Friday Night Guided Meditation

0:00 And thank you all for coming. It's a good crowd. It's amazing. One of the byproducts of meditation, I sit here and I close my eyes and lead the meditation for half an hour. And by the end of that half an hour, the people here double in numbers. Somehow you imagine more people come in. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:24 Keep the doors open. It's the late comers mostly. But the people who come here early get the best seats. And there's still one of the best seats is not taken yet. An armchair. So if you really want to get some really deep meditation, as you sit in the armchair and go really, really deep. Any takers? Report an error in the passage at 0:24 Highlight the passage at 0:24

1:03 Sold, okay. And so anyone who's still got their cameras going, can you take a photograph now? No, that's great. So anyway, for meditation, we start off by closing our eyes and Report an error in the passage at 1:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03

1:25 we make our body as comfortable as it can possibly be. Report an error in the passage at 1:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25

1:33 We don't just practice mindfulness, we practice kindfulness, the Report an error in the passage at 1:33 Highlight the passage at 1:33

1:46 kindness and the mindfulness. Working together. So I usually start at the bottom of my physical frame, my feet. If I have time, why not? I start on my toes. Report an error in the passage at 1:46 Highlight the passage at 1:46

2:11 Because I've been practicing like this for such a long time now, I can feel my toes. And once you can feel them, you know how they are, then you ask them. Are you happy enough? Are you peaceful enough? Are you relaxed enough? Can I relax you even more? Asking a question of a part of your body arouses mindfulness, awareness of that part of the body. Report an error in the passage at 2:11 Highlight the passage at 2:11

2:47 And the kindness makes you find an even more comfortable position for them. So I do a little bit of movement at the beginning. Report an error in the passage at 2:47 Highlight the passage at 2:47

2:59 To make my toes feel even better. I care for the comfort of my body. Later on I'll care for the peace in my mind, which allows me to make that peace grow even deeper and more peaceful and stable. But starting with my toes. Even after all these years, I never find that boring. I find I can always relax my toes a little bit more. Report an error in the passage at 2:59 Highlight the passage at 2:59

3:38 I go to the balls of my feet and just check out how they are, give even them kindness and feel them relaxed too. And then the soles of my feet and the heels, I can feel them and relax them some more. Report an error in the passage at 3:38 Highlight the passage at 3:38

4:10 I go to the uppers of my feet, nothing really hurting there, but nevertheless I can still relax. I kind of imagine that my feet are soaking in a warm bowl of hot water, Report an error in the passage at 4:10 Highlight the passage at 4:10

4:30 totally at ease, not hot, not cold, with no pressure or strain on them at all, which allows them to take a natural shape, no force, no stretching or contracting, so my feet can relax. Report an error in the passage at 4:30 Highlight the passage at 4:30

4:55 I go to my ankles. Report an error in the passage at 4:55 Highlight the passage at 4:55

5:01 My ankles are usually very comfortable. Today they're a bit tight, I'm not quite sure why. But even my ankles, I imagine them being massaged until they get so at ease. Report an error in the passage at 5:01 Highlight the passage at 5:01

5:19 They go up my legs, my calves and my legs. Not just the muscles inside, even imagining the bones becoming soft, the skin surrounding them becoming at ease. Not hot, not cold, not itchy, but just so peaceful that after a while they can kind of vanish. Report an error in the passage at 5:19 Highlight the passage at 5:19

5:47 And then I go to my knees. Many people have problems with their knees and now I decide to relax my knees, to relax them, see where there's any tension and see if I can let go of the cause of that tension. Report an error in the passage at 5:47 Highlight the passage at 5:47

6:11 Sometimes I imagine my knees just even getting closer to the ground. Maybe I'm sitting cross-legged, but they can still go a little bit further down. Not through force, but it's like gravity pulling them further down. So they're really, really, really comfortable. And going up my thighs, usually nothing happening there. And after the thighs, going to my buttocks. Report an error in the passage at 6:11 Highlight the passage at 6:11

6:48 There's always a feeling of pressure, the weight of my body being pressed against the cushion so I can transfer my weight to the ground. As I'm sitting like that, I Report an error in the passage at 6:48 Highlight the passage at 6:48

7:08 just make sure that feeling is well balanced. I know it disappears by itself shortly. Then I notice my waist. By this time I've cultivated A little bit of mindfulness, a little bit of kindness and that's helping me relax to the max. Report an error in the passage at 7:08 Highlight the passage at 7:08

7:35 But with my waist is the position which I know is the best for long meditation. And again, because I've been doing this such a long time, I get in that position which keeps my back straight and my waist sort of... of a bit sort of contracted but strong Report an error in the passage at 7:35 Highlight the passage at 7:35

8:00 If you prefer to lean against the wall or the cushions, fine. Find out what works for you. The mindfulness allows you to get feedback. The kindness doesn't stop until you've found... Now my back Report an error in the passage at 8:00 Highlight the passage at 8:00

8:27 feels great. So I go down to the Bottom of my torso, and I start to scan my kindfulness up the torso. And Report an error in the passage at 8:27 Highlight the passage at 8:27

8:50 if I, as I'm scanning upwards, carefully, not missing anything, if I feel any tightness, tension or pain, I will pause at that point. Report an error in the passage at 8:50 Highlight the passage at 8:50

9:03 Pause and give a lot of kindness into that area. That's the kindfulness. It comes in and it relaxes everything. I'm not quite sure if that is a danger to my health later on, just a little bit of irritation. Report an error in the passage at 9:03 Highlight the passage at 9:03

9:26 It could be an inflammation happening or a cancer happening or whatever else is there, but I feel it, not afraid. And relax it until that irritation, that tightness, that tension vanishes. And when it does vanish, Report an error in the passage at 9:26 Highlight the passage at 9:26

9:48 It's amazing how the problem vanishes too, the cause. I keep scanning up my body into my intestines and everything seems to be all at ease there. Go up into my stomach and just relax everything there too and Report an error in the passage at 9:48 Highlight the passage at 9:48

10:20 in my lungs. It's easy to relax my lungs when I'm meditating because you don't need much air. I'm not doing exercise. My metabolism has gone way down. But Report an error in the passage at 10:20 Highlight the passage at 10:20

10:41 I don't force my lungs. I just let them be. Relaxation never comes from force or control. Relaxation comes from letting things be. Then Report an error in the passage at 10:41 Highlight the passage at 10:41

11:02 I go to my heart region and I relax everything around there too. Just let my heart beat as it wants to do. Report an error in the passage at 11:02 Highlight the passage at 11:02

11:19 When you look at something with kindness, Even the kindness takes away fear and the fear allows you to relax. Now Report an error in the passage at 11:19 Highlight the passage at 11:19

11:35 go to my shoulders, the top of my torso. As I'm noticing the feeling in my shoulders, I learn how to relax them as well. Report an error in the passage at 11:35 Highlight the passage at 11:35

11:48 Everybody should have their eyes shut so no one's looking at you. Report an error in the passage at 11:48 Highlight the passage at 11:48

11:55 With your eyes shut, you relax your shoulders until you get the optimum. Position of relaxation. Report an error in the passage at 11:55 Highlight the passage at 11:55

12:09 When you're relaxed, it does feel good. You're more open, more peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 12:09 Highlight the passage at 12:09

12:19 You're letting your body know that you're not going to control it through your mind. It controls itself. And I go down my arms, past my elbows, down the forearms to the wrists, and finally to my hands. I did a little giggle there to myself. Because even though I'm mindful and care about my body, I always put my fingers in an uncomfortable position at first. Report an error in the passage at 12:19 Highlight the passage at 12:19

12:56 So now I'm going to change the position of my fingers. I usually like what's most comfortable. It's just the right hand over the left hand with the thumb slightly touching. Report an error in the passage at 12:56 Highlight the passage at 12:56

13:11 It's the most comfortable for me. And my fingers, they thank you. For caring about us, not taking us for granted. And my whole body from the neck down is now really relaxed. When I go to my neck, I've still got the last remnants of the cough which I took to Vietnam. I just relax everything there. And Report an error in the passage at 13:11 Highlight the passage at 13:11

13:51 then go up to my face. That's the most sensitive part of my head. Especially the feelings around the eyes and the mouth and the nose. So first of all I know those feelings. Then I relax them to the max. And with that relaxation all of the tightness around the eyes and the mouth disappear. My face feels really relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 13:51 Highlight the passage at 13:51

14:28 I've now relaxed my whole body. I feel the whole body just all together now at one. Feeling them together, I pause as I know that after a little while, usually a few seconds, I can feel that relaxation. Report an error in the passage at 14:28 Highlight the passage at 14:28

14:53 It's a very delightful feeling, a pleasure. And I know from experience that once I'm aware of the pleasure of relaxation, the relaxation gets deeper and more stable. Report an error in the passage at 14:53 Highlight the passage at 14:53

15:17 Being at ease. With no problems, is pleasurable. I Report an error in the passage at 15:17 Highlight the passage at 15:17

15:28 enjoy that kind of a free gift. I Report an error in the passage at 15:28 Highlight the passage at 15:28

15:38 made the transition from the body to the mind. Report an error in the passage at 15:38 Highlight the passage at 15:38

15:45 Think of the word peace. Report an error in the passage at 15:45 Highlight the passage at 15:45

15:51 Peace is a mental object. Once the body is relaxed, it's so much easier to feel peace, what it means to you. It Report an error in the passage at 15:51 Highlight the passage at 15:51

16:08 means an absence of things to do. Report an error in the passage at 16:08 Highlight the passage at 16:08

16:14 Time off. You have holiday. Freedom. One of the first things about peace which I recognize is always in this present moment. Report an error in the passage at 16:14 Highlight the passage at 16:14

16:33 So what I do, I develop this little metaphor of the two heavy suitcases. Because I see this at airports all the time. People carrying two heavy suitcases. In the left suitcase, is your past. It's amazing how most people put in the bad memories from the past in that suitcase in their left hand. And the suitcase in your right hand is your future. All those things you're concerned and worried about but also those things in the future which you're looking forward to. Report an error in the passage at 16:33 Highlight the passage at 16:33

17:25 It makes the suitcases very heavy. May your arms ache and your shoulders be in pain. Then you imagine your body leaning to the left, allowing you to lower the suitcase in your left hand onto the floor. Report an error in the passage at 17:25 Highlight the passage at 17:25

17:51 And as soon as it meets the floor, the weight vanishes, allows you to move your hand away from the handle. Straighten the back and let the left hand relax and recuperate, carrying no weight. You've let go of the past. Report an error in the passage at 17:51 Highlight the passage at 17:51

18:18 When you lean to the right to lower the suitcase representing the future down onto the ground, the Report an error in the passage at 18:18 Highlight the passage at 18:18

18:31 weight disappears and you can move the hand away from that suitcase so the right arm can also relax. Report an error in the passage at 18:31 Highlight the passage at 18:31

18:45 Look down. Between those two suitcases you're standing at peace, kind, Report an error in the passage at 18:45 Highlight the passage at 18:45

18:58 feeling the pleasure of freedom from the burden of carrying things. When Report an error in the passage at 18:58 Highlight the passage at 18:58

19:11 you let go of past and future, you can really start to meditate. There's nothing much to think about. All the thoughts, which drive us crazy and drive others crazy and mostly about the past and future. In the present moment you can find freedom, silence and peace. Many Report an error in the passage at 19:11 Highlight the passage at 19:11

19:58 times people ask me what I meditate on. It's usually on the breath because at this point is where the breath comes up by itself. It's the only thing left moving. Report an error in the passage at 19:58 Highlight the passage at 19:58

20:16 But just let it be. I will be quiet for a few minutes. It's Report an error in the passage at 20:16 Highlight the passage at 20:16

· · · silence, 6 minutes

26:24 getting close to the end of the meditation period. How do you feel? Report an error in the passage at 26:24 Highlight the passage at 26:24

26:37 Be honest. Are you more peaceful than when you started? Have you relaxed your body? How Report an error in the passage at 26:37 Highlight the passage at 26:37

26:52 does it feel to have a body which is at peace? How Report an error in the passage at 26:52 Highlight the passage at 26:52

27:01 does it feel to have a mind Which is content, does not need anything. Report an error in the passage at 27:01 Highlight the passage at 27:01

27:16 Imagine it and Report an error in the passage at 27:16 Highlight the passage at 27:16

27:21 feel it. It's Report an error in the passage at 27:21 Highlight the passage at 27:21

27:43 now coming so close to the end of the meditation. I'm going to ring the gong. Please listen to the sound, the resonance of the gong. And when it finishes, open your eyes. Very Report an error in the passage at 27:43 Highlight the passage at 27:43

· · · silence, 1 minute

28:47 good. Report an error in the passage at 28:47 Highlight the passage at 28:47

29:05 Excellent. Report an error in the passage at 29:05 Highlight the passage at 29:05