Let's start by finding

a comfortable posture.

This could be sitting,

lying down or standing.

Something that feels good

for your body right now.

And if it feels okay to do so,

you can let your eyes close.

We'll take one deep breath together.

In through the nose.

Slowly out through the mouth.

Inviting the jaw and all the muscles

in the face to soften and relax.

Allow the shoulders to be at ease.

As well as the hands and the belly.

You can let your breath settle

into its natural rhythm.

Doesn't need to be forceful or deep.

And take the next few moments just to

settle your attention on the breath.

Every time the mind wanders,

just recentering back to

this moment and this breath.

If it's helpful, you could

place a hand on your belly to

feel the breath more vividly.

Try this out for a little bit.

So in this meditation, we're

exploring what it's like to cultivate

a freedom from your thoughts.

You're most likely very familiar

with how stress can get created

from an anxious thinking mind.

A lot of the time, what we try

to do is change our thoughts or

stop ourselves from thinking.

And sometimes that can work, but a lot

of times it just creates extra tension.

So we're going to try

something different today.

Instead of trying to redirect your

attention away from thoughts, I want

you to practice watching your thoughts.

So let's start right now.

Instead of focusing just on your

breath, bring your attention to any

thoughts moving through your mind.

The thoughts could be anything.

This is kind of weird.

What's the point of focusing on thoughts?

I don't even know if I'm

having any thoughts right now.

That would be a thought.

So just watch what's going on in the mind.

And the relationship we're going to

take to those thoughts is as if we were

observing clouds passing through the sky.

We're not examining and judging the clouds

saying, Oh, that cloud's really big.

I like that one.

Or that one's small and gray.

I don't like that one.

No, it's just a cloud, just the cloud.

Same thing with our thoughts.

We're not judging them as good or bad.

We're just watching them.

Just a thought.

And you can even label the thought

as thinking every time it arises.

So just practice sitting

back, watching the mind think.

And every time you notice a thought, just

label it with a mental note, thinking.

Another thought comes up, thinking.

Try that out and see if you

can label at least 10 thoughts.

I'll give you some time

in silence to practice.

Every time you notice a thought

moving through the mind, just very

lightly label it thinking, and then

come back to this spacious awareness.

Just watching whatever emerges.

Not pushing the thoughts,

not holding onto them.

Just observing.

Let's take one more deep breath together.

In through the nose.

Out through the mouth.

And when you're ready, you

can allow your eyes to open.

Today, as you're going about your

day, notice when these thoughts arise

and practice, instead of pushing or

fighting them, just allowing them to be

there, but watching them as if you were

watching a cloud passing through the sky.

It's a skill you'll get

better at over time.

And feel free to use the

mental label of thinking.

Sometimes that just helps us

put the thought and perspective.

It's just a thought.

Keep up the great work.

Take care.