet of being.
It is what remains when the mind pauses,
Even for a second.
You may not be able to describe it,
But you can sense it.
It has a quality of stillness,
Of presence,
Of love.
Let that quiet expand.
You don't have to hold it.
Just notice that it's here.
Notice how peaceful it feels not to be chasing or fixing anything.
Just listening.
If the inner voice returns,
Perhaps criticizing,
Comparing or analyzing,
Simply acknowledge it.
You might even say silently to yourself,
Thank you,
But I'm listening for something deeper now.
Then,
Come back again to the breath.
To this moment.
Sometimes,
When we stop fighting the inner voice,
We realize it was never the enemy.
It was only ever thought,
Trying to guide us in the best way it knew.
It was part of the same energy that creates all of life.
When seen in that light,
Even our harshest thoughts lose their sharpness.
They begin to dissolve naturally in understanding.
You may notice now a subtle shift within.
A little more space.
A little more ease.
That is what happens when we stop believing the noise.
When we let thought be what it is.
Transient.
Creative.
Harmless.
In this space of awareness,
Something else begins to rise.
A gentle warmth.
A sense of love.
It doesn't need to be forced.
It comes naturally,
Like sunlight emerging when clouds drift apart.
This love is not something you have to generate or repeat as an affirmation.
It is the essence of what you already are.
The less you believe the noisy voice,
The more this quiet love becomes apparent.
Rest here for a few moments.
Breathing softly.
Feeling the simplicity of being.
Notice the difference between the voice of judgment and the quiet of being.
One is temporary,
Loud,
And ever-changing.
The other is constant,
Silent,
And profoundly kind.
You are the quiet,
Not the noise.
You are the awareness that notices it all.
Let your attention rest there.
In the awareness.
In the stillness.
In the love that asks for nothing.
If emotion arises,
That's welcome too.
Sometimes when we see the innocence of our misunderstanding,
The heart naturally softens.
You might feel warmth in the chest.
Or tears.
Or simple peace.
Let it all flow.
You are safe here.
And know now that self-love is not something you create.
It is not the opposite of self-criticism.
It is what remains when you see that both arise from the same thought energy.
And that you are the space in which they come and go.
Let the breath remind you of that truth.
The gentle rhythm of coming and going.
Of movement and stillness.
Each inhale and exhale mirrors the flow of thought.
Arising.
Dissolving.
Returning to quiet.
As we come toward the end of this time together,
Allow yourself a few deeper breaths.
As you listen to my voice.
Feel your body again.
Your feet.
Your hands.
Your shoulders.
Notice the aliveness within you.
The same aliveness that beats your heart and moves your breath without effort.
That is love in motion.
That is life itself.
It has been here all along,
Waiting beneath the inner voice.
As you return to your day,
Carry this gentle knowing with you.
You are not the voice in your head.
You are the one who hears it.
You are the quiet behind it.
You are the love it has been trying to remember.
Pause here for one last breath.
A slow inhale.
And a soft exhale.
You are already hope.
You are already love.
And you always have been.
