Hey,
I'm Ali and welcome to this mindfulness practice for seeing clearly.
This practice comes from the Buddhist approach to mindfulness which is called Vipassana.
And in this meditation we pay gentle steady acknowledgement to whatever is arising for you.
And we take a journey through our experience.
And whatever we notice we can learn to observe,
Give it space.
And so we open it up without getting caught up in it.
Part of the practice is an acknowledgement that everything changes in life.
Nothing ever stays the same.
And comfort and discomfort both arise and pass in everybody's life.
We don't need to cling or resist anything.
And in this meditation we observe.
Yeah,
So let's start by finding a posture.
You are finding somewhere comfortable where you can be upright in your spine,
Tall,
Dignified.
And also notice the support beneath you as your weight surrenders into all those points of contact.
Your eyes can be lowered,
Softened,
Rested or even closed.
Taking a slow breath in and releasing that breath slowly.
Before finding the natural rhythm of the breath.
And inviting the body to settle that little bit more.
As we begin to explore the breath as your anchor.
So notice the natural movement of breathing.
The rise and the fall is the movement of air.
Fills your chest,
Your belly.
You may notice it on your nose.
All the pause between the in breath and the out breath.
You are simply noticing nothing changes.
And whenever the mind wanders,
See if you can notice and return to the breath.
And as we expand our awareness outwards,
Know that the mind will drift.
This is a natural function of the mind.
And each time you notice,
Say,
I see you and simply come back to the present moment.
As we widen our awareness out to the body now.
And seeing what's there,
Scanning through,
What can you notice?
Maybe you notice your weight.
How your body is feeling right now.
Maybe you're warm or you're cold.
Or there's some tingling or fizzing somewhere.
And if you notice any discomfort,
Meet with gentleness.
If it's something that needs urgent attention,
Always recede to it.
But if it's just a sensation,
Let it be there.
And return to your breath.
And sometimes it's thoughts that ask for your attention.
Sometimes memories from the past.
Sometimes plans for the future.
You might find yourself judging or worrying.
If you notice any storytelling or any kind of thinking,
See them.
Recognise it as simply thinking.
No need to follow or push away.
You can return to them later.
But for now,
Return to the breath,
Soothing and easing your precious mind.
And now checking in with your emotions.
How are you feeling?
Some emotions can be strong and others subtle.
Notice where they may appear in the body.
Stress can be held in the shoulders and a tightness.
Anxiety in the chest and sadness in the belly.
It can be hard to notice how we're actually feeling and our mood.
So be kind and curious.
There's no need to name them perfectly or change them.
And if there's anything that wants to sweep you away,
Just see if you can return to the breath.
And you may scan through,
Returning breath,
Body,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Everything that's there.
Simply notice.
And whenever you lose your balance,
Gently return to your anchor.
Each and every time you do this,
You're strengthening your capacity,
Allowing things to settle.
And as we begin to close today,
Take another deep breath in and out.
Begin to move on that support beneath you.
Maybe rolling the shoulders and taking a stretch.
And congratulate yourself for checking in in your being like this.
Checking in on your breath,
Your body,
Your thoughts,
And your emotions.
As you widen your awareness out,
Bringing more energy,
More clarity,
More softness and grace into your day.
Namaste.
Thank you for listening and bye for now.
