As we sit in silence during these unsettling times,
trying with all our might
to still our restless minds,
we can re-member
slowing the breath,
slows the mind.
A generous in-breath through the nasal passage,
pause...
a prolonged out-breath to empty the belly.
Note how the repetition of conscious breathing
invites a calmer,
more peace-filled state of mind.
As the mind busily persists with distractions, ask
Whose mind?
Who Am I?
To whom do these thoughts and desires belong?
Resuming awareness of your breath, turn inward.
Turn all your inquiries inward to
investigate the origin of your thoughts and desires.
Concentrating on the "I",
are you your body, your intellect,
or the awareness of these?
Witness your self breathing in the sacred,
and breathing out the profane,
allow an investigation of the underlying substratum of your deepest self,
your transcendent nature.
Concentrate your efforts on that which never changes and is eternal,
that which some call Spirit, God*, Allah, Buddha nature,
and which always, already, exists within you.
Perseverance is rewarded with a calming stillness.
May you find rest in the nearness of this timeless remedy.
[*It is this place of stillness that is referred to in the scriptures, Psalms 46:10,
"Be still and Know That I am God".]