The Basics - Sitting: February 9 - 15

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To sit = To meditate

Joseph Goldstein sums it up as

Sit and know you are sitting.

Anyone who has spent the night at the bedside as a loved one who was dying or has sat with a close friend going through a difficult time, knows the power of sitting. To truly sit with another is not a passive act but rather an intentional sign of connection and compassion.

Today's meditation is an invitation to sit with yourself as you would sit with a close friend.

Practice

Sit wherever you are. It doesn't have to be the perfect place but some place where you can minimize distraction. Find a balanced posture between relaxed and attentive. Pay attention to the felt sense of the body. Use the next three breaths to settle more fully. Sit and know you are sitting.

Notice the points of contact of the body. Sense the feet of the floor. Allow the upper part of the body to be upright. Align the head to rest comfortably on the neck. Expand the shoulders to open the heart. Embody the full dignity of your being like a king or queen upon a throne. Sit and know you are sitting.

Who is knocking on your door today? Is it fear? Is it joy? Is it weariness? Is it hope? Welcome them all. Be present to life as it is showing up right now. Offer each guest tea and learn from them. No need to rush them away but linger in their presence. Share what is on your heart. Sit and know you are sitting.

Can you sit with yourself as you would sit with a close friend? There is no place else to be. There is nothing to fix. There is really nothing to do in this moment. Drink in the silence. Stay in this place of calm and stillness. Maybe place your hand on your heart and know that love surrounds you. Sit and know you are sitting.

As the demands of the day call to you, step back into the busyness of life, but allow the innermost part of you to continue sitting. Maintain an inner posture of uprightness as you move through the minutes and hours. Open the heart to unexpected guests even as you complete your tasks. Remember to befriend yourself as the day unfolds.