Welcome,
And may you find peace within yourself.
On June 10th,
I was surrounded by family as I celebrated my 72nd birthday,
And it caused me to think,
As it does every year,
About birth and rebirth,
About predictions and opinions and reality.
I never think very much about death,
Because I was forced to do that when I was younger.
A team of medical specialists told me I only had about five years to live,
That I should go home and get my affairs in order,
And spend as much time as I could with my young daughters.
That was 42 years ago,
And I'm still here,
Still alive,
Still meditating,
And more at peace with myself than ever before.
The predictions of my doctors did not mesh with my reality,
Not because the doctors were wrong,
But because I did not live my life based on their predictions.
It seems that people often take the predictions or opinions of others as fact,
And then live their lives based on those opinions,
A virtual self-fulfilling prophecy.
My personal experience,
However,
Has shown me that attitude is over half of anything.
Using mindfulness and meditation,
It lets you alter your perspective and see things as they are,
Lets you see things more clearly,
Or perhaps as they could be,
If you just put in the effort to change things.
For example,
If you live your life thinking you're going to die,
You'll never truly live your life.
If you live your life thinking that you can have a full life,
Just maybe you do.
This is just an example,
But it applies to so many things.
Many people who take up meditation and mindfulness do so because they suffer from anxiety,
And getting in touch with your breath is key in reducing anxiety.
Think about it.
If your breath is calm,
You can't be anxious.
It's biologically impossible.
So to conquer anxiety,
You have to see things as they are.
You have to look at it,
Hold it up to examination,
And then do something about it.
I'll give an example.
If you're always anxious at the dentist,
Begin to focus on your breath before you even leave the house for your appointment.
Practice your breathing as you wait in the office.
Continue to breathe when you sit in the chair.
Tell the assistant,
I'm just going to meditate for a minute and then do so.
You can practice now by pretending you're in the dentist chair or in any other anxious situation.
Close your eyes now and settle in and let yourself start to relax.
Take a deep breath and then gently exhale.
Continue breathing naturally and don't force anything.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Release any tension in your face.
Relax your neck.
As you breathe,
Feel yourself getting heavier with each breath,
Sinking into the surface that you're sitting on.
Relax your arms and hands,
Feeling so heavy.
Relax any tightness in your chest or belly.
Let your legs and feet relax.
Clench your hands,
But breathe.
Just breathe.
Your breath is like a river of calm,
A stream of tranquility and peacefulness.
It doesn't matter what the dentist does.
It only matters what you do in this moment.
You control your breath and by doing that,
You control anxiety.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
Listen to the flow of your breath as it moves in gently and then gently out.
Your body is like a lead weight,
So heavy.
Just continue to breathe slowly in and slowly out.
Your minds are so powerful and we can tap into that power by getting in touch with our breath.
Does it require an investment in money or equipment?
It just requires your investment in time and focus,
Time in practice so that when you need it,
It feels normal and you feel confident and comfortable.
I've talked in the past about how your life is like a river and now you,
Each one of you,
Are a part of my river,
Just as I am a part of yours.
I want you to succeed.
I decided to teach again because I believe that I have some valuable perspectives to share.
My hope for each of you is that you grow and develop in your practice.
The things I'm talking about are a part of my life,
An integral part of my life.
Getting in touch with your breath is something you can perfect if you just decide to do it.
And by doing that one thing,
You can conquer your anxiety and so much more.
I have found peace within myself and so can you.
Now as we come to a close,
Take one long deep breath and exhale through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
Open your eyes and come back into the room,
Ready to resume the day.
Philosopher Alan Watts said,
By replacing fear of the unknown with curiosity,
We can open ourselves up to an infinite stream of possibility.
We can let fear rule our lives or we can become childlike with curiosity,
Pushing our boundaries,
Sleeping out of our comfort zones and accepting what life puts before us.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming practice and I hope that you may find peace within yourself.
Till next time.
