Perhaps the most universal place to collect and deepen attention is the breath. This meditation begins with an intentional breath that calms the nervous system, and then opens to a clear, intimate presence with our natural breathing. With breath as our home base, we practice returning again and again when the mind becomes distracted. As presence grows, we can let the breath be in the foreground, and include whatever waves of life come and go. This brings a quiet mind, and a peaceful, happy heart.

A unique vertical, guided meditation for dropping below your thinking, to the body breathing, and then to awareness itself. This meditation is unique in that it doesn't try to stop thinking, but includes it as part of a vertical awareness of your whole being, here now.

Welcoming listeners into the gentle whisper of the breath, Jack helps us into a presence and ease beyond our anxieties, worries, and to-do lists. From this place of deep relaxation, he invites us into an easy-come, easy-go mentality with our thoughts and emotions. "Your breath is the Earth breathing herself through you." – Jack Kornfield For more teachings like this, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. This meditation was originally livestreamed by Spirit Rock on 12/19/22.

00:34 Q1 Can you give some examples of non-formal practice through the day. 06:23 Q2 What is helpful in practicing walking meditation? 11:40 Q3 Why do we practice walking when we have sitting meditation? 12:46 Q4 Why is it that the object of meditation has to be something of the body? Could it be a rock for example? 13:37 Q5 When I meditate I hear a loud inner sound, the breathing, heat beat and blood pumping and body movements. It’s difficult to concentrate on any one thing. 16:03 Q6 Is stream entry a deeper flow state or something completely different? 16:23 Q7 How can we differentiate between skilful and unskilful doubt. 19:00 Q8 In the guided meditation you led us inside where we were resting somewhere. Are there any creative techniques to access that? 20:21 Q9 When you asked us to look for the person /that who is aware. Commonly this is supposed to be usually in the head right? Can it be outside the body and are there ways to access that? 21:36 Q10 You mentioned you were from New Hampshire. Is that attached to Ajahn Amaro?

This guided meditation offers a pathway to quieting our mind and calming anxiety. We begin with long deep breathing, and with the breath, engage the image of a smile and relax through the body. Then we practice resting in relaxed awareness, allowing waves of thoughts, feelings and sensations to come and go.

Gratitude is like breathing in – letting ourselves be touched by the goodness in others and in our world. Generosity is like breathing out – sensing our mutual belonging and offering our care. When we are awake and whole, breathing in and out happens naturally. But these beautiful expressions of our heart become blocked when we are dominated by the fear and grasping of our survival brain. This talk explores how we can facilitate the evolution of consciousness with the deliberate cultivation of generosity, and ends with a guided meditation on gratitude and generosity.

Meditation instructions are often interpreted as paying pointed attention. But wide attention allows energy and mind to decompress. Cultivating a cool awareness of the body is the key to this.

Beginning by steadying awareness on the simple rhythm of breathing, then refining mindfulness on the details of the breath