Tara Brach - Meditation: Arriving in Open Presence (2018-12-19) -

Episode Date: December 20, 2018

Meditation: Arriving in Open Presence (2018-12-19) - This meditation begins with a receptive opening to body sensations and sounds, and the invitation to rest in wakeful presence. We are reminded that each time we awaken from thoughts and arrive again in presence, we are deepening the pathway home. The sitting closes with a brief lovingkindness prayer. Free download of Tara's 10 min meditation: "Mindful Breathing: Finding Calm and Ease" when you join her email list.

The following meditation is led by Tara Brock. To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com. The stillness, notice the settling, inviting yourself fully right here, feeling the movement of the breath and sensing the breath in the area of the heart, listening inwardly, just offering in that inquiry,

what really brings me, to practice. What's my deepest intention right now? What is my aspiration for being here? In the stillness, notice the awareness that's already here, that which is listening, that stillness, which is aware of aliveness, the space that everything's happening in, resting in that awareness and gently scanning through the body, sensing from the inside out, the experience of energy, and aliveness. You might sense the region of the brow and soften the eyes. Just be receptive to the light and darkness, the flickering, the sensations. You might bring a slight smile to the lips. Even feel a smile inside the mouth. Let the tongue fill the upper palate, relaxing down to the

root of the tongue, receiving the whole play of sensation in the mouth. Let the shoulders the shoulders gently fall away from the neck, and feeling from the inside out, letting the shoulders be filled with awareness so you can feel the sensations, whether it's tightness and pressure, tingling, vibrating, and if there's a lot of tension in the shoulders,

sense that it's possible to let it float a little in awareness, noticing how the hands can rest in an easy way, way, an effortless way, softening the hands and softening again, feeling the hands from the inside out, the sensations being received by awareness. I might sense an openness at the chest and feeling from the inside out the region of the heart, a receptive listening attention, aware of the energy and the felt sense in the area of the heart, still feeling that softening in the hands and also softening in the belly. So this next breath can be received deep in the torso, received by a softening belly,

this breath, and now this one, and again, waking up the awareness deep in the torso, opening and awakening through the pelvic region, feeling from the inside out, receiving sensations and awareness. Let awareness fill the legs so you can feel the length and the volume of the legs. Let awareness fill the feet. Receiving the sensations, pressure, tingling, vibrating, and widening the lens to feel this whole body simultaneously, a field of sensation, continuing to widen the attention, including the play of sound.

So you're listening not just with your ears but your whole awareness, listening moment to moment sounds, sensations, feelings, all appearing, disappearing in the space of awareness. You might sense in the foreground of awareness the simple inflow and outflow of the breath, resting with the breath as a way of keeping the mind steady and right here, still including the sounds and other sensations. You're listening to and feeling the moment-to-moment experience. Let your practice be simple. The mind will naturally drift off into thoughts.

time travel into the future or past. Not a problem. Just with interest, gentleness, reopen the attention, sounds, right here, sensations, feelings. And in the background, that alert inner stillness, that essence of awareness, that's our true home. It doesn't matter how many times the mind drifts,

What matters is that each time you wake up, you reopen into presence, you're strengthening the pathway home, arrive with gentleness, with interest, noticing again the sounds that are right here, perhaps re-relaxing a bit, see what you can let go of, relaxing the heart. And again, sensing in the foreground, this life breath, the inflow and outflow, the sounds, the sensations that are here, and in the background, this open, awake presence, our true nature, the light of our being. We close with some loving kindness. noticing the awareness that's here, the open-hearted awareness and offering to your own being

whatever prayer or wish of loving-kindness like to offer, whatever resonates in this moment as a wish to yourself, with sincerity offering that inwardly. And sensing this heart space as all-inclusive, including all that are here, all that are joining us, joining us non-locally, all beings in all forms. May all beings be filled with loving kindness, held in loving kindness. May all beings touch great and natural peace. May all beings awaken and be free. Namaste.