Part of arriving is to feel your sitting posture and even with your eyes closed, just making

those subtle adjustments so that you can feel a quality of sitting upright and tall, letting

the posture actually be conducive to the mind state of alertness, sitting tall and yet

also at ease, so there's not an unnecessary stiffness or tension. Let your senses be awake,

so you're aware of what you're hearing, you're aware of the kind of sensations going on in your

body right now and with that kind of an inter-listening sensing into the state of your heart right now,

you might not have checked in for a while, just that simple inquiry, really, what is it like?

From my heart's point of view, what is my mood? Is there an openness, a tightness, sadness, gratitude, numbness?

See if you can notice without adding any judgment, just with some interest, quality of your heart.

And still listening to your heart, just sensing what your heart's intention is for tonight.

So you're sensing what's important to you, what really brings you.

Listen in for what feels most sincere to you, perhaps it's that longing to be more present and awake or perhaps to be open-hearted, more calm,

since what matters to you.

We open together as a community of heart by feeling that quality of caring and chanting this simple universal sound

of the current of own. If you'd like to bring the palms together as a way of really connecting with your own heart and that quality of devotion, please do so.

Just have three times, so please inhale deeply.

As you relax your arms down and you come into that stillness, see if it's possible just to scan through your body.

Notice if there's any areas of real obvious holding or tension. You might sense the shoulders, perhaps.

And just soften. See if you can let go a little, softening the shoulders, perhaps letting the hands be soft, the belly.

Wherever you feel a tightness, just bringing the awareness there and see if there can be a natural untangling releasing.

So a way to support the relaxing, the image of a smile can be really helpful and powerful just to imagine a great open blue sky filled with the curve of a smile,

to sense that openness and expansiveness and receptivity.

...