It's important to prepare the space to celebrate this wonderful sense of joy,
Sense of happiness that lives deeper than our feelings in a space,
The very core of our being,
Deeper than feelings,
Deeper than thoughts.
Such joy and such happiness,
That is an intimate connection to the Divine Presence that is in all and everything.
And one has to transcend the mundane thoughts that we have,
The narratives that we listen to in the background,
Even the senses,
Our sense of touch or our sense of smell or our sense of hearing or sense of seeing,
Our sense of understanding how to recognize what all these senses mean.
All such experiences are on the periphery rather than within the core.
And it's almost like a shell that protects us from the pain and suffering that is very much a part of life.
Traumas,
Difficulties,
Obstacles,
For some people intense and difficult,
For others just heavy and tiring.
All that we do is protect ourselves here in this mundane world from the pain and the suffering,
And a lot of our focus and energy is used up by such protection.
It's almost as if we're pushing the river upstream.
And there is no way to transform the pain and the suffering here on this mundane level.
It is a part of life.
Yet the mind or our feelings or some part of us dreams that things get better.
So we constantly look at the future or we get caught in a romantic perspective of the past,
Rather than being in the present.
Knowing this,
In meditation you have the choice.
You have the choice to fall into the periphery,
So protecting yourself from the pain and the suffering,
Creating this shell,
This cocoon,
That supports a sense of security,
A sense of safety.
But in the end,
The choice is very clear.
We need to let go of that which is temporary and come back to a permanence within.
This permanence or this sense of connection to the eternal is very much a mysterious journey,
Which you are now embarking upon.
Embarking upon.
So the joy and the happiness that we find within ourselves is very different than the ones that we experience.
And it's also very nice to experience such things on the periphery of our experience here on this earthly dimension.
So it's almost as if one needs to let go,
Create space and open up to the new.
Preparing the space for such an experience happens outside of yourself and within,
Outside of yourself,
As much as possible,
Making sure that the environment is still,
Where interruptions and distractions are not so intense and not so part of your perception.
And then to move your focus inwards and to still the environment within.
This means your feelings,
Your thoughts,
The way that your mind perceives feelings and thoughts,
Coming back to a relaxed state of being.
Now this isn't an invitation to struggle with your tension,
But rather an acceptance that happens as you let go,
As you breathe out,
As you place your feet onto the ground.
If you're sitting on a chair,
If you're lying on a mat,
Just placing your feet,
Being aware that they're grounded and connected to the earth,
And breathing out,
Deep,
Full out breath,
And sensing the breath connect you to the earth.
This is the dimension that we live in,
This earthly dimension.
When you connect to the earth in this way and breathe out,
You move from the periphery and you create a foundation and cultivate a foundation that sets in motion profound connections,
Roots that strengthen your resilience so that you can open up to the in-breath.
And the in-breath is the new beginning.
When you breathe in,
If you breathe in with your thoughts,
If you breathe in with your feelings,
Meaning that you carry your stress or your tension into the in-breath,
Then the in-breath is compromised.
This is known as shallow breathing.
So when you breathe in a shallow way,
You compromise your connection.
The resilience that is possible is compromised by the stress and the tension and the mind chasing this idea that a cocoon is going to create happiness,
Whether that cocoon be a need or a want or fear-driven perspective.
So as you breathe deeper,
As you breathe in and say yes to the in-breath,
Open up,
Open up the diaphragm,
Open up the very core of your abdomen,
Open up your chest so your breath is full and complete,
You'll notice not only do you set in motion those beautiful roots that connect to the earth,
But you'll notice a vibration,
A frequency that is beyond the one that the mind is used to.
The stress,
The tension,
That is a vibration,
That is a frequency.
As you cultivate this resilience,
You begin to sense another vibration,
Another frequency.
It's almost as if your inner strength,
Your empowered state of mind,
Your empowered state of feeling begin to recognize there is another way of relaxing,
Nurturing,
Rather than struggling,
Fighting,
Pushing.
Close your eyes and initiate a deep and measured breath all the way down into your abdomen,
Inhaling through your nose,
Expanding your abdomen and your chest,
And holding the breath for a moment and exhaling deeply,
Prolonging the out-breath so that the out-breath,
Without effort,
Helps you to let go.
And with each breath,
Notice yourself sinking deeper into the core of your being,
Deeper into a state of relaxation.
Deep breath.
Let us practice breathing in,
Holding the breath,
And breathing out,
Letting go.
It's okay if the mind activates the thoughts,
And the feelings,
And the emotions,
And the different perspectives,
Memories,
And different ideas,
Dreams,
And needs,
And wants.
There is no need to get involved in this natural process that is the periphery.
Make the choice now to move inwards.
And you may wish to do this by picturing a warm golden light deep within your heart,
Like a soothing sunlight,
Warm and tingling.
It makes you feel relaxed.
Imagine this light expanding within you,
Moving all the way up to the top of your head,
To the crown of your head.
Focus on sensing,
Feeling,
Connecting to the warmth and the vitality of this beautiful light as it shines bright.
The light of consciousness permeating throughout your entire body,
Every little cell in your body,
Luminous.
Sense this,
And if it makes it easier,
Visualize this.
The poetic communication of the light of consciousness is the sacred sound of Shem.
Repeat this on the out-breath.
You have created now this space.
By becoming luminous,
Visualizing this luminosity deep within,
You have created the space for the vibration,
The frequency of the humming,
The hmm part of mantra,
The sacred sound.
And as you repeat this,
Maybe a few times aloud,
Just so that you can sense the vibration and the frequency moving through your body,
The humming touching all different parts of your body,
Make sure that you extend this vibration all the way down to your feet,
All the way to your fingers,
Not just your chest.
Humming deeply,
The breath connecting with the hum,
And then in a non-audible way,
Focusing on the sacred sound,
Repeating it on the out-breath in stillness.
And at the same time,
Sensing or maybe visualizing the light descending from your head and the crown all the way throughout your entire body,
All the way down to your toes,
Relaxing but also illuminating the very core of your being.
I call this activating the potential that is your genetic expression within the practice of spiritual meditation,
Like you're doing now.
Deep breath,
Let go.
On the out-breath,
Release and let go,
And bring your focus back to the flow.
On the out-breath,
Release and let go.
On the out-breath,
Release and let go.
Sense the vibration of the sacred sound,
Open up a new gateway,
Breathing in,
Holding the breath,
And breathing out.
Deep breath in,
Hold the breath,
And breathe out,
Letting go,
Releasing,
And opening up as you breathe in the cosmic breath.
What this means in practice,
Sensing,
Aligning your focus and your attention so that this wonderful cosmos that we are a part of connects by expanding within,
Contracting within,
Almost like a flow of energy moving you beyond the physical form into more spiritual realms of consciousness.
With each inhalation,
A new beginning,
Breathing in this beautiful light,
The light of consciousness,
Infusing you with tranquility,
The sense of clarity,
The sense of resilience and empowerment that helps you to let go of that which is no longer in alignment with your truth,
Which helps you to recognize that that which fills your thoughts and your feelings with heaviness or negativity is now slowly,
Slowly being released,
Helping you to come back to this sense of calmness,
Newness.
Visualize the light of consciousness purifying and vitalizing your whole essence.
You don't need to do anything.
Simply come back with your attention to the here and now.
Be present as you vitalize and purify your whole essence,
The light of consciousness,
Every little part deep,
Deep within,
Illuminating the light of consciousness as a beautiful remembrance.
Every in-breath is a new beginning.
Rather than fall into the dualistic aspect of the mind yesterday,
Tomorrow,
This,
That,
Come back to the present.
The present isn't the presence of your mind in itself.
So,
Being present to your thoughts and your feelings is not presence.
Presence is this expansive stillness.
You may recognize as you imagine,
Remember that the cosmic field of consciousness is infinite,
And so it is not located in one space that the mind is used to,
The mental narratives that happen in the background.
Your presence is within this expansive,
Infinite space that you're opening up to,
That you're breathing into your body.
It's okay to be basking in the light.
It is okay to gift yourself with this wonderful feeling.
So many,
Due to cultural paradigms,
Believe that we don't deserve to be nurtured,
We don't deserve to be still.
We must continue on the periphery of our thinking process,
Feeling process.
We must continue chasing this or chasing that.
Relax as you visualize.
Let this beautiful light of consciousness connect with all that is universal,
The boundless light that is in every aspect of creation.
Every breath,
An expansive adventure into the wonderful vastness of space.
There is a potential in every moment that you are celebrating by being present in this way,
Basking in the light,
Is this sense of presence,
Tranquil and connected.
All begins to reveal to you this sense of oneness,
Unity.
It's a sensation that cannot be described in words,
So there is no need to place the experience in the space of internal dialogue.
Simply be.
The sensation of light is beyond one's thinking,
Beyond one's feeling.
In the here and now,
Celebrate the light of consciousness,
Beautiful and present in all and everything.
Deep breath in,
Hold the breath,
And breathe out,
Let go,
Release,
Purify.
Just be.
You may wish to continue in stillness for a little longer.
There is no rush.
Remain in this tranquil and connected state for as long as your guided tooth.
Your mind wanders into this or into that,
Softly,
Gently.
Invite the mind back to this beautiful sensation of stillness.
Naturally,
When you are ready,
Slowly taking the time to affirm your experience through gratitude.
I'm grateful,
I'm thankful for my spiritual practice.
And just be aware of the physical sensations of your body,
The ambient sounds,
The earth or the ground beneath you.
Take time to stretch a little.
When ready,
Opening your eyes,
Writing in your journal,
Drinking some water to hydrate.
Give yourself time to slowly move out of a deep state of consciousness,
Back to the mundane consciousness that we're used to.
Just because we're used to mundane state of consciousness doesn't mean we have to quickly move into getting busy again.
Take time.
Take several deep breaths.
And know that what you have understood on a very practical,
Direct level is that meditation is a deeply personal and beautiful journey.
And that it's natural for our thoughts and our feelings,
Even our body,
To create sensations that distract us from the inner core of our being,
That keep us caught in the periphery of our experience.
Meditation,
Whether you're aware of this or not,
Gently realigns our focus so that we are more present to this beautiful moment,
This precious moment.
Remember,
You can practice meditation wherever,
Whenever,
Even if it's just for one moment.
A mindful moment can do wonders for our stress and tension that then keeps us attached to the periphery.
So,
May your day today be full of beautiful reminders to come back to your essence.
So,
Thank you.
