Unlearning Habits

We might think that we're stuck with the mind that we have, that it's not capable of change. But habits can be unlearned, the mind can let go, and our lives can be transformed. So for most of us, as we live our day-to-day life, we tend to think of ourselves in a certain way. We create a story of ourselves in our mind and we identify with that in a certain way. And we forget that that idea, that thought, that the mind can't change or I can't change, however we refer to it, that is also just another thought. That is part of that same story, part of that same identity. The moment we realize that, then there's a sense of freedom. There's the possibility of change. Conditioning is simply something that builds up through habit over time. When we train the mind, we create the conditions for those habits to be unlearned, for the behaviors that challenge and trouble us to be let go of. So always remember when you sit to meditate, just creating the conditions for the mind to let go. So just take a moment now to get comfortable. Gonna 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. 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. Where 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, that feeling of weight on 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....