Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome back.
Chapter 2: What should I notice about my thoughts during meditation?
In our meditation today, we're going to just check in with our thoughts.
As I've mentioned before, the thoughts can be one of the most problematic things for the beginner in meditation.
Chapter 3: Why do thoughts feel challenging for beginners in meditation?
At the start, we can feel that if we're meditating properly, then we shouldn't be thinking at all. But this is absolutely impossible.
Chapter 4: How can I observe my thoughts without judgment?
our mind will always generate thoughts.
Chapter 5: What questions can help me discern useful thoughts?
What we have control over is how we react to those thoughts. Meditation teaches us to step back from our thoughts, to notice them, to see them in a non-judgmental way, and then maybe to ask a simple question like, are these thoughts useful to me? Are these thoughts helpful to me or to others?
Chapter 6: How can I use my breath as a stabilizing companion?
And then we can begin the act of discerning which thoughts should be encouraged and which thoughts should be let go.
Chapter 7: What practices can strengthen my focused attention during meditation?
But today, we're simply going to spend some time noticing our thoughts. We do this in an open-hearted, curious, and non-judgmental way. resting as always in the sure foundation of the breath, anchored in meditation, noticing the thoughts.
So let's begin.
As we enter our meditation, we once again take the opportunity
to begin with that ritual gesture we have chosen that reminds us that this is a special time, a gift, an entry into peace.
We then take our seat with the deliberate intention today of simply observing our thoughts. Moving into our seated meditative position, either on a chair or on a cushion. We allow our contact with the ground to anchor us. Perhaps the soles of our feet flat against the ground or warm and safe in our shoes and socks.
Or if we're sitting cross-legged, just allowing the surface of the leg in contact with the ground to anchor us. We allow the spine to lengthen and loosen the breath to be open and free, the shoulders loose and relaxed. As always, we greet our breath like the old friend it is, a friend always travelling with us, a friend always in communion with us and with our feelings, with our thoughts.
Meeting the breath mindfully, with deep awareness, we simply notice now its ebb and flow, its coming and going, its rise and fall. Sometimes it can be helpful to notice the physical sensations of breathing, the expansion of the ribs, the rise of the shoulders, the movement of the belly. the coolness of the air as it enters our nostrils, the warmth of the air as it leaves our body.
Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Breathing in, I breathe in peace. Breathing out, I breathe out all stress, all tension, all anxiety. Breathing in, I breathe in warmth, gentleness, and compassion. Breathing out, I breathe out all stress, all pain, all anxiety.
Breathing now, not just with mouth or nose, but with every pore of our skin, we breathe from the soles of our feet to the crown of our head. From the tips of the fingers on one hand to the tips of the fingers on the other. Our body, our breath, has won. With each out-breath, we relax a little more fully. With each in-breath, we become a little more aware.
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