We don't have to chase after them to hold on or push away - Sharon Salzberg

from Insight Timer - Sharon Salzberg - Balance and Beginning Again

 Transcript

So let's sit together a little bit. I'll just guide you through it. Right away they say we can feel some of that balance in our posture. You don't need to be like really stiff and uptight. And at the same time you don't want to be like way slumped over. So see if your back can be straight, But also relaxed. And you can close your eyes or not, However you feel most at ease. And sometimes even before we get to the breath we just start by listening to sound. The sound of my voice, The sound of the birds. Whatever it might be. It's a way of relaxing deep inside and just letting our experience come and go. Of course we like certain sounds and we don't like others. But we don't have to chase after them to hold on or push away. Just let it come and let it go. It's like the sound just washes through you. And bring your attention to the feeling of your body. Bring your attention to your hands. See if you can make that shift from the more conceptual level like fingers to the world of direct sensation. Pulsing, Throbbing, Pressure. You don't have to name those things, But feel them. And bring your attention to the feeling of your breath. At the nostrils, At the chest, Or at the abdomen, Wherever it's clearest for you. You can find that place and just rest. The Buddha said, Rest your attention lightly like a butterfly resting on a flower. And see if you can feel just one breath. You don't have to be concerned with what's already gone by. You don't have to lean forward for even the very next breath, Just this one. And the actual sensations of the breath. If you're at the nostrils, It may be tingling, Vibration, Warmth, Coolness. If at the chest or the abdomen, It may be movement, Pressure, Stretching, Release. Again, Not to name them, But feel them. This is where we rest our attention. This is where we rest our attention. And if you like, You can use a very quiet mental notation of in, Out, Or rising, Falling, To support the awareness of the breath, But very quiet. So that your attention really is with those sensations of each breath. And as sounds or images or sensations or emotions arise, If they're not very strong, If you can stay connected to the feeling of the breath, Just let them flow on by, Your breathing. They can come and go, It doesn't matter. Here it's likened to seeing a friend in a crowd. You don't have to shove aside everybody else and say, Go away, You're bothering me. But your interest, Your enthusiasm is going, There's my friend, There's the breath, There's the breath. But if something is strong enough to take your attention away, Or you get lost in thought, You fall asleep, Don't worry about it. Remember that the magic moment is the moment when you realize you've been gone. That's the moment. Where we can practice that kind of kindness toward ourselves, Just let go, It doesn't matter. It's really okay, Whatever it was, It's okay. You can let go, Bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath. Remember that you can always, Always begin again. It doesn't matter how long you've been distracted for, It doesn't matter where your attention has gone. And when you feel ready, You can open your eyes.