Mindfulness can help us meet the difficulties in our lives with greater awareness,
Steadiness and choice.
Learning to be more accepting does not mean we don't have a part to play in actively caring for our wellbeing.
Part of this is learning to recognise the things that nourish us,
Support us and give us energy.
And then finding ways to make space for these things regularly in our lives.
Alongside this we can begin to notice the things that tend to deplete us,
Drain our energy.
Or leave us simply feeling less resourced.
Some of these things may be unavoidable,
But becoming more aware of them can help us consider whether there are ways of relating to them differently.
Perhaps managing them more skillfully,
Or maybe just reducing the impact wherever we can.
So this practice is an invitation to reflect on the 24 hours that have passed.
Noticing what has nourished you in the last 24 hours,
What has supported or energized you,
And also noticing what may have depleted you or taken something from you.
So finding a place where you can sit or lie down comfortably.
And when you're ready.
Gently bringing attention into the body.
Perhaps noticing the sensations of the feet making contact with the floor.
The sensations of sitting.
Maybe the hand's resting.
Or perhaps simply noticing the movement of the breath in the body.
Knowing there's no particular way you need to feel.
Just taking a few moments.
To arrive here.
And now if it feels helpful.
Allowing the attention to expand.
Becoming aware of the body as a whole.
Sitting or lying here.
And simply breathing.
And when you're ready,
Just gently beginning to bring to mind the 24 hours that has just passed.
Perhaps allowing this time to just unfold gently in your awareness.
What's happened in the last 24 hours?
Maybe events large and small.
Things that felt important,
And maybe things that seemed quite ordinary.
Maybe people you met,
Places you went,
Journeys you made.
Or perhaps if you stayed mostly in one place.
The different things that you did there.
What do you notice?
What stands out?
There's no need to remember everything.
Just simply allowing whatever comes to mind to be here.
And actually gently review the 24 hours that have just passed in this way.
Perhaps just asking yourself.
What did I most appreciate?
What gave me energy?
But nourished me.
Might have been something significant or perhaps something very small.
Maybe a conversation.
A moment outside in nature.
Maybe something you saw or something you heard.
Maybe a task you completed.
Maybe a moment of connection.
Or simply just a few moments when you felt a little bit more at ease.
Seeing what comes to mind.
Inviting you to rest as much as you are able to in these feelings of nourishment.
You may be asking yourself,
What is it in the body that signals nourishment?
Perhaps a feeling of ease in the neck or the shoulders.
Maybe a lightness in the forehead.
And maybe noticing as best as you can.
What was it about that experience that felt nourishing?
Maybe noticing any sensations in the body as you remember it.
Any feelings or thoughts or stories that come with it.
Just simply allowing yourself to receive the experience again for a few moments.
Now perhaps gently asking yourself,
How might I allow a little more of this kind of nourishment into my life?
Maybe tomorrow.
Maybe the day after.
And maybe the day after that.
And maybe just allowing a simple intention to form.
Is there something you might need to do differently?
Something you might need to make a little more space for.
Maybe something you might notice.
Or appreciate more fully.
And if nothing comes to mind right now,
That's completely fine.
Perhaps simply holding the question lightly.
And allowing yourself to return to it at another time.
And now gently returning attention to the body.
Perhaps feeling the breath again.
The contact of the body with the chair or the floor.
And just allowing yourself to become grounded here once more.
And as you've been reviewing the last 24 hours,
You may also have noticed moments that maybe weren't so nourishing.
Maybe moments that were tiring,
Frustrating,
Difficult,
Or depleting.
Perhaps an interaction.
Perhaps something you don't like doing.
Perhaps it's an obligation or a responsibility you need to fulfill.
Maybe choosing something if you're able to,
Something manageable that you feel you could explore.
Knowing there's no need to choose the most difficult thing that happened.
And as you bring this moment to mind,
Maybe noticing any reactions that are here.
Perhaps thoughts.
Emotions maybe a series of sensations in the body.
You might notice an impulse or an urge to push the experience away.
Or maybe an urge to change it.
Or somehow fix it.
But inviting you to simply notice it.
And remembering that you don't have to like what you're experiencing.
It's okay not to like it.
It's okay maybe to wish that things had been different.
And at the same time maybe seeing whether it's possible just for these few moments.
To allow whatever is here to be here.
Maybe making a little more space for it.
And always meeting yourself as best as you can with kindness.
And inviting you now to ask yourself if a situation like this happens again.
Is there a way I might meet it more skillfully?
Not looking for the perfect answer.
Perhaps simply wondering,
Is there something I could do differently?
Maybe something I could say or something I could let go of.
Maybe a boundary I might need to set.
Or perhaps some support I might seek.
You might notice ways that you could make it a little less depleting.
And if nothing comes to mind,
That's fine too.
Simply opening to the possibility.
That we can sometimes meet familiar situations in new ways.
And maybe begin to loosen old patterns.
And now allowing that reflection to settle.
Returning once again to the sensations of breathing.
This body sitting or lying here.
Maybe noticing the support from the ground beneath you.
And perhaps now before we bring this practice to a close.
Allowing one of the nourishing moments from the last 24 hours to come gently back into your mind.
Something you appreciated,
Something that supported you.
Something that gave you even a very small sense of nourishment.
And allowing yourself to stay with it for a few moments.
Perhaps noticing what it feels like in the body to remember this experience.
A sense,
Perhaps.
Being nourished.
Supported.
Connected.
And as this practice comes to a close,
Perhaps remembering that reflecting on our experience in this way can help us begin to recognise more clearly what supports us and what depletes us.
We may not always be able to change what happens.
But we can become more aware of how we relate to what happens.
Knowing that the only thing that's ever really under our control is how we choose to respond.
And when you're ready now,
Gently bringing some movement back into the body,
Perhaps moving the fingers or the toes.
Opening the eyes if they've been closed.
And perhaps carrying forward a simple intention to meet the next 24 hours with a little more awareness,
Balance.
Kindness and care.
