A Guided Meditation on the Body, Space & Awareness
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Welcome! I’m very happy to share with you some meditation instructions. It is very simple: Please keep your spine straight. Just straight,
but don't worry too much about perfection. I have to stay there, perfectly! Just keep straight. And please close your eyes. Just close your eyes like you’re sleeping. You don’t have to close them too tightly,
or in any special way. And relax your muscles in your body. Relax the muscles in your head, forehead, face, ears, cheeks, throat, upper body, arms and hands, lower body, legs and feet. Just totally relax, yet with your spine straight. And bend your neck forward a little bit. It's almost like
the weight of your head rests on your neck. You can effortlessly rest. Each part of the body rests on the one below. And in this way, you feel like you’re resting but there’s also some strength, so you can find balance. All the parts of your body are resting, one on top of the other. But, at the same time, there’s a strength within you. Your spine is straight. Sometimes you feel a little bit of gravity. And sometimes you feel some sensations. Just let it be. Whatever feeling is in your body, just be aware and let it be. When I was young, my father used to tell me, "Let your body be on the cushion, and let your mind be in the body." This way, you join body and mind together. Your mind comes into the body. Just be aware of your body, and be aware of any sensation or feelings in your body. Pleasant feelings, joy, bliss, or unpleasant feelings, tightness, pain, or neutral feelings, maybe tingling, or no feeling. So, with any type of feeling, just be aware and let it be. OK, for a few seconds, just be aware and relaxed. OK. Now, you can expand your awareness beyond your body, to what surrounds you. Maybe there are some sounds, or some smells, or some sensations, like your room temperature is a little bit too hot or cold, or some noise, like people chatting, or a car, a train, or airplanes moving around, or your neighbors making noise. Anything. Just be aware. Just know. Just recognize there are sounds. And your awareness becomes more open, and vaster. Stay there and be aware of any phenomena for a few seconds. Now, you can expand your awareness beyond your immediate surrounding. Feel the space around you, above you, and be aware of that space. Further, deeper. All the phenomena are occurring in the space, changing in the space, dissolving back into the space. Like clouds, they come into the space, remain in the space, and dissolve into the space. And, now,
you can expand your awareness even more. Go beyond the clouds, into space, which is boundless. Space, which is open in all directions, everywhere. Be there. Don’t worry, you’re not going to get lost. Stay there for few seconds. OK, now, please slowly open your eyes, and be present here. And rest your mind, also —
not only the body. How do you rest your mind? For example: If you like to do physical exercise, like jogging in the garden or park, or hiking in the hills or mountains, maybe for a few minutes or hours... let’s say one hour... After you finish your jog, you may use a nice seat or a rock, or a grass field. Sit on the grass field and, with a big sigh, “Ahh,” just rest. You don’t have to meditate, just let your mind rest as it is and the body, also. Just rest... for a few seconds. Maybe you feel like, “Oh, there are so many thoughts, so many emotions occurring in my mind. What should I do with those emotions, those thoughts?” Same. Same as before, you just be aware. If there are thoughts and emotions, you’re just aware of thoughts and emotions, what I call “blah blah blah,” just look at the “blah blah blah,” be aware, and let it be. Same as when you’re aware of your body, aware of sounds and sensations, now it’s the same:
Just be aware of thoughts and emotions. Let them come, and let them go. But, if you cannot be aware of them, it’s also fine. You're in a non-conceptual state of mind, but not too long — only for a few seconds. Again, when you see thoughts and emotions, or forms, sounds, smells — anything, just be aware... for a few seconds. If anything occurs in your mind, in your body, in your perceptions, just be aware, and let it be. OK. Now, you can apply this awareness, this openness, this awareness with any situation in your life, with any activities in your daily life. Short time, many times, everywhere, anytime. Seven days a week, 365 a year. In this way, you can fill your mind with joyful, peaceful experiences, and you will develop
your inner love, compassion, and wisdom. Thank you!
Oh man I love how this guy talks.
I believe this video cuts right to the point so to speak....do it earnestly and perhaps the nature of mind will be revealed ;)
Good video. Probably the only video I will recommend to anyone who is interested in meditation. You can tell he has many years of experience. Thanks for sharing.
It's funny that you post this. I am just starting to look into meditation and Buddhism and this video is what I used to start meditating.
The guy is a real saint by the way. Though he is the head of meditation community and has written two succesful books, he has gone to wander around without fixed plan. He's still doing this at the moment! You can read it on wikipedia.
Really enjoyed this. His direction is surprisingly peaceful.
Thank you for sharing! I had the most amazing experience, just surreal!
Thank you
Damn that video gave me asmr tingles :D