6. Meditation 3

Notice the raw sensations in your body, and let everything be exactly as it is.

Once again take a comfortable seat and gradually become aware of the sensations of breathing.
You can focus wherever you feel the breath most clearly, either the tip of the nose or your chest or abdomen.
And just allow your attention to sink into the sensations of breathing, covering each moment.
See if you can feel the next inhalation the moment it starts all the way through to the end.
You notice the pause between breaths and feel the exhalation from the moment it begins until the moment it subsides.
And as you pay attention to the breath, become aware of the sensations and the rest of your body.
The feeling of your body in space, the pressure of your back against the chair or your legs against the cushion.
Feel the warmth or the coldness or the air on your skin.
The breath itself is a part of this field of sensation and it’s changing in every moment.
And notice that you’re not producing these sensations. They’re just appearing in consciousness.
Notice that you’re not producing your awareness of them either. You’re simply noticing what you notice in each moment.
Feel the pattern of energy and sensation that defines your face in this moment.
The warmth or tingling or tension. And so too with the back of your head.
And your neck. And chest. And back.
Feel your arms and hands.
And see if you can pay close enough attention to the pure sensations so that the shape of your body begins to fade.
You don’t actually feel the shape of your hands or arms or shoulders or head.
There’s just a cloud of sensation.
You simply notice the next thing you feel, whether it’s the movement of the breath or the appearance of any other feeling or perception in your body.
Once again, if you feel the shape of your body or think you do, if you feel the shape of your hands in this moment.
See if you can pay closer attention to the raw sensations of tingling or pressure, heat or cold.
Whatever’s there.
Now for the last minute of the session, let your mind simply be the space in which all of these changes appear spontaneously.
Don’t deliberately focus on anything. And simply notice what you happen to notice in each moment.
Okay. As you go about your day today and you find yourself getting stressed or moody or having a strong reaction to something,
see if you can remember to take a moment to practice. And by a moment, I really mean it can be just a moment.
It can be half a breath. Just pay close attention to your experience without resistance, without a plan, without making an attempt to change it.
Just be aware of your body for a moment at some point today. Let your mere attention to sensation, puncture whatever state you’re in or
whatever automatic reaction to the world got started. In the beginning, these moments might not seem very important or important at all.
But eventually, when you really know how to practice, you’ll find that you can actually connect with your deepest experience of meditation in an instant.
And this makes all the difference. Once again, thank you for taking the time to practice.