Relax Your Brain (11-22-20)

So this commentary,

Relax Your Brain,

Is to help you manage and approach your thoughts in a useful way so they don't become an obstacle for your meditation and your relaxation.

We're not going to go directly to the brain now,

We're going to work up to it gradually.

So simply starting by becoming aware of your body,

Quick scan through the body,

The feet and the legs,

The hands and the arms,

Just noticing what sensations are there,

Does any soreness or pain or tension,

See if you can simply acknowledge that that's there and hold it within your awareness and allow it to be as it is and really feel the sensations as they are.

So without any fear or apprehension,

With an attitude of interest,

Investigation,

A neutral approach.

And then we're going to become aware of the breath for the first part of this commentary before moving on to the mind,

The brain and the thoughts because we're going to practice the attitude and the approach with the breath.

So become aware of the breath in your body.

As much as possible feel the physical sensations that the breath creates as you breathe in and as you breathe out.

So I'm feeling the air as it enters through the nose or mouth and feeling the sensation as the breath leaves,

Noticing the difference.

And I feel the expansion in the body,

So maybe more in the chest or the stomach,

I'm using the diaphragm or the ribs,

Maybe a bit of both,

It might just be a gentle movement as I breathe in,

Noticing that sensation of expansion,

However small,

But feeling that sensation in the body each time I breathe in.

And the same as you breathe out,

Feeling those sensations of release,

Contraction in the body as you release the breath.

And have the attitude,

The approach of allowing the breath in with each in-breath.

This way you may notice if there's any resistance to taking in the breath.

Notice that thought,

That gentle intention to allow the breath in freely,

Without resistance.

And with the out-breath,

The attitude of release,

Of letting go.

And just noticing if there's any holding on,

Any holding back when we let go of the breath.

Just the thought and the intention to release the breath and allow the breath to leave freely without restriction,

Without holding on.

So allow the breath in,

Release as you breathe out.

Allow your breath to find its own rhythm,

Its own speed,

Its own depth.

Don't make any effort to change the breath in any way.

We're adopting an attitude and an awareness towards the breath,

But we're not trying to change the breath at all.

Allowing and letting go.

Enjoying that rhythm,

That wave of the breath in and out,

Rise and fall.

Free flowing breath.

And the breath will help relax the body.

And as the body relaxes,

That frees the breath as well.

Allows the breath to flow more easily,

Bringing more relaxation.

Okay,

So for the second half of the commentary,

We're going to take this same exact same approach and attitude from the breath to the thoughts and to the brain.

So bring your attention to your thoughts.

Notice that you are thinking.

So just adding awareness to the thoughts.

I've been thinking all along,

Now I'm thinking with awareness.

Watching,

Listening,

Noticing.

And I'm going to choose to welcome and allow each and every thought into my mind.

Just as I welcome and allow every breath into the body.

Just as I didn't try and change the breath in any way,

I'm not going to try and change my thoughts in any way at all.

Allow your thoughts to find their own rhythm,

Their own speed,

Their own depth.

Allow your thoughts to flow freely.

As automatically,

Naturally and spontaneously as your breath.

This flow of breath and an effortless flow of thoughts.

The breath rising and falling in the body.

The thoughts simply rising and falling away through the mind.

I'm not my breath.

The breath is an experience within my awareness.

I'm not my thoughts.

My thoughts are also an experience within my awareness.

It doesn't matter what the thoughts are,

Completely irrelevant.

So I'm enjoying my breath.

I'm enjoying that rhythm,

The rise and fall of the breath.

And I can enjoy my thoughts in the same way.

The rise and fall or falling away of my thoughts.

Just as I know each breath will be followed by the next,

I know each thought will be followed by the next thought.

Choosing to set my thoughts free,

To liberate my thoughts,

To allow them to be however they are without direction,

Without judgment and sadly not trying to stop my thoughts.

That's likely to be as productive as trying to stop breathing.

Maybe possible for a while.

But instead allowing the breath and the thoughts to do their own thing.

To flow freely and effortlessly.

For the final part of the commentary,

We come to this idea of relaxing the brain.

And again,

Just copying what we did with the breath and the body.

As we allow the breath to flow freely,

That allows the body to be more relaxed.

And the more relaxed the body is,

The more free the breath becomes to flow.

Relaxed body,

Free flowing breath.

So to help with the thoughts,

To help them flow freely,

I can relax the brain just as I relax any other part of the body.

I don't need to explain to you how to relax your foot or your hand or your shoulders.

You know instinctively how to allow relaxation to happen in your body.

So this is a simple invitation to have the same intention for your head,

Your face,

Your scalp,

Your skull and your brain.

Allowing all the muscles in your face to relax.

And allowing your whole head and your brain to relax.

And really enjoying that relaxation response,

That release in the body.

Allowing the flow of thoughts through our relaxed brain.

So allowing the body to be just as it is.

Allowing the breath to freely enter and leave the body.

And allowing the head,

The face and the brain to be exactly as they are.

And allowing the thoughts to flow freely.

Allowing them all the time and space they need.

So for the last minute or two just really enjoying the free flowing breath and the free flowing thoughts.

And just reminding myself of my intention to allow the body including the face,

The head and the brain to simply be relaxed.

So I'll bring this commentary to a close.