This is a guided sitting meditation meant to provide you with a space and platform to simply rest in awareness and observe the mind from a distance. As best as you're able, give yourself permission to drop in on yourself to switch from the usual mode of doing to mode of non-doing, a mode of simply being. We might think of this time as a gift to yourself. Time carved out just for you, where you can bring awareness and attention to your whole self, a time for nourishment and revitalization, and now settling into a posture that allows you to sit with ease either on a chair or a cushion with head and neck erect, a posture which for you, and bodies, feelings, and dignity, and self-reliance, wakefulness, stillness, and stability. If it feels right, setting an intention to bring mindfulness acceptance and discernment to each moment. When you're ready, bringing attention to settle on the breath, noticing the breath as it flows into and out of your body, feeling your belly as it expands gently on the in-breath and proceeds gently on the out-breath. Not manipulating or regulating the breath in any way, simply noticing the rhythm of the movement like you're riding the waves of your breath. Being present for each moment, for each breath, for this breath, in this breath. Not trying to do anything or get any place, simply being with your breath. You might find from time to time, your mind will wander off into thoughts. Maybe these are daydreams, anticipations of the future, worries, distant memories, whatever the thoughts may be, knowing that this wandering of attention is not a problem. This is what the mind does, what everybody's mind does. When you notice that your attention is no longer on your breathing, without judgment, simply bring your attention back to the breath. Keep riding the waves of the breath, fully conscious of the duration of each breath from moment to moment. Just keeping your attention on the breath wherever the breath is most noticeable to you. Perhaps, it's the rise and fall of the belly, maybe at the nostrils, wherever you're most able to follow it. Breath by breath, moment by moment, allowing the breath to anchor you right here, right now. Staying fully in touch just this breath coming in, just this breath going out, using the breath as an anchor to keep your attention right here in the present moment. Now, expanding attention to include sound, relaxing into open awareness, not striving to hear anything in particular. Just opening your field of awareness to your surroundings and noticing the pitch and timbre of sounds all around you. As best you're able noticing the characteristics of sound, resisting the urge to identify the source of sound, or judge it in some way. Simply noticing the qualities the sound has, its proximity, distance, richness, or depth. Noticing if a particular sound has grabbed your attention and gently reopening your field of awareness to continue to include sounds as they happen in real time, in this moment, and this moment. Being open and receptive to any sound that may arise, nothing to do here but rest and relax alertness. When you're ready, turning that relaxed attention to the thoughts passing through your mind, making space for any thought that arises, doing your best not to hook in to anyone's story or idea. Just letting thoughts travel into and out of awareness like an impartial witness to your own mind, noticing thoughts from a distance. Noticing the space between thought might be helpful here to imagine thoughts like clouds in the sky, like your mind is a vast expanse of open space, just like clouds float gently by in the bright blue sky. So too can thoughts travel the expanse of your mind, having no need to attach, knowing that you have the choice to pursue a thought or let it travel on by allowing awareness to expand beyond any one thought so that you might notice the moment when thought turns into thinking. As you give your attention to thoughts, you might notice that some of them come with an emotional charge, anxiety, anger, sadness, gratitude, joy. If you're noticing any of these emotions, felt sensations of these emotions, you simply accepting and making space for their presence. No need to struggle against or grasp onto a feeling, allowing them to transform or disappear on their own accord, giving yourself permission to be where you are in the field, whatever's here to be felt in this moment. In the last few moments of the sitting, recommitting yourself to being fully awake and focused fully in your body, sitting with stability and balance, awake, aware, open. As the meditation comes to an end, congratulating yourself for the discipline and effort it takes to practice in this way and for your commitment to devote sometime each day into nourishing your own being for non-doing and wakeful stillness.
