So you can find your meditation posture sitting in a way that's neither too tight or too relaxed,
But comfortable and upright.
You can notice your body from the inside,
Noticing the shape and the weight and the touch and the areas you make contact with the floor or the chair.
Then you can focus on your breathing,
Feeling your breath in the area of either the abdomen,
Chest or nostrils,
Feeling the gentle rising and falling of your abdomen or chest or the coolness and the in and out sensations at your nostrils.
So the breath is our anchor.
It's where we establish our awareness.
It helps us have something to always return to,
This simple act of breathing.
Now you might notice that other things pull your attention away from the breath,
And that might be sound.
So right now,
Just for a moment,
Bring your attention to the sounds inside the room or outside the room.
Simply listening.
They might be pleasant sounds,
Unpleasant sounds.
Listen to them with curiosity and interest,
Noticing them coming and going without getting caught up in a story about what that sound is or why it's there.
Simply listening.
And also notice the sound of silence.
And now letting go of this hearing,
The listening,
Bring your attention into your body.
And notice if there are body sensations to be aware of.
There might be pressure or tightness or movement or vibration or heat or cold or tingling.
Notice which sensations call out to you and let your attention go to them.
It might be a very strong and obvious sensation.
There might be a soft or subtle sensation.
You might notice yourself jumping from sensation to sensation.
Or there may be one that grabs your attention and holds it,
Particularly if it's unpleasant.
You might notice it as it growing or shrinking,
Moving,
As it pulse or throb,
Ache.
Just notice with curiosity,
Similarly not making up a whole story about the experience.
Just being directly with the sensations in your body.
So now return to your breathing,
Finding your breath.
And as you continue on in this meditation,
You'll stay with your breath,
One breath at a time.
If you notice yourself lost in thoughts,
You can say thinking or wandering.
And then redirect your attention,
Returning back to the breathing.
Now if you find a sound or a body sensation becomes so obvious,
Strong,
That you can't any longer stay with the breath because it pulls your attention away.
And let yourself let go of the breath and focus on the body sensation or sound.
Listen to it or feel it until it no longer holds your attention or it's stopped.
At that point,
Go back to the breathing,
Returning to the simplicity of your anchor,
The breath.
We'll try this for a few minutes in silence.
And then we'll come back to your breathing,
Returning to the deep sound.
Now,
Once again,
Notice your whole body sitting here.
Tuning into the shape,
The posture,
The movement.
Let yourself relax.
And you can wish yourself well.
May I be happy and at ease.
May I be free from stress and anxiety.
May I be peaceful.
And let yourself consider the possibility of finding peace and ease,
Well-being.
