Come into a position where you feel both comfortable and alert.
You could be lying down or in a reclined position,
Perhaps you are sitting upright,
Or maybe you have your legs up the wall in an inversion.
Try not to get caught up in what you think a meditation pose should look like,
But allow your body to lead you into the right shape.
As you settle in,
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
As you breathe in,
Think inhale,
And as you breathe out,
Think exhale.
Throughout practice,
Your mind may be bringing up things for you to think about,
But try to allow those things to settle so you can focus solely on this experience.
Begin to notice any sounds around you.
Let each sound come into your awareness and then let it go.
There is no need to analyze or label the sounds.
Bring your focus to your breath,
Noticing how the body moves every time you inhale and exhale.
Doing a slow body scan,
Starting with your toes all the way up to your head,
Notice any sensations you may be feeling in the body.
As you begin to tune into your own body,
Notice if you are holding on to any tension.
Are there any adjustments that you can make to feel more comfortable?
Try to use the exhale to allow your body to relax a little more and release any tension that you've noticed.
As you settle into a place of inner and outer stillness,
Maybe you can even feel the beating of your own heart.
If your mind has not settled,
Remember you can continue to think inhale as you breathe in and exhale as you breathe out.
You can also add a count after each exhale,
Counting up to 10 and then starting back at 1.
If you're able to settle your thoughts completely,
Perhaps you let go of the counting,
Even let go of the labeling of the inhales and exhales and allow your entire being to just be.
Now that you've settled your mind,
Let's see if you can go deeper and tap into your inner wisdom.
You do this by asking yourself a question and trying to keep the mind still and listen for something deeper.
Today our question is inspired by the concept of Bodhi.
Bodhi is a Sanskrit term that refers to the power of your mind to understand,
Analyze,
Discriminate and decide.
It calls you to use your own inner wisdom to question what you've been taught.
Consider whether you're holding on to information that you've been given that is holding you back.
Can you let that go and embrace who you truly are?
As you continue your inward focus,
Ask yourself,
What am I holding on to that I need to let go of?
Sit with this question without trying to analyze or think.
Just pay attention to anything that may come up.
What am I holding on to that I need to let go of?
As you practice listening to your own inner wisdom,
You may find that you hear a message or you get a sense or a knowing of an answer.
Perhaps nothing came up at all.
Something could come up later.
There's no wrong experience.
It takes time and practice to learn to listen to and trust yourself.
Take the next few breaths to appreciate your practice today.
Recognize what came up for you,
Thoughts,
Sensations,
Stillness.
The accomplishment is that you took this time to practice.
After that,
There is no judgment.
Whether you sat in silence or if your mind was racing,
The goal is to increase your awareness.
To close,
Bring the palms together at heart center,
Slightly bowing your head,
Taking a moment to honor your practice.
Now allow this experience and any insights that you've gained to stay with you.
Open your eyes and allow your body any movement that it needs.
