It's like this (mindfulness meditation)

by David Beach
(Tulsa)

So lets begin by taking a few moments to simply settle in.
Settle in to this moment...,
Into this space...,
Allow yourself the opportunity to be here. For the next few moments you are engaging in the process of disengagement. It is said that meditation is the practice of stopping.
So, for the next few moments allow yourself to come into stillness. To let go of the "doing". Allow yourself to unwind into a state of simple being... allow yourself to stop.

Siting or laying comfortably in your present space, be present. Be right where you're at. At this time it may be helpful to take a few deep, full breaths. As you do, take note of the sensation of your breathing. As you inhale, know that you are inhaling. When you exhale, know that you are exhaling. You've been breathing all day but perhaps you've been to busy to notice. This is simply a moment in which we stop to notice. This is breathing. Continue to take full breaths, deep nourishing breaths. With each breath you are bathing yourself in life sustaining oxygen. As you inhale, feel the energy of your breath flowing deep into your body. As you exhale, feel the release of energy and notice the calm and satisfied state of the body.With each breath we become more deeply relaxed and more deeply present.
(Silent 1 min.)

When you are ready, allow yourself to stop breathing. By this I mean, that you let go of intentionally breathing. As you do watch as your breathing takes on its own natural rhythm. "YOU" are no longer breathing..., there is just breathing happening.It does not require your effort. Even if you held your breath, refusing to ever breath again..., you would soon pass out and breathing would start on its own. So, simply notice the way in which your body is breathing. Effortless observation. You are no longer doing but rather you are a spectator. Watch as the breath flows effortlessly in and out.
Relax. Be with the breath.

Allow your mind to settle, to relax. Be restfull but not sleepy. Pay attention but not with excessive or restless energy. Rather, hold your mind gently with a relaxed stae of awareness.

Continue to follow your breath. Again, simply observing, watching, noticing the natural flow of your breath. And when you are ready, move your attention to the sensations present in your body. Notice the areas that are making contact with the (chair, cushion, bed). Feel the contact. Allow the (chair, cushion, bed) to hold you. Allowing gravity to keep you gently in place. There is nothing for you to do. It is all being done for you. "YOU" do not need to sit. Sitting is happening. Simply observe, notice how it feels.watch as the body rests comfortably.

As you settle more and more deeply into this present moment...
As you truly continue to stop "doing" and just be present for a few moments..., you see how there is nothing to do. It is all being done for you already. As you let go you notice the arising of pure consiousness. Simple, relaxed, awareness. The more you let go, the freer you become to simply observe. To be present.
(Silent 1 min.).

As you sit in presence, you may notice how your mind begins to wander. You may find that stories and thoughts about the past or future seem to naturally arise. Perhaps fantasies about one thing or another appear in the mind. You may find yourself entertained by their content. This is natural.
in the same way that the lungs breath, the mind thinks. That's what it does. The mind does not require intentional effort. It can, and will, think on its own. And it often does.

Again, all you need to do is notice.
If we allow the mind to wander freely, it will often take our attention out of the present moment. As a result we are no longer fully present or fully aware. In this meditation we are training ourselves in mindfulness. And so for this reason, when we've noticed our wandering mind we can be grateful for yet another opportunity to bring it back into the present moment. It is not bad that the mind wanders. We need not become frustrated. It is the "wandering" that allows us to recognize our state of mindlessness and thus return to a state of mindfulness. This is our practice.

As we become more still and more absorbed into this moment we let go. We let go. Again and again. We let go of our expectations about meditation. We let go of our mental constructs of "how this ought to be". Instead, We open up to how it is. It is like this. We let go of our need for the experience to be a certain way. It's not like anything. Rather, it is like this. It is not that way. It is this way. It is like this. Nothing more and nothing less. It's just this. Just this. Understand, we are not allowing it to be like this - it already is. It does not need our approval to be any certain way. Our practice is to open up. To wake up into the now. The vast empty now. And see it for how it actually is. To see that, it's like this.

And like this...

And this...

(Silence...)

When you are ready, open your eyes and know that you are here.