Brother Richard

Settling our back upon our cushion or a chair, we allow the spine to lengthen.

perhaps imagining, as we have done before, that there is a thread emerging from the very crown of our head that slowly gets pulled up so that the head moves back and over the shoulders.

The shoulders can drop and the spine can lengthen.

Always we move the body with awareness and intention,

never to a point of strain.

There should be no strain in our meditation practice, but simply to a point of relaxed, stable awareness.

Coming to the body then, we interiorly ask ourselves, how am I?

How am I in my body in this moment?

And take a moment to gently draw your awareness from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head.

Noticing for yourself any point of tension, any point of old injury or lack of comfort.

And having arrived at the crown of the head,

We come now into the awareness of our breath.

Not changing the rhythm in any way, but just noticing the breath.

And having noticed previously any points of tension or stress within the body, we breathe out especially through those areas.

Breathing out in such a way that

We breathe through every pore of our skin, breathing out all tension, stress, or anxiety, breathing in peace, joy, light, calm, warmth, healing.

And aware of the whole body now, from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head, we can say inwardly to ourselves, I have a body, but I am more than my body.

And breathing in now, we take a moment simply to be aware of our feelings, of our thoughts, noticing the constant rise and fall of feelings and thoughts.

and aware of both emotions and thoughts, we can say inwardly, I have feelings, I have thoughts, but I am more than my feelings and my thoughts.

I have feelings, I have thoughts, but I am more than my feelings and my thoughts.