Brother Richard

Breathing in and breathing out.

And aware of our whole body now moving into relaxation, moving into awareness, we can say inwardly of our body, I have a body, but I am more than my body.

I have a body, but I am more than my body.

All the while simply breathing.

And gently then for a moment, we check in with our emotions, our thoughts.

Perhaps gently asking ourselves, how am I in my feelings and in my thoughts?

How am I in my feelings and in my thoughts?

And aware of the constant movement, the ebb and flow, the changing nature of thought and of feelings.

we can say inwardly to ourselves, I have thoughts, I have feelings, but I am more than my thoughts and my feelings.

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

And drawing your attention now back to your breath,

to the ebb and flow, the rise and fall of the breath.

Being with the breath as the background music of our entire life.

We follow the breath to that point where the in-breath becomes the out-breath, where the out-breath becomes the in-breath.

That place of absolute stillness,

in the very middle of the breath cycle, really trying to find that point where the one becomes the other and settling at that place, feeling its depth, feeling its spaciousness, feeling its peace,

And as we rest in that place, we can say inwardly to ourselves, I am I, a human being, a center of pure consciousness and will, embodied, filled with passing thoughts and feelings.

but present to myself in this moment, in the totality of my being.

And I choose now to meditate for myself and for all who are in need, all the while just breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in and breathing out, resting in the breath, stable in the moment, receiving the grace of the present moment, dwelling in peace, breathing in and breathing out.