Welcome to your practice.
Please find a comfortable seat,
Either cross-legged,
On a bolster,
Or on a chair.
Your knees are leveled with or below your hips,
Which allows your spine to be nice and tall.
Begin your practice with your eyes open,
Softly gazing at the floor,
And after a few moments,
When you feel ready,
You can go ahead and close your eyes.
To arrive,
Let's take a couple of deep breaths.
Meet me at the bottom of your next exhale,
And then start to draw in a full deep belly breath in,
Inhaling through the nose,
And exhaling fully through the mouth.
Two more,
Just like that,
Breathing fully through the nose.
Then soften with your exhale through the mouth.
Full deep breath in,
And a complete exhale out.
Allow your breath to fall into its natural rhythm,
And with every exhale anchor yourself more and more in the present moment.
Start to connect with the present moment through all of your five senses.
First,
Listen with both of your ears.
Instead of chasing the sounds around you,
Simply let them come to you,
Without judging them as good or bad.
Welcome them as a part of your experience.
Next,
Focus on the scents that your nose is picking up,
Scents that are characteristic to the place of your meditation.
Perhaps you can smell the coziness of your home,
Or the freshness of being outdoors.
Just like before,
Resist the urge to judge these sensations,
And instead,
Simply observe them.
Begin to notice the taste in your mouth.
Maybe there's a toothpaste flavor on your tongue,
Or maybe it's your morning tea or coffee.
Be fully present with the play of flavors,
And observe them in wonder,
As if you are tasting them for the first time.
Now start to notice what you can feel through the surface of your skin,
The fabric of your clothing,
The temperature of the space that you're in.
Maybe there's a soft breeze tingling your skin,
Or you can feel the warm touch of the rays of sunshine.
Notice the place in your body where your body connects with the ground.
Allow yourself to be pulled down by the gravity,
While simultaneously being held by the ground.
Let this give you a sense of safety and support,
Into which you can fully relax.
Your eyes are closed,
But that doesn't mean that you can't see.
As one Sufi poet once said,
Close your two eyes to see with the other one.
Your external sight is reduced,
Which gives you the ability to see,
Really see what is on the inside.
Start to become more aware of what is happening inside of you.
Notice your energy in the form of your emotions,
Thoughts,
And breath.
Notice the rising and falling of your chest and belly,
And observe it with a childlike sense of wonder.
If there are any emotions you're feeling right now,
Allow your breath to dissolve that tension.
When your mind starts producing thoughts,
Let them come and go,
Just like you let your breath come and then go.
This will be your practice for the next couple of moments,
A practice of allowing and then letting go,
Just like your breath.
If your mind wanders away,
Kindly bring your attention back to your breath and resume your practice.
Now release your focus,
Allow your mind to be completely free,
And if it wants to think,
You just allow it to think.
Complete freedom,
Allowing the mind to go wherever it wants to go.
Slowly start to bring your attention to the space that you're in.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
And exhale fully out of your mouth.
When you're ready,
Begin to open your eyes.
Resist the urge to focus on anything specific,
And allow your gaze to be wide and soft.
As you move on with your day,
Remember that groundedness,
Presence,
And peace are just a breath away.
I thank you for meditating with me,
And I wish you a beautiful day.
