Tara Brach

As you come into stillness let yourself feel your breath in the area of the heart.

So you become increasingly sensitive to the feelings, the felt sense in the area of the heart.

And ask yourself, what is my deepest intention for being here, for practicing meditation?

This is an inquiry about what most matters to you, what your heart longs for.

As you sense what matters, the sign of really being connected to a deep intention is you'll feel sincere.

It's like your body saying, yes, I care about this.

Aware of your sitting posture.

Letting yourself sit, they say, like a Buddha halfway between heaven and earth.

So you're sitting tall and yet rooted.

Rooted.

See if you can relax any parts of the body that are obviously tense or tight.

You might soften in the shoulders and let the shoulders relax back and down a little.

You might soften the hands.

So you can feel as you relax the hands the sensations inside them, tingling, the vibrating.

You might let there be an openness at the chest.

And see if you can soften and relax.

The belly, let this next breath be received in a softening belly.

This breath.

And now this one.

And again.