Hello,
This is Mary Theresa and welcome.
This meditation is entitled,
Observing and Witnessing.
It is one of eight meditations designed for beginning meditators as well as experienced meditation students.
While there are seven phases,
They are not linear,
They are circular.
If you haven't already listened to my meditation called,
Phases of Meditation to Experience All Seven,
It might be a good idea to do that,
Although not necessary.
The second phase is Observing and Witnessing and is something that we experience as we ebb and flow during our meditation experience.
We may need to come back to this phase several times as we work within our stillness.
A quick reminder of the different phases.
There is Relaxing and Settling,
Often where we begin.
There is a phase where Observe and Witness our thoughts.
There is a phase where we wander and drift and work to bring ourselves back.
We may also discern or judge our experience.
When we notice that we are judging,
There is another phase we enter and that is of yielding or surrendering,
Where we allow ourselves to relax and just be.
Then there is the silence or stillness,
Usually the longest portion of our meditation experience.
And lastly,
There is integration and assimilation.
It makes no sense to spend all this time in meditation if we don't bring it into our daily lives.
During meditation,
We can ask for guidance.
We listen into the silence and stillness and then act.
Let us now begin.
We are not here by accident.
We are here by divine appointment.
Breathe deeply.
Experience completely and feel freely.
Make a delicious deep cleansing breath and then another and a final cleansing breath and settle into your meditation space.
A reminder that you can experience this sitting up or laying down.
Please try to make sure that your spine is straight.
We will utilize your natural breathing today.
And if there is a feeling that you are experiencing and want to release,
Just exhale longer than you inhale.
Exhale the feeling you want to release on the out breath and let it go.
Let this feeling bubble up and be your teacher this morning.
Now center on an aspect of your life where there is great joy or love like a person whom you love or an experience you have had that brought you great joy.
Take a moment to rest in this feeling and know that you are loved.
Just as you feel love and joy with this person or experience,
Allow it to experience you.
We do this to center ourselves into our heart,
The place of deep feeling and love.
Once centered into this feeling,
We are receptive to all that we need in our meditation experience.
Allow yourself to experience settling and relaxing into the moment,
This moment.
You have taken great care to relax your body resting into this feeling.
So how are you feeling?
Now take that feeling and ground yourself with Mother Earth.
Feel the firm foundation,
The roots.
Follow it into the depths of the ground and feel.
Lift this up towards Father Sky,
Allow your thoughts to reach high into the vast expanse of the universe and feel.
Let us rest into the comfort of our settling.
For this next phase,
Remember that while we are striving for the silence and stillness,
The mind may wander.
If so,
Just gently bring it back to this moment.
Be gentle on yourself and allow yourself to go into the focus of this moment.
Prior to entering the stillness,
Ask for guidance.
Listen for this,
Asking for guidance to integrate what we experience,
Think or feel today into our daily lives.
As we rest into these feelings,
Emotions and physical sensations,
Let us continue to send love throughout our physical body and into the emotional awareness,
Resting and feeling.
Let us concentrate on observing and witnessing our thoughts during our time of stillness for today.
In the stillness,
Watch in your mind's eye what you are experiencing.
If your mind wanders,
Bring it back easily and gently.
Do not strain or force.
Do not concentrate.
Just watch and observe.
You are strengthening your ability to do this every time you practice this.
Look to have the mind still,
Void of thoughts and then notice.
Noticing is what you are experiencing right now.
Observe your breath.
Observe your comfort.
Observe your heart.
Witness your thoughts.
Witness your emotions.
Witness your feelings.
Just watch and notice.
Let us enter this phase together and listen in the stillness.
Ask your inner guidance.
Ask your divine.
Ask whatever you may need.
And nowhere is this more apparent than when we experience this together in the stillness and the quiet of our inner being.
Go to the center of you,
In the quiet of you,
In the stillness and I will meet you on the other side in the silence or stillness.
I will give you love and support.
Together,
We can enter a place of grace.
A timeless moment into the here and now.
Feel yourself in your entire glow.
Feel the beauty of you.
The miracle of your practice.
Lean into the practice and presence.
Your body has a knowing.
Stay awake to that knowing.
And now take this experience as far into your day as possible and bring your attention around behind your eyes and to your meditation space.
Move the bones in your fingers and toes.
Let us be free to feel.
And remember,
You are loved.
