Preparing for a short mindfulness practice by making sure the environment you're in will allow you to remain undisturbed for the next five minutes or so.
Choosing a position for your body that's going to be comfortable,
Making sure you have enough cushions and blankets.
You can either be seated or lying down,
Whatever is most comfortable for you for the next five minutes or so.
Once the body is settled in this position,
Closing the eyes or having them downcast,
And become aware of the body in this position,
Just noticing how you've placed your body,
Checking that it's balanced and symmetrical,
That the legs and the arms are an equal distance from the spine,
And comparing the left and the right sides of the body,
Checking there's equal weight between the body and the surface beneath.
Lift the shoulders,
Roll them back and let them drop so the shoulders are away from the ears,
And bringing the chin slightly in towards the chest,
Just to relieve any tension in the neck.
Let the facial expression become soft,
Tiny muscles around the eyes and the mouth begin letting go.
Check that the jaw is relaxed,
If there's any tension in the jaw,
You might like to open and close the mouth widely or yawn a couple of times,
And then let it relax shut,
Lips are lightly closed,
Teeth are unclenched,
And the tongue is resting in the bottom of the mouth.
Become aware of the natural breath and begin witnessing that breath,
So just allowing it to float in and out of the body in its own way,
Its own timing and rhythm.
On the next inhalation,
Feel yourself taking a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in from the tips of the toes to the top of the head and let it go with a sigh.
Practicing this twice more,
Breathing in a sense of peace and calmness,
Letting go of any tensions or worries,
And then letting the breath become natural once again.
Begin tuning into the effects of the breath in the body.
So begin feeling the sensations on the skin created by the movement of the body with the breath.
Feel the changes in the contact points between the body and the surface beneath.
Notice the movement of the clothing and the coverings against the skin.
Then becoming aware of your whole body once again.
Feel your whole body in this position,
Preparing to end the practice and move on with your day.
Begin tuning into outside sounds,
Letting them into your consciousness.
Preparing the body for movement by wriggling fingers and toes.
You might like to have a nice deep stretch on the next in-breath,
Let it go with an out-breath.
And when you're in the same place,
You're going to feel the energy of the body and the energy of the body as you breathe in and out.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes and continue on with your day.
