From Pema Chodron’s book When Things Fall Apart
- Whether sitting on a cushion on the floor or in a chair, the seat should be flat, not tilting front or back or left or right.
- The legs are crossed comfortably in front of you or, if you’re sitting in a chair, the feet are flat on the floor, and the knees are a few inches apart.
- The torso (from the head to the seat) is upright, with a strong back and an open front. If sitting in a chair, it’s best not to lean back. If you start to slouch, simply sit upright again.
- The hands are open, with palms down, resting on the thighs.
- The eyes are open, indicating the attitude of remaining awake and relaxed with all that occurs. The eye gaze is slightly downward and directed about 4-6 feel in front of you. (I like to light a candle, place it 4-6 feet in front of me and keep my gaze on the flame)
- The mouth is very slightly open so that the jaw is relaxed and air can move easily through both mouth and nose. The tip of the tongue can be placed on the roof of the mouth.
Each time you sit down to meditate, you can run through these six points, and anytime you feel distracted during your meditation, you can bring your attention back to your body and run through the six points. Then, with a sense of starting afresh, return once again to the out-breath. If you find that thoughts have carried you away, don’t worry about it. Simply say to yourself, “thinking,” and come back to the openness and relaxation of the out-breath. Again and again just come back to being right where you are.
In the beginning people sometimes find this meditation exciting. It’s like a new project, and you think that if you do it, perhaps all the unwanted stuff will go away and you’ll become open, nonjudgmental, and unconditionally friendly. But after a while the sense of project wears out.
You just find time each day, and you sit down with yourself. You come back to that breath over and over, through boredom, edginess, fear, and well-being. This perseverance and repetition-when done with honesty, a light touch, humor, and kindness—is its own reward.
Once we know this instruction, we can put it into practice.
Then it’s up to us what happens next. Ultimately, it comes down to the question of just how willing we are to lighten up and loosen our grip. How honest do we want to be with ourselves?