Hi,
Kimberly Johnson here.
I am so honored you will be sitting with me today.
I have been meditating since 2007.
I am currently under the mentorship of Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.
My hope is leading you through meditations that give you access on the cushion and off the cushion to true peace,
To true joy,
To true presence.
If you want to find out more about my online offerings or my podcast,
You can go to KimberlyCoaching.
Com.
Okay,
Let's sit.
Today's meditation is a basic sitting meditation focused on the breath.
So go ahead wherever you are and just get cozy.
We're going to find a body posture that is alert yet relaxed.
So go ahead and maybe begin noticing where your bum is meeting contact with whatever surface it is on,
Beginning to come into the body.
And notice at this point of contact how supported you are,
How naturally supported you are without having to ask for anything,
Being held and supported.
Now go ahead and maybe make your way up the spine,
Starting at the lower spine near the sit bones and just notice any sensation here.
Gently moving up the spine toward the mid-back,
Maybe pausing to see what sensation is here.
Then gently moving up to the upper back,
Upper spine where the neck and the head meet and notice any sensation here.
Coming into the body,
Preparing the body to sit.
Taking a moment to gently lengthen the spine,
Raising the crown of the head toward the ceiling just a little bit,
Maybe even just a hair,
A centimeter,
Creating alertness in the body.
Now we'll begin relaxing the muscles,
Releasing any tension and we can start at the face,
Relaxing the forehead,
Relaxing the cheeks,
Relaxing the jawline.
Moving down a little bit more,
Relaxing the muscles of the shoulders,
Upper back,
Letting the arms melt down just slightly.
Moving down a little bit more,
Letting the belly relax,
Letting the belly fall open.
We hold so much tension in our bellies.
Letting the hips and the hands relax,
Letting the legs and the feet relax.
Finding this posture of alert,
Long spine and then relaxing the muscles around the bones,
Finding the balance of working and resting.
From this outer posture,
Beginning to move the attention to the nostrils,
Right at the tip of the nostrils and beginning to just notice your breath here.
Notice if when you inhale,
Does the air enter into the left nostril,
The right,
Or maybe both?
When you exhale,
Does it exhale out of the left nostril,
The right,
Or maybe both?
Notice if the breath is short or is it long?
Notice if it's shallow or deep?
Notice if the temperature of the air entering into the nostrils on the inhale is a different temperature than when you exhale.
Curiously observing the breath.
Being aware and conscious of when you're inhaling and being aware and conscious when you're exhaling.
Following the inhale in,
Following the exhale out.
If at first it's hard to pay attention to each breath,
You can label the breaths gently.
Inhale,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Exhale.
As you sit and observe the breath,
Your mind will wander from the breath.
When the mind wanders,
I want you to pay attention to where it wanders in the same way that you would pay attention to a stranger crossing the street in front of you.
You might notice them,
But you don't get lost or caught by them crossing the street.
So simply note,
Oh,
I've gone from breath.
No problem.
And then with deep compassion and patience for the practice and deep persistence,
Redirect your attention back to the next breath at the nostrils,
Observing the next inhale and the next exhale.
You may notice that your padded arms have been twirled between yourSTER,
Taking it.
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We will end the sit with three rings of the bow.
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