The following talk was given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

Please visit our website at audioderma.org. So hello everyone on this Monday and beginning of a new theme as we move

through these five days of the work week, the meditation week together.

And so we can begin, maybe to have a little longer sitting than usual, to assume kindly, kindly, lovingly, a meditation posture that has the balance between being alert and relaxed.

Alert in the body,

relaxed in the mind.

Alert in the mind in the mind.

In the mind and relaxed you're, if you're, Comfortable in closing your eyes or lowering your gaze. gently feeling your body

your body as if your attention is a gentle breeze.

Allow your attention to blow through your body the arms, the legs, the back, the torso, checking in, and touching into how your body is right now. I'm going to see. And let the breeze of awareness find its way to the body's experience of breathing in, breathing out.

The torso expands and contracts. I'm going to. And then slightly, with not too much effort, take somewhat deeper inhales, fuller inhales, and you exhale. I'm going to Letting your breathing, we turn to normal.

with the exhales softening in your body.

And whatever is not soft, whatever is tense,

soften around it. It.

almost as if there's a light touch,

surround. I felt there's a light touch surrounding what is uncomfortable. So, As you exhale softening in the mind.

A softening that helps the mind settle, relax.

A softening by which your mind is more awake, more available for your present moment experience here and now in this body and mind. and then settling in. there. Settling in to the body's experience of breathing. I'm going to where breathing is a gentle rhythm inviting you here now into the experience of breathing

into the experience of being present here and now. I'm going to see. So, I'm going to see. I'm going to see. I'm going to I'm going to see. I'm going to see. Oh, I'm going to mhm. I'm going to I'm going to see. I'm going to see. So, I'm going to I'm going to see. So, So, I'm going to see. I'm going to I'm going to see. So, As you exhale, follow the exhale all the way to the end.

There is a way to settle yourself all the way down to a grounded, settled place in your body. I'm going to Following the exhale to the end, gently without any force,

allow the exhale to be a little fuller than usual.

Following the movements and sensations in the body.

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