Guided Meditation
Ajahn Brahm conducts an intermediate/ advanced meditation class for approximately one hour. Ajahn Brahm teaches about developing a feeling of safety and physical health in meditation. The Q&A was not recorded but held in the reception area to allow for the hall to be used for BSWA AGM registration from 4pm. Support us on: https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa BSWA teachings are available: BSWA Teachings BSWA Podcast Channel BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel BSWA YouTube
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Key passages
The teacher's own words, quoted from the transcript below and chosen automatically as representative.
- 7:45
Never got infected, but always felt so much pain free because of her kindness and my belief in a mother's love. And that's what we try and do here. Sometimes we don't call it mindfulness here. We call it kindfulness.
- 14:57
I have lots of time. I just focus on each toe, not just the toes, one at a time. I can do that. Imagine how that feels. The fact that I'm still enough mindful enough to be able to focus on mindfulness serves the purpose of relaxing every toe.
- 36:49
I'm in this moment, kind to this moment. Kindfulness. And I know from so many years of meditation experience, if I'm concerned about the future, now is where my future is being made. And that convinces me, legitimately, when I'm focusing in this moment, I'm not neglecting the future, I'm creating a future, and your future as well.
- 37:34
And that's really cool. And I stay with present moment first. And then I make sure I feel this. My mindfulness is on the feeling of peace.
- 50:16
close to the end of the meditation. How do you feel? This is how we learn about meditation. How it feels. It
Transcript
0:00 Okay? Okay. Report an error in the passage at 0:00
0:06 So I can't do too many of my silly stories. We'll just really get into the meditation. Would it be... I'll just do all of today? Okay. So that'll be sort of separate. Who's doing that one? Natalie? Okay, good. So if you want to take your seats and before three o 'clock. Report an error in the passage at 0:06
0:44 Excellent. Report an error in the passage at 0:44
0:47 It's only two minutes to go. So Report an error in the passage at 0:47
0:55 the beginner's introduction to meditation class is the room on my right. As you go out, turn right, and the next room is where we hold the introduction to meditation class. We do like an introduction class because sometimes when people start meditating, there's a certain level of introduction and advice which we like to give. In here they found deal with some of the obstacles which come up with meditation and so because of that we found it useful to split the two classes. Report an error in the passage at 0:55
1:37 One of the things you notice which people do here is whenever you are ready to turn on the streaming whatever it is, please do so. Report an error in the passage at 1:37
1:50 Whenever we have the introduction class we introduce the walking meditation and the walking meditation can be done just outside of here on the grass because there's not a large number of people in the introduction to meditation class. Over here there's just too many people so we cannot do the walking meditation in a small place. Report an error in the passage at 1:50
2:18 Nevertheless, the walking, moving, and also you find how just slowing down the pace of your walking, learning how to walk slowly, means you have to be much more mindful. Many people have told me that it's very similar to those people who learn how to dance. Because if you're a dancer, you have to be very, very, very mindful of the feelings. Report an error in the passage at 2:18
2:48 ...in your legs and also be very kind to them so they can relax and move much more gracefully. And when I started learning walking meditation, to me it was amazing how many muscles have to move. I had to be aware of them all and also not forcing them but letting them flow. And that was exactly the same way I would meditate. Report an error in the passage at 2:48
3:17 Sitting down, let things flow in the body. Let things flow even in the mind. It's so useful to relax the body. How do you relax the body? You don't relax the body with force. You relax the body with learning how to let it be, learning how to be kind to it. Sometimes it's something you may have learned when you were a baby. Report an error in the passage at 3:17
3:46 Learning how to relax, feel safe, feel calm, and you can go into a bed and sleep so easily. But a lot of times we've lost that. We want to control. We want to keep ourselves safe. And that's one of the first things which I mentioned in meditation. Please look out for your personal safety. In other words, safe, I mean that most people who are here, You know, are keeping their precepts, their five precepts, which is just like a vow to be safe to others, not to kill, not to steal, not commit adultery, not to lie, not to take alcohol or drugs, which bend, you know, your will. Report an error in the passage at 3:46
4:30 You're not really aware of what you're doing. Sometimes you can do some harmful things if you're on drugs or alcohol. But here, because we renounce those things, the people you're sitting next to, the people around you, are kind people. So you don't have to worry about anything. And that allows you, first of all, just to focus on the body without having to focus on other things in life which you may be scared of. Report an error in the passage at 4:30
4:58 If you go in a bus or you go in the... You don't want to be worried like that, you know, when you're out having a nice time somewhere. And this is the nicest of times, learning how to meditate and becoming someone who enjoys the peace and the happiness of that meditation. When you can do that, wow, this meditation is seen to be one of the best things in the world. But if you're worried about something, if you have anxiety, of course it doesn't work. Report an error in the passage at 4:58
5:30 We have so many people in this room. And the last thing you want is something. So that's what we guarantee in here. And so when you are sitting down, you can actually close your eyes and feeling that there's nothing to really have to open your eyes for to protect yourself. It's a safe venue. And they're not just those ordinary things of safety. The next thing is your physical health. Report an error in the passage at 5:30
5:57 I always notice when I come in here that some people have got pains there, they've got sicknesses somewhere, they've got injuries, they've broken something or whatever. We have to make sure that when we are starting meditating, we don't make anything worse and in fact we can make it even much better. Report an error in the passage at 5:57
6:20 I've been doing this meditation meditation for so long. I just know, experience, of how this meditation can overcome so so many many physical Physical, okay, I've said this before, I don't lie, but I'm not going to prove it to you here now. So many sicknesses, so many stuff which can harm you, and instead you can almost heal. Report an error in the passage at 6:20
6:48 A lot of times, just a simple, very poor, a lot of times spent hours and hours and hours playing soccer on the street. And often if, you know, you had the game going on the street and if you fell over, it wasn't on grass, it was on concrete or stone slabs, the paving stones. And then when you fell over, you scraped the skin off your knees. And so I just remember, even now so many times, just having scabs of dried blood on my knees. Report an error in the passage at 6:48
7:26 Because of soccer injuries. And if it really just happened and I was hurting, and as soon as she knelt down and put her germ ridden mouth on my knee and kissed it, it always got better. Never got infected, but always felt so much pain free because of her kindness and my belief in a mother's love. Report an error in the passage at 7:26
7:55 And that's what we try and do here. Sometimes we don't call it mindfulness here. We call it kindfulness. We add just a short, a small change to the title. It's not just being aware. It's being aware with a lot of kindness to your body. So when I introduce the sweeping my kindfulness meditation to them and they relax. Report an error in the passage at 7:55
8:25 There's something extra to that approach of kindfulness rather than thinking and naming and that is you're starting to be aware of things not just through theories but through your emotional reaction to them. You can feel toes and you may very well argue, yeah, it's just toes, so what? It's a waste of time. I want to get to the deep stuff. Report an error in the passage at 8:25
8:53 No, this is the deep stuff. You're learning how to feel. And that's really, I found it very, very helpful when I get to, you know, an upper part of my body, the torso. And there are so many organs. There's so many places where things like cancers and diseases eventually end up. In order to actually to be healthy, you're aware. Report an error in the passage at 8:53
9:20 Not just what you think it is, but how you feel it is. I can feel, please excuse me, my organs. You can feel my digestive tract. I can feel my lungs. Report an error in the passage at 9:20
9:39 I ask my lungs, how are you? And my lungs give me honest answers. And my heart gives me honest answers. You can feel it. I can feel it if it's sick, if it's stressed out. And I can feel it if it's at peace and relaxed. And I know how to bring it from any state of anxiety or stress into feelings of peace and happiness and freedom. Report an error in the passage at 9:39
10:15 And of course, you know what that does to the body. What is peace like? What is freedom? What is that beautiful happiness? Report an error in the passage at 10:15
10:27 The moment I've just started this meditation, just by describing it, I know just through much experience that soon my body will relax so much, all the parts of my body, not just my toes or my heart or my lungs, the whole lot. Report an error in the passage at 10:27
10:50 And I know how to bring it to peace, to stillness, to the sense of freedom. There's no pushing or pulling, no confining. Everything is like free, like a bird. And then when I feel all the parts of my body free, at ease, no stress on them, nothing to compete, nothing to... I was going to say complete, but I like compete, that's a better word. Just sitting here, just being, and being free, feeling it, not thinking it. Report an error in the passage at 10:50
11:27 And to me that is... A more basic experience of meditation, but it's also so pleasurable. My body sometimes feels so... I don't know how to describe it. So nice, so free, so pleasant. I enjoy it. I enjoy it amazingly. Report an error in the passage at 11:27
11:50 I don't make it up. That's why I want to share that with you. Because once you get the body feeling the joy and the happiness, Report an error in the passage at 11:50
12:00 It disappears. It slowly fades away. Everything relaxes to the max. Like at night time when you go to sleep. Isn't it wonderful if the body can just disappear so you can go into a nice deep sleep? This is what we do when we start meditating. Report an error in the passage at 12:00
12:24 We calm the body down so much part disappears first and then Usually the reason why we do the breath a lot is because the breath is one of the last parts of the body which calms down. It's always happening, always breathing, unless you get really deep in meditation. But you don't need much oxygen soon, which means that the intensity of the breath gets less and less and less. Report an error in the passage at 12:24
12:58 It gets so smooth. Just a light breeze going in and out of your body. It feels so pleasant. When it feels pleasant, that's when it can disappear. Report an error in the passage at 12:58
13:12 So that's a brief introduction of what's going to happen. So if you haven't started already, please get yourself into a comfortable position. You want to make the best out of the short period of time we have for meditation today. Report an error in the passage at 13:12
13:31 And then, just before 4 o 'clock, I will ring the gong to finish the meditation. And afterwards, we'll slowly just get up. There's no internet questions today. But for those who are here, any questions you have, they'll be answered in the community reception area afterwards. I'll move over there. So now please, if you haven't adjusted your posture, got it, so it's just nice for you. Report an error in the passage at 13:31
14:13 Don't worry about what you've been told. I've got my waist belt on too tight. I'm just going to loosen something. Report an error in the passage at 14:13
14:27 And when I do loosen something and the pressure goes off, I'm all relaxed. And that's what I use, that relaxation, that joy of relaxation. I use that. that experience to take me deeper. I feel my body and I add kindness, so it's kindful right now to my waist. I have lots of time. I just focus on each toe, not just the toes, one at a time. Report an error in the passage at 14:27
15:12 I can do that. Imagine how that feels. Report an error in the passage at 15:12
15:22 The fact that I'm still enough mindful enough to be able to focus on mindfulness serves the purpose of relaxing every toe. Report an error in the passage at 15:22
15:37 It feels free. Report an error in the passage at 15:37
15:42 They're well positioned. Once Report an error in the passage at 15:42
15:51 my toes are relaxed, I just go up my feet underneath the big toes. It's just the way that I divide my feet. I can feel them. The left and the right. Report an error in the passage at 15:51
16:11 Relaxing them to the max. And Report an error in the passage at 16:11
16:19 I can do that. In fact, I keep my focus on them for a minute or two. And I'm conveying the intention. It's like I'm playing the mother. And kissing them and say, you'll be fine, you'll be fine. And they do get fine. Report an error in the passage at 16:19
16:42 So that little corner of each foot becomes really nice and relaxed. Honestly, when I relax my body, I feel the pleasure of it. So I really get into it. And I move further up my foot to the insteps of both feet. Report an error in the passage at 16:42
17:09 I don't go fast. I wait till I can feel something. There's a certain type of sensation which I can only feel on my insteps. And it feels relaxed. I open it out a bit more and it feels more relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 17:09
17:35 And then on the top of my feet, I now notice I need to open the legs slightly just to adjust it a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 17:35
17:47 It's a beautiful thing to do, to know your body so well. And even your feet, you can just move them slightly and they're so much more relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 17:47
18:00 And then I go up from my feet to my heels. There's not much... One thing I like to do, I just imagine those two heels sinking deeper into the cushion, relaxing them a little bit more. Report an error in the passage at 18:00
18:23 It's just like, you know, the people I live with and see, you want to give some kindness to each one of you. I'm not ignoring you. I'm not ignoring the feelings in my feet, even my heels, which have very little problems. Report an error in the passage at 18:23
18:46 Relax. And I'm gentle to them, they're gentle to me. And I go up to my ankles. Unkindfully, I should have said. And they can sprain the ankles. I look at my ankles and they're really at peace. Report an error in the passage at 18:46
19:10 I give them a bit extra kindfulness. Relax them a tiny bit more. And I notice... From my ankles down to my toes of each foot, I've relaxed everything there. And they do feel more at ease. Report an error in the passage at 19:10
19:35 They do feel relaxed, safe, comfortable. And they know they can't get into any trouble. Classified, healthy, at ease. And Report an error in the passage at 19:35
19:52 so I go up further from my ankles to the calves of my legs. Report an error in the passage at 19:52
20:03 Yesterday, At Adana, I spilt some tea on my legs. I was quite surprised. I thought it was school to me. Nothing. I don't know why, because it was a bit illogical to me. I think it's probably just because you built up mindfulness and kindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 20:03
20:28 You know how to protect the skin and the bones and the flesh inside the muscles. Skin going up. Centimeter by centimeter up both legs, relaxing as I go. It does work. Report an error in the passage at 20:28
20:51 When I get to my knees, that lower part of my legs, I'm at ease. I usually really do this. I Report an error in the passage at 20:51
21:10 go up to my knees and my focus is just on that part of the body, my two knees. It's like sometimes it may be like a hundred people in a year. I just look at one person and answer their questions and give them kindness. Report an error in the passage at 21:10
21:31 Now, the only thing in my body I'm focusing on, oh my goodness, they respond. They don't just feel relaxed. They feel beautiful, joyful. It's in my knees. It's like they're free. Report an error in the passage at 21:31
21:59 After a little cough because my throat needed some attention. I go back, back to my knees, relaxing to the max. Muscles, skin there, there's the bones, the blood vessels and stuff. I can feel a little ache in my legs. Maybe just walking this morning, a bit of tiredness, but nothing much. So I suggest they relax, Report an error in the passage at 21:59
22:39 to relax anything tired, being stretched. I let go of both ends. When you let go, then it works. I feel my legs, especially my left leg, left thigh, start to get so at ease. Report an error in the passage at 22:39
23:00 And that feels pleasant. And Report an error in the passage at 23:00
23:06 then I go above my thighs and my butt, the buttock muscles. Pressure of my body, my weight, squashing that area to keep my body Erect on the cushion. You can feel that sensation. I know it. I'm not worried about it. I know you kind of wish it away. It goes away by itself. A continuous, constant sensation from registering it. Report an error in the passage at 23:06
23:46 It's not important to the brain. So it disappears. My job is just to notice it. Make it as even as possible over the buttock muscles and then it will disappear. And that's how that feeling from the waist down, bottom, legs disappears for me. It's relaxed. It allows me to start focusing on my torso. Sometimes I go up my back first of all. Report an error in the passage at 23:46
24:30 Many years ago I had an injury to my back, so I know what it feels like when it's stronger, so much more powerful and so much safer. Report an error in the passage at 24:30
24:40 So I just bend that back a little bit. I think I remember the phrase those people use, call it lordosis. So the back is nicely bent. It feels strong. Then I go back to my waist again. Report an error in the passage at 24:40
25:04 And start going up the internal part of the body. It is usually going up the digestive tracts down the bottom of my body. Report an error in the passage at 25:04
25:14 And as I go up them, as I finish my lunch, I have a sense of comfort of having a good digestion. Report an error in the passage at 25:14
25:28 You feel that. As I sweep my body up very slowly and gently, up my body, centimeter by centimeter. Report an error in the passage at 25:28
25:41 Being kindful and that kindness added to mindfulness. To me that was an important key. Report an error in the passage at 25:41
25:52 My whole body starts to relax from the waist, going upwards. As I go up, sometimes I can feel what I take to be organs close to my back, like kidneys and livers and stuff. I make sure that I feel At ease, relaxed to the max. Any sort of strange feeling at any of those places, I just give it kindness and that helps relax things. Report an error in the passage at 25:52
26:35 Just like my mother's kissing it better. Honey, I'm the mother of my kidneys and liver. And that's my health practice. Report an error in the passage at 26:35
26:50 And you go up the colon and then the... Practice and practice. Report an error in the passage at 26:50
26:55 You can get to know it, feel it. And right now my stomach is at peace, no indigestion there. And you know that mindfulness of the body, how it feels, how free and safe it feels. And I do mention this often for the women here, just always feel... So much sympathy, honestly, that you have to deal with the threats of breast cancer. They're part of you. Report an error in the passage at 26:55
27:42 Just like, you know, I ask you a question, you give me that answer. If I had breasts, I would ask them, how are you, left breast? How are you, right breast? Report an error in the passage at 27:42
27:51 You can feel them. Be well. Wish them well. Wish them happiness. But as a man, I get more concerned with getting to my stomach and wishing that peace. Report an error in the passage at 27:51
28:06 From the stomach going up to my lungs. My lungs, I do have hay fever. So a lot of time I can feel the air is not as free as it could be. I do have allergies to sunflowers. And I'm the one who sits closest to them. But it's not bad. I'm aware and kind. It's not a problem. Report an error in the passage at 28:06
28:39 I always like that area. I know roughly where my heart is. I focus on that area and give it a beautiful kindfulness. I care about you, your health and the surrounds which allows my heart to breathe. It's not breathe, but to pulse. Report an error in the passage at 28:39
29:03 Not fast, not slow, but whatever it needs. I'm not going to try and control you, heart. I can feel its happiness because that's what I associate with that area because all the kindfulness which I can give to others and all the kindness and care you give me back, which is immense, thank you. Report an error in the passage at 29:03
29:32 I've gone through all of my major organs, shoulders, Report an error in the passage at 29:32
29:40 and I often notice this in meditation. My shoulders are sometimes abnormally tense. I Report an error in the passage at 29:40
29:52 can feel that tension now. So what I do to relax them, you may find this is a bit strange. I tense up those muscles. I scrunch up my neck. I scrunch up as much as I can and then let go. Report an error in the passage at 29:52
30:14 It always works. I can feel the scrunching up, the tension. And when I let go, it reminds me of the importance of letting go. Report an error in the passage at 30:14
30:30 You're not doing anything. You're letting these muscles in my shoulders relax to the max. They do it, not me. And they're always more relaxed afterwards than they were at the beginning. I've done the job of relaxing my shoulders and allow that feeling to go down my arms. Nothing much happens. Report an error in the passage at 30:30
31:00 Many people have injuries to elbows. I just go past my elbows like my knees. You know, the elbows have a different feeling to the knees. Elbow feeling. And I relax it as much as I possibly can. Report an error in the passage at 31:00
31:21 I go down the forearms, relaxing them as I go. Get to the wrists. People do have difficulty with wrists. The way I've got my hands, one hand over the other, it's not putting any abnormal pressure on either elbow. Report an error in the passage at 31:21
31:46 It's a little act of kindness to my wrists and Report an error in the passage at 31:46
31:55 usually I put my right wrist on top of my left wrist and then I go to my fingers ask how are they and they said they need to be moved. At last I get to them and I change the position of my fingers just Report an error in the passage at 31:55
32:20 the left fingers underneath the right fingers. With the thumbs slightly touching. It feels good. I've looked after my fingers and they realise that. Report an error in the passage at 32:20
32:36 I've been kind to them and they show me appreciation, pleasure. And I'm saying thank you. And I just pause there a moment because it's a very wonderful pleasure and I like to enjoy it. So then I go back up to my neck and my neck I can feel it a bit tight. Report an error in the passage at 32:36
33:05 But not too much. I adjust the position of my head on top of the neck. Not too much to the left, not too much to the right. Report an error in the passage at 33:05
33:17 But I always like to push it back slightly, a tiny bit. It tends to be more or less prone to falling over and hunching. I can feel the position of my head on top of my neck. It feels good. Report an error in the passage at 33:17
33:40 Do you want it to be moved anymore? Why ask? No. And then lastly, I feel the sensations on my face. Back of my head, I don't really feel anything. Inside the head, there's supposed to be no nerve endings in the brain. So I look at the front of my head, at the face, and check how my eyes are, and my mouth, and my nose. Report an error in the passage at 33:40
34:18 I close my eyes but not shut down hard. As a gentle closure of the eyes as I can possibly manage. And the mouth gently closed. I Report an error in the passage at 34:18
34:34 know that if you screw your eyes down tightly people can recognize that as being afraid or being a control freak. I just do it so gently, so peacefully, so kindly. And my whole facial muscles relax. And Report an error in the passage at 34:34
35:01 that's about as... Relax as I can possibly make it and it's more than good enough. So then I go to the whole body. It's like I join all the parts together. Report an error in the passage at 35:01
35:14 And my goodness, it's relaxed. When Report an error in the passage at 35:14
35:21 it's relaxed, it gives me this feeling of happiness. Something's actually working. It's got nothing to do with my mind. It actually has, but I do this and I feel at ease, at peace. Report an error in the passage at 35:21
35:44 And I'm not afraid of enjoying it. I just spend one or two minutes. Sometimes when I teach meditation, I notice I'm not feeling those beautiful experiences of relaxation of my own body. Report an error in the passage at 35:44
36:01 So I pause. They always arise. They always come up. The pleasure of relaxation. Later on, you'll discover That pleasure of relaxation, when you can appreciate that, you'll then next appreciate the pleasure of silence, of a peaceful mind. Body comes first, then the mind becomes at ease, peaceful, silent. And that feels really nice. Report an error in the passage at 36:01
36:37 That's what I now do. Present moment awareness is the next thing. That's gone, I did my best. Report an error in the passage at 36:37
36:49 I'm in this moment, kind to this moment. Kindfulness. And I know from so many years of meditation experience, if I'm concerned about the future, now is where my future is being made. And that convinces me, legitimately, when I'm focusing in this moment, I'm not neglecting the future, I'm creating a future, and your future as well. Report an error in the passage at 36:49
37:34 And that's really cool. And Report an error in the passage at 37:34
37:40 I stay with present moment first. And Report an error in the passage at 37:40
37:58 then I make sure I feel this. My mindfulness is on the feeling of peace. I Report an error in the passage at 37:58
38:15 experience it with feeling. Peace is the feeling. Silence. Joy. So Report an error in the passage at 38:15
38:27 this is where I stop talking in meditation. I will now ring the gong when the time is up. Another 10 minutes, 20 minutes. Getting Report an error in the passage at 38:27
· · · silence, 12 minutes
50:16 close to the end of the meditation. How do you feel? Report an error in the passage at 50:16
50:30 This is how we learn about meditation. How it feels. It Report an error in the passage at 50:30
· · · silence, 1 minute
51:39 is now 5 minutes before 4. It won't be fair to ask for questions here. So now I would invite you all. So please, you can pay respects, do the bowing. And then if you wish to go outside, and a little bit of exercise, you can answer any questions. Report an error in the passage at 51:39
52:08 But please, once you're outside, if we can have somebody make that a one-way door, just to go out. And so when you come back in, just come back with this room on my right. So you can register for our AGM. Thank you for accommodating us. Report an error in the passage at 52:08
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Talk by Ajahn Brahm, recorded 24 May 2026. Original at Buddhist Society of Western Australia: https://podcast.bswa.org/e/guided-meditation-ajahn-brahm-23-may-2026/. Licensed No license stated; shared with the archive's knowledge (courtesy note). Transcript generated automatically and may contain errors; the audio is the authoritative version.
Listen on Buddhist Society of Western Australia · No license stated; shared with the archive's knowledge (courtesy note)