In this outdoor guided meditation, the host introduces the theme of acceptance, explaining how breathing in mirrors taking in life’s circumstances and breathing out mirrors releasing what no longer serves us. He frames meditation as an extension of nature, emphasizing calmness and stillness. After a brief discussion on acceptance, he leads listeners through a structured practice: setting posture, relaxing tension, taking deep breaths, and focusing attention on the triangular region of the face (from the bridge of the nose to the upper lip) where the breath is felt. The session consists of gentle reminders to keep attention on the breath, to observe without judgment, and to let go of past thoughts, concluding with a brief closing and well‑wishes.
Chapters
Hey everyone, welcome back to another week of Meditate Year, Nature Edition. I'm out camping with Ulla, and I wanted to record a meditation in nature. Meditation in many ways is an extension of nature. It's to be in balance with nature, very still, not falling into what our mind sort of pulls us in various directions because of our own issues and concerns. It's to be calm and cool, just like nature is patient. So this week, actually, I wanted to talk about something different. I had something else in mind, and What I wanted to talk about before we get into meditation is acceptance. So for me, I've been practicing working on acceptance for myself and the things that are happening in my own life. And how that comes through in meditation is, one particular way at least, is through our breath. So when we breathe in, We're sort of accepting whatever comes through as we breathe in. We can't say, "I only want to breathe this air over here, or this air over here." We sort of take in all the air that's here. When we breathe out, we sort of let go of things that we don't want to hold on to. By breathing in, you're just taking in whatever is here, whatever is in front of you. You don't control that. And sort of like how life is. So many things happen in our life that we cannot control, that we don't like. And if we try to control those things and try to stop things from happening, then we're saying, hey, we don't accept life the way it comes. We don't accept life in all of its abundance, whether good or bad, we don't accept those things. We want to control it. And that's a bit against the concept of nature, the concept of meditation, and just being willing to accept what comes to you and sort of letting it go soon after if it doesn't serve you, just like your breath. So with that, just something to think about in your own practice is just trying to work on your own acceptance. Breathing in, accepting, letting go what doesn't serve you. Breathing in, acceptance, and letting go what doesn't serve you. Hopefully that's something you can keep in mind in your own day-to-day life. You know, just accept what comes through and let go gently what doesn't serve you. Okay, cool. So with that, we'll get started with meditating. Thanks everybody for joining. Let me set up my own timer. Thanks again everyone for joining for another week of Meditate Year. I really appreciate it. I know there's so many things you could be doing with your day and your mornings, so I really appreciate that. So to get started, Let's see, sit up straight, sort of like me, or put yourself against a wall if you aren't already sitting comfortably. Try to relax yourself, give yourself a good shake, you know, try to let go of any tension in your feet or mouth or jaw. Try to relax yourself a bit. Cool. Once you do that, let's take a couple deep breaths in together and out. Right now you can breathe through your mouth. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Breathe in through your nose. Breathe out with your mouth. One more time, in, out. Great. Now, just remember, or if you are new to this practice, focus on your breath right here, this triangular region on our face, from the bridge of our nose down to the top part of our top lip. Just focus on this part of our face and focus on the breath coming in and out through our nose, just our nose, in and out. It could be anywhere in this triangular area. Try to find the sensation of our breath coming in and out. Once you pinpoint exactly where you feel the sensation of our breath coming in and out of our nose, focus your mental attention just on that spot, just on that singular spot. For me, oftentimes I feel the breath right around this region, either nostril, sometimes both, sometimes one. Wherever you feel that sensation of your breath, maybe inside, outside, maybe on the top of your lip, wherever you feel that sensation of your breath, focus your mental attention there 100%. Try to keep it there. Let's begin. Nothing to worry, I'll come back every once in a while to gently guide you through this practice. Keep your attention on your breath coming in. And out of your nose. Try to pinpoint exactly where you feel the sensation of your breath coming in and out of your nose. Whether you're meditating or not, our breath is always present. Always just gently coming in and going out. By meditating, we decide to observe that breath coming in and going out. So let that breath just come in and out. And put your mental attention precisely on the spot where you can feel your breath coming in and going out. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. We're going to be wrapping up soon, so no matter how your practice has gone thus far, let go of the past and gently bring your attention back to your breath. This moment, this coming moment, is focused right now, just coming in and going out. Focus on one breath at a time. That's all. Gently open your eyes. Great job, everyone. Thanks again for joining me. Sincerely, I really appreciate having company for these practices, and I'm wishing you a great week, day ahead. Until next week, take care. Thanks.
