A short meditation to help people arrive for the start of the retreat, settling into the body sitting and breathing

How to approach the online retreat format

Beginning by establishing a kind relationship to technology, then people on the screen, then settling into the body and orienting to ease

Cultivating stability as one of the beneficial conditions htat supports insight to arise

Short reflections on the preliminary processes of this retreat: orienting to steadiness and stability, and noticing what gets in the way; sensitising ourselves to the stress of self-referencing thought-patterns, and to the ease that becomes available when they're released.

Establishing awareness of the body sitting, then experience of breathing, attuning to the rhythm of receiving and releasing, and gently letting go of involvement in thinking

Bringing awareness to how we're paying attention, allowing it to be relaxed and easy as we steady our mindfulness on the experience of breathing

The importance of cultivating dharma joy or well-being, which includes qualities such as ease, warmth, happpiness, contentment, gladness, delight, bliss, as supports for the path to freedom

Beginning by orienting to appreciation as a support for settling the body, heart and mind into well-being (note: due to a technical glitch, the recording stopped after the first set of instructions and the ending instructions weren't included)

Progressing from mindfulness of breathing to mindfulness of the body, bringing awareness to physical sensations