Welcome to this bonus longer meditation.
Find a position of comfort as I explain our purpose today.
Sitting is great for this meditation,
But you can also lie down if that's what you need.
This practice is designed to help you declutter the mind.
Not by forcing thoughts away.
But by changing your relationship with them.
So instead of getting pulled into every thought,
You'll practice noticing.
Labeling and returning.
This is a simple skill that becomes powerful with repetition,
So you may want to come back to it a few times until the methods shared feel natural for you.
Let's begin.
For the next several moments,
You don't need to solve anything.
You don't need to figure anything out.
You're simply here to practice presence.
Let your hands rest easily.
Let your shoulders soften.
And if it feels okay,
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in.
And a slow breath out.
Again.
Inhale through your nose.
And exhale through your mouth.
One more time,
Take a breath in through your nose.
And let it out through your mouth.
Now.
Allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm.
Bring your attention to your breath.
.
.
You don't have to change it.
Just notice it.
Notice where it's easiest to feel.
Maybe at the nostrils.
The chest.
Or the belly.
Choose one place as your anchor.
And for the next few moments,
Simply follow your breath in and out.
And out.
If your mind wanders,
That's normal.
That's expected.
A wandering mind isn't a sign of failure.
It's part of the practice.
Every time you notice you've drifted,
You are strengthening awareness.
So just continue.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Now,
I'll add a gentle technique called labeling.
This helps your mind feel less sticky,
Less tangled.
Less convincing.
When you notice a thought.
You will silently name it with a simple label.
For example,
Thinking.
Planning,
Remembering.
Judging.
Worrying.
Then,
You'll return to your breath.
That's it!
Not analyzing the thought.
Not arguing with it.
Not pushing it away.
Just naming it.
And coming back.
So now,
Settle your attention on your breath again.
In.
And out.
And when the next thought appears.
Label it gently.
Then return.
Now we begin.
Take a deep breath in.
Let it out.
And if a thought pulls you away,
Silently label it thinking.
Return to your breath.
If you notice your mind making a to-do list.
Label it planning.
Return to the breath.
If a memory arises,
Label it remembering.
And return.
If you notice self-criticism.
Label it,
Judging.
And return.
If you notice anxious thoughts about the future,
Label it worrying.
And return.
And if you get swept away for a while,
And only realize it a little later.
That's okay.
No frustration needed.
Just label what happened.
Wandering and return.
Breathing in.
.
.
Breathing out.
Now.
Let's simplify even more.
For the next few minutes.
You can use just one label.
Thinking.
No matter what the thought is.
Planning.
Remembering Charging.
Worrying.
All of it can simply become part of you.
Thinking.
So we practice.
Breathing.
Thinking.
Breathing thinking.
Breathing.
If thoughts come rapidly.
.
.
Label thinking.
If there's space,
Just breathe.
And keep returning.
Over and over.
Study.
Next.
Allow the labeling to fade.
And rest your attention on the breath one more time.
And out.
Notice what it feels like to be here.
Without chasing every thought.
The mind may still produce thoughts.
That's what our minds do.
But you are learning,
You don't have to follow them.
You can let thoughts exist.
Without being pulled into them.
Now take a deep breath in.
And a slow breath out.
And silently repeat.
I can return to the present.
I can choose what I give my attention to.
Clarity is available to me.
Now let's bring a gentle sense of awareness back to our bodies.
Begin to notice the room around you.
The support beneath you.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
And when you're ready.
Open your eyes if they were closed.
Take this moment of calm clarity with you,
One breath at a time.
Thank you for listening.
And I'll see you in the next meditation.
Namaste.
