Welcome,
My name's Paul,
And I'll be guiding you through the body awareness meditation sequence today.
If you haven't already switched off notifications and vibration on your phone or other devices,
Please take a moment to do so now.
And closing down your eyes,
Getting nice and comfortable in your seat,
Remembering at any time you can adjust your position during the meditation.
Taking a moment to acknowledge the effort you've made to be here and how you're feeling right now.
Recognizing that for the next 20 minutes,
There's nothing for you to do but simply rest.
I invite you to observe your breath as it is,
Not seeking to change or control it in any way.
Just observing the movement of the breath in and out of your body.
Noticing if your breath is fast or slow,
Shallow or deep.
You may continue observing your breath,
Or you may practice a few minutes of belly breathing.
If you wish,
You may lightly place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
This is for feedback.
In your own time,
Take a slow and steady breath in through your nose,
Feeling your belly rise as you do so.
Breathe out through your nose,
Feeling your belly gently fall.
As you breathe in and out,
Keeping your chest relatively still.
A little bit of movement there is fine.
For the most part though,
It's your belly that's doing the rising and falling with your breath.
Taking slow and steady breaths,
But never to the point of discomfort.
In the practice of effortless meditation,
Whenever you happen to notice your mind is on your thoughts or emotions,
Or just wandered away,
Choose to gently and effortlessly rest your awareness back on your anchor,
Such as your breath right now.
It doesn't matter how many times your mind drifts away,
Or how many times you rest your awareness on your anchor.
There's no place to get to.
There's no state to achieve.
We might wish for a good meditation.
However,
There's no good or bad meditation.
We only assess the effects of the meditation after we've finished,
And observe how we feel afterwards in our daily life.
Taking a few more belly breaths.
On your next exhale,
Letting your breath return to its natural rhythm.
I invite you now to scan your body,
Noticing any sensations in your body as I guide you along.
Noticing with your feet,
Feeling where they connect to the ground,
Feeling the support of the earth.
Loading your awareness slowly up through your legs,
Noticing where they rest on your seat,
Noticing any sensations on the front or back of your legs,
Resting your awareness on your hips,
Feeling the support they provide your body,
Observing any tightness or tension in your hips.
As you next breathe out,
Releasing any tension there.
Drawing your awareness to your belly,
Feeling it gently rising and falling with each breath.
Loading your awareness to your chest,
Noticing any tingling or tension held there.
Gathering up any tension,
And on your next exhale,
Letting it go.
Slowly wrapping your awareness around to your back,
From the base of your spine up to your shoulders,
And radiating out to your sides.
Releasing any tension in your muscles,
Becoming aware of your arms,
Letting them fall away from your shoulders,
Noticing any sensations along your arms right through to your fingertips.
Bringing your awareness to your neck as it rises up to your jaw,
Noticing any tension or clenching in your jaw,
Letting it soften as you exhale.
Tuning in to your eyes and the space around them,
Allowing your eyelids to become heavier and softer.
Rising up to your forehead,
And sensing any forehead brows or tightness there.
As you breathe out,
Letting any tension leave your body.
Loading your awareness on the top of your head,
Softening your whole body from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes,
Releasing any remaining tension.
I invite you now to rest your awareness on the natural rhythm of your breathing,
And to use your breath as your anchor.
Not seeking to control your breathing,
Just letting it move through you at its own pace.
Tuning in to the flow of the air in and out of your body,
Resting your awareness on where you feel your breath the most.
You might feel your breath in the tip of your nose,
The back of your throat,
Or in your chest or your belly.
The place in your body where you feel your breath may naturally change throughout your meditation.
Your thoughts and emotions will come and go.
Whenever you happen to notice,
Your mind has drifted away,
Gently and effortlessly resting your awareness on your breath as your anchor.
Moving at your own pace,
Drifting away,
Drifting back,
Effortlessly resting your awareness on your breath.
Gently letting go of your anchor,
Gradually starting to deepen your breath,
Keeping your eyes closed and starting to gently notice your body once more.
Becoming aware of the tips of your fingers and toes,
Beginning to slowly wriggle your fingers and toes,
Hands and feet.
Expanding this gentle movement into the rest of your body,
Stretching or twisting in whatever way feels good.
Noticing how you're feeling,
Maybe setting an intention to carry this feeling throughout the rest of your day.
Whenever you're ready,
You may gently open your eyes or keep them closed and rest a little more.
Please take as long as you like.
