Impermanence

In everyday life, the mind might feel very solid as though everything is fixed or permanent. But when we sit to meditate, we see that everything is in flux. Flowing from one moment to the next. So if there's just one thing you can take away from your meditation, it's in witnessing the coming and going of thoughts. It's not just thoughts coming. We tend to notice thoughts coming, but we rarely notice them going in the same way in everyday life. We often notice emotions as they appear, as they arise within us, but very rarely do we acknowledge they're passing away. And it's really important that we do because then we start to see that there is this constant flow. We are not a certain kind of person. We don't experience the same thought over and over again. It might feel like it's the same thought but it's a different thought each time it arises. The more we see this, the more we tend to experience a sense of ease because there's nothing to hold on to. We can't hold on to it. It is in a constant state of flow. There's nothing to resist because it is in a constant state of flow we understand that we can't resist it. So once we stop resisting, once we stop sort of chasing after, then we find ourselves able to rest. Just present no matter what arises in the mind. So just take a moment now to get comfortable. You can begin with the eyes open and taking a deep breath. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And as you breathe out, just gently closing the eyes. And in closing the eyes becoming more aware of the physical senses. Noticing the sensation of weight, contact pressing down. Noticing the different sounds around you. So just settling in to that space and noticing how the body feels, whether there's a sense of heaviness or lightness in the body. Now as you sit there, as you pause for a moment, just allow your attention to rest on the breath. That rising and falling sensation. Doesn't matter where you feel the movement. Just following that rising and falling sensation. You can place your hand on your stomach if you find it easier. So every time the mind wanders off realizing it's wandered and just gently bringing the attention back again. That rising and falling sensation. And then just bringing the attention back now into the body. That feeling of contact, feeling of weight of the body pressing down. Just starting to notice the space around you again, any sounds, any smells. And then when you feel ready in your own time, just gently opening the eyes again....