We will follow four steps in meditation.
Step one,
Allow the body to relax.
Make the body comfortable.
Step two,
Don't push away any thoughts or sensations.
At the same time,
Try not to hold on to any thoughts and sensations.
Let them come and go.
Step three,
Shift your attention,
The focus of your attention,
From the thoughts and sensations in the mind to the silence that lies beneath.
The silence of consciousness.
And hold on to this silence for as long as you can.
Step four,
Having entered the space of silence,
Emerge in your mind the qualities associated with your higher self and place yourself in the presence of your higher self.
If you want,
You can also emerge an image you have created of your higher self.
We will now follow these four steps in more detail.
So first,
Sit comfortably or lie down if you wish.
Make the body comfortable.
Allow your body to relax.
Relax your feet and your legs.
Let go of any tension that may be sitting in the muscles of the legs.
Relax your stomach,
Your chest,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your hands and fingers.
Relax the muscles of your neck.
Notice how the body holds on to tension in the muscles of the face and relax these.
The tiny muscles around your mouth,
Your eyes,
Your forehead.
Feel a wave of relaxation flowing throughout your body from the top of the head to the tip of the toes.
Relax your hands and feet.
Allow your hands and feet to relax.
Allow your hands and feet to relax.
Allow your hands and feet to relax.
Perhaps thoughts of the past,
Thoughts of the future,
Concerns in the present,
Sensations in the present.
Whatever it may be,
Pay attention to it and set it aside for now.
Imagine that all these thoughts and sensations are like particles of sand in a lake of water and all these particles of sand gently settle down into the bottom of the lake,
Making the water of the lake clear.
The waters of the mind become still and you can touch the silence within,
The silence of consciousness,
The silence in which all thought,
Feeling,
Sensation enter.
Listen to this silence and hold on to this silence for a few seconds and if other thoughts and sensations enter the mind,
Enter the space of silence.
Let them come and let them go.
Acknowledge them and set them aside.
Bring your focus again to the silence and having entered the space of silence,
Emerge in your mind the qualities associated with your own higher self,
The qualities that lie at the core of your being,
The qualities you value and cherish.
Bring them into your mind one by one and think about what they mean to you.
For example,
It could be love for some of us,
The experience of kindness,
Affection,
Concern for the other and for the self.
It could be courage,
Meaning the ability to stand up for what one believes in,
The ability to hold one's ground and so think of the qualities that embody your own higher self and think about what they mean to you and if you want,
You can emerge the image that you created of your own higher self,
The embodiment of these qualities and place yourself in the eyes of your mind in the presence of this image.
Conscious simultaneously of all the qualities that are embodied in this image and in this way,
You are in the presence of your own higher self,
Reflecting on the qualities that embody your higher self and now from all these qualities,
Choose one or two that seem particularly relevant to you at the moment and make a promise to yourself to practice these qualities in thought,
Word and action for the next hour or two and having made this promise,
You allow yourself to gently return back to the awareness of your immediate surroundings.
Allow your eyes to gently blink open looking out into this world,
Ready to engage with it once again from the space of your own higher self.
