So,
Find a comfortable seat wherever you are.
Because we've heard some beautiful questions and comments and some beautiful wisdom about the five hindrances and the three jewels,
Just ground ourselves into the present moment by focusing on the breath.
And let's find the breath specifically at our nostrils.
And let's bring the deliciousness of the beginner's mind to this practice.
And enjoy as if this were the very first time what it feels like to notice the sensations of the breath,
Specifically just inside your nostrils.
And now let's turn our focus to notice what thoughts there are in your mind.
What is the first thought that you notice and become aware of?
And whatever that thought is,
Make that choice,
Carve out the freedom to allow that thought to float away.
And now see what becomes present for you in the next moment.
Is there another thought?
And if you find just blank space there,
That's fine too.
So choose not to engage with the thought.
Don't go down the links as if you were doing a search on the web.
That thought leads you to another thought,
Leads you to another thought.
But just cut off that process at the very first thought and choose to let that thought slip away.
We are not our thoughts and our thoughts are not us.
They are simply visitors saying a quick hello,
And we can smile at them and wave at them and then allow them to be on their way.
And now I invite you to gently tune into what you're feeling in this moment.
Perhaps you feel connected with everyone else in the class,
Connected with the Dharma.
Or perhaps you feel lonely or angry,
Frustrated or bored,
Happy,
Peaceful,
Calm,
Just notice whatever you feel and just notice that with no judgment at all.
Simply opening up to an awareness of how you're feeling exactly in this moment.
And then allow that emotion to wash over you.
And then head away and wait a few beats and notice what emotion feels most present to you now.
And through this process,
We see that just as we are not our thoughts,
We are not our emotions and our emotions don't define us.
Like everything else,
They are impermanent.
We can acknowledge an emotion,
Even a difficult one.
We can be present with it.
We can see it.
But we can also choose to not let it overwhelm us.
We can choose to let it simply be.
This simply is.
