Daily exercises for developing presence and relaxation

Encouragements, discouragements, neutral observations—all these messages may only be meaningless mind chatter, stirred up on the surface of mind by tension or anxiety. None of them, not even the interpretations and commentaries, can touch the inner essence of relaxation and invite the joy of experience to come out. They have nothing to do with relaxation or meditation; they cannot engage meditation directly, so they cannot analyze and judge the quality of your concentration. There is no need to respond to them follow their dialogues, or reflect on their significance. It is not important whether you are confused or not confused, or whether you have thoughts. As much as possible, let this entire stream of mental activity flow by without paying it any attention. Relax deeply; allow the body to be still and the mind to calm down. Then your senses can operate more clearly, and the feeling-tone can come out. Once you become familiar with how this works, you can tune in more closely to the field of perception itself. 

Day 15 – Stillness and Reflection Exercise

Try spending some time each day sitting quietly. Ten minutes of calm and silence a few times a day, perhaps thirty minutes in all can be very helpful.

For this short time, permit yourself to release your anxieties and obligations.

Simply be silent and look inward.

What stages are you going through now? Is there a clarity to this progression? Use this time to be still with yourself, to look clearly, and to set intention for your progress forward.

Practicing this stillness can help you tune your mind, your body, your speech, your energy, and your development. In this way, you will not need to look back over your life and wonder how drastic changes happened or you became the way that you are. 

You will not be a mystery to yourself.