It's coming into stillness, collecting the attention, closing the eyes, opening in the

most simple way of breathing together consciously.

So we'll start by inhaling and please let this be a very long deep in breath, extending

it some, filling the lungs.

And then the out breath, slow, so you can feel the sensations of letting go, letting

go, again a full deep in breath, and then a slow out breath, just aware of the sensations

of relaxing, releasing, letting go, and then once again inhaling, expanding, opening

to the breath, filling the lungs, perhaps holding for a moment when you're full, and then

a slow out breath softening down the length of the body as you let go, let go, let go,

letting the breath resume its natural cycle, relaxing with the inflow, relaxing with the out

flow, and noticing the degree of presence that's here, a bit more here, senses awake, so you're

aware of the sounds around you, and an inner listening, listening to and feeling the

sensations of this sitting posture, just what it's like to be here right now, and listening

to your heart, sensing the state of your heart right now, it might have been a while

since you've really checked in with this simple inquiry, you know really how is my heart

right now? You might notice if there's a quality of openness or closed, tender, numb,

fearful, soft, as you listen and feel into the heart, sense really most deeply, what is

the heart wanting, what's the long end of the heart, what it is that brings you here

tonight, what's your aspiration?

It's helpful to intentionally relax wherever you notice obvious places of tension, of holding,

and often I begin with the eyes just to soften the eyes, let the brow be smooth, we carry so

much tension from agitated thinking in that brow area, so just to let the eyes be receptive,

...