So this morning I woke up feeling a little extra tired.
A story my mind told me was that I had friends in town and we stayed up much later than I normally do and maybe that's true in one way but at the same time if I look closer that's just not the whole story because in truth the only part of me that can feel tired is in the body.
The real me,
The awareness that's here right now and always is,
Can never be tired.
It's untouched by late nights,
It's untouched by busy days,
By aches,
By sensations and that's the thing about the body is it's always changing.
It has its seasons right?
It has its cycles,
It has its ups and downs certainly but you,
Me,
Are not limited to the body story and that's where we're going to rest together today.
We're just going to rest there in the truth of who we are beyond the body,
Beyond the symptoms and the sensations and the thoughts and certainly beyond the stories.
So just find a position that feels comfortable and just let the body be supported.
Just let yourself be held.
By the chair or the cushion and if it feels comfortable allow your eyes to just gently close and just notice your breath moving in and moving out without you having to do a thing.
Just notice.
Feel the weight of the body where it meets the surface beneath you.
Notice the temperature of the air on your skin.
Perhaps the quiet hum of sounds in the background.
Let it all of it be here just as it is without trying to change anything.
Gently bring your attention to the feet and just simply notice any sensations.
Just notice any sensations.
Moving your awareness to your hips,
Belly,
And letting the awareness sweep into the shoulders,
Arms,
Hands,
And then up into the neck,
The face,
The crown of the head.
Everything you've noticed is appearing in awareness,
Sensations,
They might come and go but they do not define you.
From a young age we're taught,
I am this body.
We describe ourselves by its shape,
Its condition,
Its health.
We tell stories about it.
I'm strong.
I'm tired.
I'm in pain.
I'm getting better.
And yet,
The body is always changing.
And so if it's always changing,
Can it really be you?
Perhaps there's something in the body that you wish to change.
Or fix.
Or heal.
An ache.
A diagnosis.
Or simply the fatigue of carrying it through life.
Let it all be here.
Arising in awareness as awareness.
Simply let it be here.
Instead of trying to heal as the person,
Rest as the space in which all of this appears.
What happens when you no longer resist?
You may notice that as you release resistance,
The body softens.
The body's stories soften.
The body's thoughts soften.
It may dissolve into something wider.
A quiet recognition that I am not limited to this shape,
This costume.
If sensations are arising,
Simply let them come and go.
Just like clouds that are drifting through an open sky.
You are the sky.
You are that which is vast.
Unchanging.
Unafraid of what passes through.
If there's any thoughts that are arising about the body,
I feel light.
I feel heavy.
I'm having a hard time focusing whatever it may be.
Notice that it appears and then it disappears.
But awareness itself remains untouched.
And as we begin to close,
Just gently begin to notice the room around you.
The sounds.
The feeling of your hands and feet.
Letting the breath move on its own.
Letting the thoughts come and go.
Letting the world be exactly as it is.
And remembering what you are is already whole.
It's already perfect.
And in truth,
There's nothing that needs changed.
And if your eyes are closed,
Allow them to softly open and come back to the space around you.
Thank you all for being here with me today and remembering the truth.
