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Guided Meditation: Pleasure

Welcome to our time for breathing. At least breathing mindfully, carefully, and attentively. I think of the breathing as a thread that runs through our whole life. Like sewing, a thread that's threading through our life. It's one of the most consistent things that we can become aware of every day, that just accompanies us through our whole life. And it's something we share with all kinds of creatures—all these mammals and terrestrial animals that also breathe and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. It's part of our shared, not only humanity, but shared life on this planet, to be breathing.

And to really stay close to the breath, to attend to it, to receive it, to feel it, to settle down into the experience of breathing, turns out to be one of the great gifts. One of the things it does is that it begins settling down, calming an overactive mind. It starts reassuring an anxious heart. It starts awakening some of the most beautiful qualities of peace, well-being, love, and a kind of delight in the simplicity of just being here. And from time to time, to dip into this simplicity is medicine, or a bath that cleanses us, or medicine that revives us so that we can go and live the more complicated life that we live, hopefully changed for the better by our time with the breathing.

So, to begin, find a meditation posture. If your body was going to do the mindfulness, if your body was going to be attentive, if you were going to use all the senses in your body to be awake—place yourself in a posture that allows for a little alertness and awakeness. And gently close your eyes.

As you exhale, settle into the spot where you're sitting, where you're meditating. As you exhale, relax your shoulders. Soften the belly. Relax the muscles of your face. As you exhale, relax your whole body as if you're settling in for the long term. This is where you're going to be.

And if parts of your body feel tense or agitated, it's not easy to relax. See if you can be okay with that. Let that just be there in a very simple way, maybe in the background. There's an art to allowing our discomforts to be a gentle reminder to stay present. They tend to bring us into the present moment. Let that be a simple attention to the present without getting preoccupied or concerned, trying to fix or think too much about the discomfort. Just think of it as a little aid, a support for being here and present.

And then in a moment, you can take a little journey. I call it the three-breath journey. See if you can give yourself over to an intimacy, to really savoring or attending completely to three in-breaths and three out-breaths. You can count them so you really stay. Let everything else recede, and for those three breaths, just breathe now.

And then doing it again, a three-breath journey. But imagine that you are threading a needle, or threading very precisely some piece of cloth. Bring your attention precisely into some particular place that feels good to feel the breathing. And then really, for three breaths, zero in on this place. Just thread the needle of three breaths again.

And then relax again. Relaxing into the body breathing.

For the final time, a three-breath journey. This time, imagine that you are an open window and the breathing is the wind, the breeze that blows through it. It's an image of receptivity. Receiving the inhale, and allowing the exhale.

And then opening your awareness wider to be aware of the global body. Be aware of the sensations, the feelings in the body more globally. Open, receptive. Maybe even an expansive awareness of the body.

Within this body, as part of the body, become aware of the continuity of breathing. The breath that threads together one moment to the next. That connects you to the continuity of the present moment. Just here in this body. Receptive, open to breathing. Breathing in the wide, receptive container of your body.

Gently, without trying to do too much except to notice and be aware, continue feeling your breathing in the body. But gently, lightly be aware of any tension or agitation in the body as well. Maybe imagining that your breathing breathes through it, or breathes with it in a reassuring, settling way. Just feel the places of holding agitation.

And then as you exhale, see if you can relax more fully. Or maybe even better, release your body. Release the holding so that the edges of your body begin to melt or become softer. With no sharp line between your body and the space around you. Breathing with the softening.

And then also notice any present moment experiences, feelings of pleasure, well-being, comfort, coziness, settledness, or calmness. Even if you're still feeling agitated or tense in some way, see if there are also some good feelings that are here. Maybe as part of the global experience of the body, or maybe some place very particular.

Breathe with the pleasure, with the good feelings. Maybe a very small half smile. Just gentle. It augments the feeling of well-being or pleasure.

And then relaxing your mind, softening your thoughts, quietening. As you quiet the mind, let yourself feel more of the breathing. Maybe imagining that the breathing is sewing together one moment after the other, sewing you to the present moment. Breathing in and breathing out.

And if there is any pleasure, anything pleasant about this continuity of attention on the breathing, resting with the breathing, receiving the breathing, allowing breathing to fill you, fill your attention—enjoy that pleasure. Enjoy the well-being in such a way that it helps you stay connected to the breathing. Helps you to stay connected with a quiet mind. A quiet mind that can feel better, feel more fully the goodness of just sitting here focusing on the breathing.

And then, for the last couple of minutes of this sitting, allow^[1] yourself, if it's possible, to feel whatever settledness^[2], calm, or contentment you might have. Whatever is pleasant or feels good. Breathe with it. Spread it through your body.

And if you're agitated, restless, or impatient, then^[3] maybe you can go find someplace deep inside, underneath it all, where you can sit and rest for just these last couple of minutes.

And then, if possible, see if you can find someplace inside—maybe in your heart area—of tenderness, care, love, goodwill. A place of tenderness where these things live for you. And breathe with this tenderness, softness, or inner warmth.

Breathing in the people of your life, the suffering of the world. And breathing out kindness and goodwill. Breathing out your wish for the welfare and happiness of others. Sending others your goodwill.

May all of you be happy. May all of you be safe. May all of you be healthy. May all of you be free.^[4]

And may we find how to share in the goodwill with each other. To share in mutual respect, delight, and happiness as we go about these next 24 hours.