Tara Brach - Meditation: Relaxing Back into Presence (2015-10-07)

Episode Date: October 8, 2015

Meditation: Relaxing Back into Presence (2015-10-07) Free download of Tara’s new 10 min meditation: “Mindful Breathing: Finding Calm and Ease” when you join her email list.

Greetings. I'm Tara Brock and I'd like to welcome you to these podcasts. While the talks and meditations are offered freely, we'd very much appreciate your support. To make a donation or learn more about my schedule, please visit tarabrock.com and our IMCW.org. Thank you. As a way of arriving more fully, take some moments to scan through your body, bring the attention, really from the mind into this living body. You might soften the eyes, let the brow be smooth,

let the jaw be unhinged with a slight smile at the mouth, letting the shoulders fall away from the neck, relaxing back and down. See if you can feel the shoulders from the inside out, letting whatever tightness or tension might be there, just float a bit. perhaps untangle in awareness, softening the hands,

feeling the hands from the inside out, and softening them some more. See, if you can be receptive to the energy in the hands, the vibrating or tingling, the aliveness there, let there be an openness to the chest, that kind of undefended heart, feeling the heart from the inside out, just aware of the sensations,

the way energy plays there, loosening down the torso and letting this next breath be received in a softening belly. This breath, and now this one, and again, scanning down and relaxing through the pelvic region, again, feeling the life from the inside out. receptive and at ease.

You might sense the length, the volume of your legs, right down into the feet, feeling the feet from the inside out, aware of the tingling and vibrating and aliveness there. So if you widen the lens now, you can feel simultaneously this whole body is a field of sensation, relaxing with this aliveness, letting it play itself, let it live it through you,

including this field of energy, appearing and disappearing of sound, that you're listening to and feeling the whole moment, aware in the background of that presence, that alert inner stillness, that's aware of this whole play of phenomena. It's natural that the mind will, pop off from this presence, this being at home and move into thoughts, the future, the past. So our practice is simply when you notice the mind has left, has drifted into a kind of virtual

reality, thoughts, memories, worry, plan, just gently pause and arrive again, relaxing back, listening to the sounds, softening in the body and feeling the sensations that are right here. For some, settling with the breath, the inflow and the outflow of the breath, can be a stable way of knowing you're here, moment to moment, opening your attention to whatever is predominant. maybe a strong sensation, feeling, emotion. Just letting whatever wave is compelling call your attention, offering presence, just seeing what it's like, feeling it, allowing it to come and go.

Knowing that you're right here, right here, you might even mentally whisper the word here. And if something arises that's challenging, fear, great discomfort, in offering it presents, bring the gentleness and kindness of loving presence. And you'll find there's more space for whatever arises. Moment to moment, noticing what's happening, opening to the life that's right here. And when the attention drifts, pausing and relaxing back again, you might notice. You might notice where your attention is. If you find the mind's been drifting,

this is a time to practice that pathway back home again, opening out of thoughts and arriving again in this body and this heart in your senses. Right here. It's a relaxing back, relaxing open so that you hear the sounds that are right here. re-relaxing the parts of the body that habitually tense.

Maybe there's a little letting go in the shoulders, softening the hands, relaxing the belly, relaxing your heart, and your attention again to what's right here and now. Losing by bringing your attention to the heart, feeling the breath at the heart, and offering yourself a wish or prayer for your own happiness,

your own peace and freedom. Whatever words resonate, offering that inwardly with sincerity, and then sensing how you hold this world in your heart, offering your prayer to all beings, that all beings might be happy, all beings might touch great and natural peace, and that all beings awaken and be free.