In this exercise we will use the sensations of our hands and feet as a means of holding ourselves in the present moment.
Okay,
Make yourself comfortable sitting or lying down in whichever posture,
Whichever position is best for you.
You may close your eyes or leave them gently open,
Relaxed but unfocused.
Begin by inviting a smile to your face,
Feeling the sensations of a smile,
The cheeks relaxing,
The corners of your mouth and eyes smiling.
Feel your whole face smiling and relaxing.
You can roll your head gently as slowly,
Relaxing the neck,
Dropping the shoulders,
Feeling the chest opening,
Belly relaxing,
Breathing in and out naturally without forcing or manipulating the breath in any way.
Just feeling the sensations in the body as the air comes in and goes out,
Letting go of any tension and tightness you can feel anywhere in the body,
Relaxing the legs,
Feet,
Toes.
Shift your attention to your hands,
Resting your awareness here for a few moments,
Trying to feel any tactile sensations present inside out.
You may not feel anything at all,
That's fine,
But if you look carefully you may notice some vibrating,
Tingling sensations.
They may be throbbing,
Itching.
Try to feel the temperature,
A sensation of coolness,
Warmness or maybe numbness,
Stiffness.
They may feel relaxed and restful or they may feel agitated,
Perhaps they are restless.
You may feel a prickling,
Burning sensation or you may feel nothing at all.
Shift your awareness to the tactile sensations from the inside of your hands.
Undertake this as an object of concentration in many mindfulness exercises.
Whenever you get caught up in thoughts,
Daydreams,
Fantasies,
The sensations in your hands could become your anchor,
That place to come back to when your mind drifts off,
As it will many times.
Rest your awareness on the tactile sensations in your hands with curiosity to what is happening inside and each time you are caught up in thoughts and fantasies,
Remember that the sensations that are nearly always going on in your hands are a mindfulness tool to bring you back to the present moment.
Now let's do the same with our feet.
Like our hands,
Our feet are like a magnetic field full of tactile sensations we can use as a home base,
As an anchor for our concentration,
That place where we can rest our awareness with curiosity about what goes on there.
You may feel your feet tingling,
Pulsating,
Vibrating.
You can notice if they are cold or warm,
Calm,
Restful,
Agitated,
Throbbing,
Tingling,
Prickling,
Burning,
Itchy,
Stinging,
Going to sleep.
Keep your curiosity open to any sensations.
This is another way to keep your attention in the here and now,
Away from those unstoppable intrusive mind activities.
Try now.
You can also alternate your attention by returning your awareness on the tactile sensations of your hands and feet each time you notice you are caught up again in thinking,
Fantasies,
Past events,
Anxiety about future events,
Any other mental activities going on in your head right now.
This was a very short mindfulness concentration exercise.
The more you do it,
The more concentrated,
The more focused your mind will be.
Again,
It was a pleasure to be here and thank you so much for letting me guide you.
Take care.
