Welcome,
And may you find peace within.
When I was fourteen,
I read the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse,
And it had a tremendous impact on me.
It prompted me to look at the world and my life in a different way,
And I would like to share that with you now.
In the book,
Siddhartha is a young Brahmin on a quest for enlightenment.
At one point in the story,
Siddhartha has come to live with a ferryman on the edge of a great river,
And in this place he has a revelation from studying the river,
From looking at the water as it flows by,
And he says,
But out of all the secrets of the river,
Today I only saw one,
And this one touched my soul.
This water,
It ran and ran,
Incessantly it ran,
And was nevertheless always there,
Was always at all times the same,
And yet new in every moment.
Great be he who could grasp this,
Understand this.
And this idea,
That the river flows on and on,
Always different yet always the same,
Made me see that our lives are also like a river.
That phrase was so important to me that it's a tagline in my profile.
We flow along in our lives,
And in each moment we are different,
And yet,
In a very real sense we are constantly the same.
We have a current that is propelled by the circumstances of our lives,
Our family,
Our friends,
Our education,
Our work.
Other people become a part of our river as well,
Classmates,
Co-workers,
Teachers,
Neighborhood friends and more.
Some will flow along with us all our lives,
While others are only with us for a short time,
Before they flow off on their own in another direction.
Even so,
Our life,
Our river,
Is forever altered by all the people and events that have been a part of our journey,
Even if just for a little while.
Our river is forever changed,
Even if only minutely,
By everything and everyone we come in contact with.
And we can control the current of our river by getting in touch with our breath.
Close your eyes now,
And let's get in touch with our breath.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Lying down or standing.
First let's scan our body as we begin to relax.
Relax your neck and shoulders.
These are common places of tension in today's world.
Relax your arms and your hands.
Let go of any tension in your chest and belly.
Try to feel yourself getting heavier with each breath.
Relax your legs and your feet,
And as you begin to relax,
Let's start to focus on our breath.
Our breath is also like a river as it flows in and flows out.
Inhale slowly and then gently exhale.
Notice your breath as it flows in.
Notice where you feel it in your body,
A cool sensation as it comes in through your nose,
Or perhaps the movement of your chest and belly as the breath flows in and then flows out.
Continue to breathe at your normal pace,
And don't force anything.
Just let your breath move in and out.
Let your breath flow like a river,
Sure and tranquil and calm.
Thoughts are a part of us.
They are a constant part of our world,
Our river,
But you needn't concern yourself with them when you meditate.
Just as a river pays no attention to the leaves and other debris floating on its surface,
So we too shouldn't concern ourselves with our random thoughts.
Just focus on your breath and let thoughts pass across your mind and out again.
In this moment,
We are only concerned with our breath as it flows in and it flows out.
If you hear sounds in the room,
Just let them go as well.
Parking dogs and meowing cats can't affect your river of calm.
Your breath moving slowly in and slowly out is a powerful river of calm,
A river of peace,
A stream of tranquility.
This river can have a powerful effect on your life.
Being able to get in touch with this current can transform your life.
It can help you to deal with tension and insecurities.
Following the river of your breath can help you to deal better with the problems in your day.
Just breathing in and breathing out.
If you think about it,
Essentially all humans are calmed by the sound of water and by the sight of water flowing.
Think about how many of us spend time in or on the water.
We even have fountains because we find peace in the sounds of moving water.
So too,
By following our breath on a regular basis,
It leads to a sense of peace.
Following the flow of our breath,
Moving in and moving out,
Guides the flow and the course of our river.
And to close,
I will quote again from Siddhartha in which he says,
It is this what you mean,
Isn't it,
That the river is everywhere at once,
At the source and at the mouth,
At the waterfall and at the ferry,
At the rapids and in the sea,
In the mountains,
Everywhere at once,
And that there is only the present time for it,
Not the shadow of the past,
Not the shadow of the future.
Think about that and come to know that this is also true of the breath,
My breath and your breath.
Now take a long deep breath through your mouth and then exhale letting out a sigh.
Open your eyes and come back into the room,
Ready to resume the day.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming practice and I hope that each one of you may find peace within yourself.
Till next time.
