Welcome to the Meditation Wases Podcast. This is Mary Maddox. The essence of meditation is effortlessness.

This guided meditation is to help you to become more effortless, more at ease during meditation.

There are several reasons why we try to harden meditation. One is that we're trying so hard to do it right.

It's important to know that there are no mistakes in meditation. Meditation is a process.

It might help you to think of meditation as a process of self-discovery rather than a set of instructions to be followed.

Another reason is that we're resisting something in our experience. We may be resisting a feeling or a thought.

That takes effort, a kind of a tightening. Whenever you notice that happening, you can just let go. Back off.

The other reason is that we may be trying to experience something different in meditation than we are just naturally.

We might be trying to become or trying to have the mind be quiet.

However subtle this may be, it isn't effort and keeps us from being completely at ease.

During this meditation, whenever you notice that you're trying in any way, just back off.

We can't become effortless through effort. Effortlessness comes about through letting go of effort.

This meditation is all about letting go.

Now let's begin the meditation.

You can do this meditation sitting or lying down.

Take some time to get into a comfortable position.

And now close your eyes.

As soon as we close our eyes, the awareness starts to travel inward.

You may still be aware of sounds and things going on around you, but you'll notice more what's going on inside you.

Just naturally life is bubbling up in various experiences.

Thoughts, emotions, sensations in the body.

Meditation is about allowing all of this to happen without resistance, without trying to change anything.

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