Patience

We cannot force habits to change, for wounds to heal, or for the mind to be quiet. All we can do is provide the conditions for these things to take place, and then allow for the unfolding of time. So it doesn't matter whether it's our meditation or another part of our life, the temptation with anything is to try and get it done quickly, to try and force the situation in some way. It tends to be how most of us live our lives. But the mind is one thing that can't really be forced. In fact, the more we try to force it the less compliant it becomes. So when we sit to meditate we can't expect the mind to immediately be quiet, and if we try to make it quiet it's only likely to increase the intensity of thought. In the same way, if we have perhaps a longstanding pattern of thinking, or feeling that we wish we could let go of, we might want that to disappear immediately when we begin meditating. But all we can do is set up the right conditions, the framework, for time to take care of these things. And we have no idea when we begin how long it will take, we're not even doing it with the expectation of result. We're simply sitting, watching, observing the mind. So just taking a moment or two to settle the body, making sure you're sat comfortably, that you're not gonna be disturbed. We'll begin with the eyes open. Aware of the space around you. And some big, deep breaths, breathing in through the nose, and out through the mouth. (silence) And with the next out breath, closing the eyes. And just feeling the weight of the body, the weight of gravity pressing down. Noticing how the weight falls, if it falls evenly. And noticing where else you feel those points of contact. (silence) And as you begin to notice any sounds rather than resisting the sounds, allowing them to come and go, just beginning to notice all the different sounds around you. (silence) And having taken a moment just to settle the body, just starting to notice how the body feels right now. If there's this sense of heaviness or lightness in the body. Any sense of stillness, restlessness. (silence) And then as you begin at the top of the body, top of the head, just scanning down, noticing any particular sensations, just building up a picture of how the body feels. (silence) And if you haven't done already, to notice the breath. In a very general way to begin with. Just noticing, maybe you feel it more in the chest, the stomach, diaphragm. Not breathing in any special way, but just noticing where you feel that movement. (silence) And just starting to notice the length of each breath. Each in breath, each out breath. Just following it from the beginning to the end. (silence) And as you continue to follow that movement,...