Greetings.
Thank you for joining me.
Meditation is something that is available for everyone.
Something that can be enjoyed and used as a very valuable tool to discover more about ourselves and our world.
It's a practice that has been used for thousands and thousands of years.
Earliest discovery of man using meditation is about 5,
000 years old.
And it's here to stay.
It's a way for us to go within and discover who we are at the deepest level and discover for ourselves.
Please join me in this meditation.
I would consider this a shorter meditation.
But you can continue with the practice for as long as you like.
And as always,
I ask that the practice be done daily in order for us to recognize the benefits.
Make the body comfortable sitting in a chair or on your favorite meditation cushion.
You might even be lying down.
Some people like to meditate standing up.
It doesn't matter what we're going to be doing is trying to make ourselves as present as possible to rest in the still presence that is our true nature.
To get a taste of who we are beyond the continuously thinking and sometimes struggling mind.
Not to hang on to any thoughts,
Not to visit any past emotions or actions that we've done or others have done,
And not to wish for things to be different in the future,
But to be in the present moment.
Simply close the eyes.
When we bring our attention to the body,
This is a tool that we can use that's very effective in bringing us into this present moment awareness.
Because it's something that we can work with at any time.
It's always available.
And it's something that feels a part of us but yet separate in many ways.
The present moment reality is really a function of the mind.
But when we focus on something that is immediate,
It brings us into the present moment.
This present moment awareness is very healing and very much an aspect of our spiritual nature.
Bring your attention to how the body feels at this moment.
Is there any pleasantness that you notice within the body?
Is there any distress or pain within the body?
Does the body feel natural right now?
Does it feel as if there's something that you're welcoming or something that you're pushing away?
And I invite you to accept all of these experiences,
All these bodily experiences at this time.
No desire to change any experience within the body.
No desire to make things any better or any worse.
Beyond the mere relaxation of a particular area of the body.
If you feel tension in the shoulders right now,
Relax the shoulders.
If you feel tension in the lower back consciously,
Relax the lower back.
You might not even have to change positions,
But just the mental aspect of relaxing that particular area of the body.
Body awareness teaches us several things.
One that we can use the body to go within and in essence that's what we're doing.
And we're exploring and being aware of the body,
The physicality and how we carry the body,
How we use it,
How we notice it.
It's as if that is our vehicle and it certainly is a big part of our world.
But on the other hand,
When we're doing this we're looking at the body as if it is almost a separate entity,
Like we would look at our car or something that we have to care for to keep clean,
To keep nourished like a friend.
In many cases it might seem like an enemy when there is pain involved.
But it is something that we signed an agreement to be with for the duration of this lifetime.
Our body,
Our body breathes,
It lives.
It functions in incredible ways.
It's a very intelligent system.
And most of us would agree that it is very important for us to maintain this system as well as we can.
Proper nutrition,
Exercise,
Care.
And it is a wonderful tool that we use to go from place to place.
And again it's a wonderful tool that we can use for our meditation practice in the area of coming into this still presence.
We focus on the body.
This is our point of concentration.
We might use the sensations of the body as we have done here.
We might use the breath,
The body breathing.
You might even focus on the beating heart.
But when we do so,
We can notice that we are present.
We are able to set aside the deeds of the past,
Memories of the past.
And we're able to set aside our hopes and dreams and our fears of the future.
And this is where the healing aspect of meditation comes in as a relief for the stress that we create in our world.
This is one of the keys to meditation is to be able to recognize and be mindful of the aspect of the mind,
The movement of the mind.
To recognize our anger that is based on the past,
Our fears that are based on the future,
And how the present moment can be very much like a washing away of all negativity as long as we can rest in that for a few moments.
Each time we go into meditation,
And if we can do it in our formal practice of meditation,
Then we can learn to do it on a regular basis throughout our daily activities outside of meditation.
So whenever you have difficulties within the next several days or try to remember this,
I invite you to go into the body,
See how the body feels,
But don't attach to any sensations.
Just notice.
Just be aware.
This is body awareness,
The awareness of the body,
All aspects,
Pleasant feelings,
Unpleasant feelings,
The function of the body,
Such as the breath.
Use the body.
It's a friend of yours,
A vehicle that you can use and also a tool that you can use to become present in the moment.
I hope this is helpful.
Thank you for doing this practice.
You're improving your life as well as the lives of those in your world that are a part of you.
Please continue this practice for as long as time allows you to.
Thank you.
