Open Awareness

Sit comfortably with your spine gently upright. You can close your eyes or let your gaze rest softly on the floor a few feet in front of you.

Begin by noticing your breath — not controlling it, just noticing. The slight coolness of air entering the nostrils. The warmth of the exhale. The brief pause between.

Now, without abandoning the breath, let your awareness expand. Include the sounds in the room. The sounds beyond the room. The feeling of air on your skin. The weight of your body. Let all of it be present without needing to focus on any one thing.

This is open awareness — a wide, receptive attention that holds everything lightly. Like the sky, which contains clouds without becoming them. You are the sky. Thoughts, sensations, sounds — these are the clouds.

When you notice that you've narrowed your focus — gotten caught in a thought, a sound, a sensation — simply open again. No frustration. No judgment. Just a gentle widening, like opening a hand that had closed without you noticing.

There is nothing to achieve here. No state to reach. The practice is simply this: noticing, opening, resting. Noticing, opening, resting. Again and again, as many times as needed.

Spend the remaining time here, in this open, spacious awareness. When you're ready to close, take a breath, feel your feet on the floor, and return slowly to the room.