So if you'd like you could close your eyes.
Finding a posture that's relaxed,
But also supports attention.
Back gently upright.
Head stacking upon the shoulders.
Recognizing how the seat supports you.
And the body breathes without any real effort.
So you can simply observe,
Witness,
And listen.
And taking a moment to check in with the state of affairs in your body.
Gently scanning from the crown of your head.
Feeling into the features of your face.
Sensing how you carry the muscles in your cheek and jaw.
Perhaps even softening or relaxing them.
Scanning down through the neck and shoulders.
Loosening at any tension you might find there.
Scanning down the arms,
Through the elbows,
And down into your hands.
You might bring a special attention to your fingers.
Feeling where they contact your clothing or each other.
Noticing any sensations of tingling or pulsing.
Including an awareness of the area of the chest,
The movement of the body as the lungs expand and contract with each breath.
Feeling the breath draw into this center of your chest.
Imagining as if the breath enters your heart.
Breathing into the heart and breathing out from the heart.
Allowing the attention to flow down through the body,
Through all the internal organs,
Diaphragm,
And stomach,
The kidney and liver and intestines.
Sweeping down through the hips and both thighs.
Simply noticing whatever might come up as part of your experience.
No need to judge or tell a story about the knees,
The calves,
Or the ankles.
Just being curious,
Being aware.
Feeling into the feet,
Sensing the groundedness of your feet upon the floor,
And recognizing how the body brings us to this present moment.
The only moment we really have to experience.
You might find the breath supportive,
Observing the gentle rhythm of the in-breath and the out-breath.
Feeling into the body,
Feeling into the breath.
And while you might come back to this breath,
Allow your attention to float.
Allow your attention to notice thinking,
To notice emotion.
Simply observing the dance of your experience.
Oftentimes in meditation,
We're quick to return our attention back.
And so in this practice,
You might let it follow whatever thread.
Being curious or investigating a particular thought.
Examining an emotion that is coming up for you.
Being an observer to your experience.
You are not the thought.
You are not the feeling.
Sensing memories arise and fall from your awareness,
Regrets,
Anticipations.
Not evaluating whether they're good or bad,
Pleasant or unpleasant,
But instead watching them unfold.
You might think of this practice as a metaphor.
We're aware of the waves,
Yet we rest seated in their midst.
Allowing whatever arises to be as it is.
Offering awareness and then letting it go.
You might be curious about the content of what arises.
Many of us have a top 10 tunes of what we should be doing,
Of how we're suffering or who's causing us suffering.
Just notice what repeats.
It might even be sensations of delight or contentment.
Now if you like bringing some control to the breath,
Allowing the breath to grow deeper.
Filling the lungs with air and then releasing.
Letting go of whatever has arisen.
Releasing the experience of your day.
Breathing in and breathing out.
And then listening for the sound of the bell to open your eyes.
