Sitting meditation, or simply sitting, is a time to enjoy our sitting! The main form of sitting meditation practiced in this tradition is mindfulness of breathing, as described by the Buddha in the Sutra on Mindfulness of Breathing and the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. We practice returning home to ourselves to give ourselves the full attention and care that we deserve. We sit with the community in a comfortable way and return to our body, our feelings, our perceptions, our mind and our consciousness. We observe what is going on within us and around us and we let our minds become spacious and our hearts soft and open.

Sitting mindfully in this way can be very healing. We may realize that we can just be with whatever is within us – our pain, anger, and irritation, or our joy, love, and peace. We are with whatever there is without being carried away by it. We let our thoughts and feelings come, let them stay, and then let them go without trying to push them away. We observe the thoughts and images in our mind with accepting and loving eyes.