So, closing your eyes, coming into stillness, and just sensing your sitting posture from

the inside out, making the subtle adjustments that allow you to sit in a tall kind of way

so that your body supports being alert, upright, with the dignity of a Buddha, and also relaxed

to see if you can take a moment to just loosen and soften some. Collecting the attention

will breathe together in a very conscious way. Let's take a full extended in breath, breathing

in, and a slow out breath, letting go, letting go very consciously, breathing out, and then

again a full in breath, filling the chest, filling the lungs, and then a slow out breath

so that you can feel the sensations of releasing the breath, and again, inhaling deeply, fully,

slow out breath, and then allowing in a gentle way for the breath to

resume and its natural rhythm. And just notice the increase in presence right now, that you're a bit more

here, and appreciating that, and simply relaxing as the breath comes in, like a balloon inflating to receive

yielding open, and settling and releasing with the out breath, bringing a gentle listening

attention to your heart, and taking some moments at the beginning of this meditation, at the beginning of this

new year, to sense what your intention is for being here tonight. And as you listen, notice what comes up,

seers sensing the deepest, most sincere aspiration that you can detect. What is it that really matters to you?

And it's from this presence of heart, of caring that we bring our voices together, chanting the simple mantra,

which is a universal sound current of connection, coming into oneness.

I'd like to bring the palms together to help center the attention in a gentle way, to sense that heart energy, please do.

And we'll chant three times, beginning with a deep in breath.

Music

Music

Music

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