So let's quiet the minds.
Do whatever shifting moving in the chair would be helpful for you.
I just see if you might gift yourself these few minutes now.
Just to arrive.
Just to give some expression to that intentionality.
That you'd like to give yourself a little space.
So remembering the guidance from yesterday.
If focusing on the breath or listening to me leading a practice in any way.
Just doesn't sit well with you.
Well,
You let those words go.
And you just take your time and your space in the way that works for you.
In your case,
It might be noticing the feet on the floor.
Or if you're sitting in a room with a window,
You might like to look at the window.
The invitation is to rest.
So for those who would like to follow the guidance.
I invite you now to sit in a way that is intentional and comfortable.
So intentional means our signal to be awake.
Remember yesterday we were focusing on awareness.
So it's really about being aware.
So you might go for the feet on the floor.
Nice and flat,
Not crossed.
You might practice with what would a strong straight back be like on your body.
Not strong and stiff.
Actually quite the opposite.
It's more strong and grounded.
Like a good solid tree trunk.
You might invite the front of your body to be lovely and soft and open.
Just inviting a little spaciousness and a little softness in the front of the body.
And maybe the shoulders might drop a little,
Even a tiny bit.
Letting the hands rest then where they will.
So really just intentionally coming here.
Noticing what is here.
Perhaps for you the head is spinning.
Some rumination.
Some planning.
Some stream of thoughts.
So just taking a minute to notice what is here.
Seeing if we can build on the awareness practice of yesterday.
So noticing whatever is here with kindness.
Knowing that there is no problem in the wide earthly world.
Nothing gone wrong.
The practice is working perfectly.
Just noticing what thinking is here.
As you notice whatever is happening in the mind.
Seeing if you might notice without getting involved with each thought.
So let's practice for about a minute.
Maybe noticing the thoughts as though there were clouds in the sky.
You are just watching the thoughts.
Maybe as the thoughts are flowing by you might say,
Thinking,
Thinking,
Thinking.
So allowing the thoughts,
Noticing the thinking and yet not really getting involved with the thinking.
So that's the first part of our practice today.
What thoughts are here?
And seeing if we might notice with kindness and with a certain detachment.
And then moving on to the emotional state.
You know by simply,
By which we simply mean,
What kind of feeling tone is here right now?
So as you tumble in here to our wonderful shared space.
Well,
What is the feeling tone?
So just taking a moment to scan that in a way.
If you were to put some words on what are the feelings that are here with you right now.
What would they be?
How are you?
We might say.
What feelings are here?
And again,
Seeing if you might notice the feelings.
As best you can without any judgment.
Just noticing.
Naming what feelings are here.
Without really getting involved in any feeling.
So we're watching again in a kind of a detached way.
What feeling tone is here right now?
Can I notice it?
With kindness.
And with a certain detachment.
Feelings come.
Have a moment.
And feelings go.
And then shifting to the body.
So now the invitation is to notice,
Well how is the body at this stage in the day?
So to do this,
We might scan the body.
By which we mean very simply just traveling.
From the very crown of the head.
Nice and slowly.
Down through the forehead.
The eyes.
The cheeks.
The ears.
The nose.
The mouth.
The chin.
Just noticing the whole face.
Moving on then down to notice the neck.
Becoming aware of the shoulders.
Noticing the weight and the volume now of the arms as they come out from the shoulders.
All the way down to the elbows and the hands.
Paying attention to the whole trunk of the body.
The throat,
The chest,
The belly.
That great big bony structure hip to hip,
The pelvic girdle.
The buttocks.
The whole back area.
Just scanning that whole part of the body.
Noticing what's here.
Noticing the legs now coming out from the hip joints.
The weight,
The volume and the length of the legs all the way down to the knees.
Noticing the knees.
And moving on down then to the ankles and the feet wherever they're resting.
So taking a minute now to scan the body in your way.
Just moving the attention up and down the body.
Noticing what's here in the body right now.
Maybe a particular part of the body calling for attention.
Or a sensation within the whole body.
So again seeing if you might notice what's here.
With a certain curiosity and a great kindness.
Just noticing.
Now we come to the breath.
So seeing if it might be possible for you right now.
To just notice the breath.
Absolutely no need to breathe in any special way.
Just seeing if you might tune in to the breath that is here.
Tune in to the breath that is here.
You might choose one place in the body where the breath is most vibrant for you.
Maybe that's under the nostril.
Or in the throat.
Or perhaps for you the breath is most vibrant in the chest or the belly.
So just seeing if you can locate where the breath is most alive for you.
And then noticing the breath just there.
The breath coming in.
And the breath going out.
Just this breath.
If the mind is busy.
Or emotions are tugging.
Absolutely nothing gone wrong here.
Fantastic awareness.
Noticing what's here.
And then when you're ready.
Unhooking and coming back again.
Just this breath.
This breath coming in.
And this breath going out.
Just this breath.
Maybe coming back again and again to just this breath.
And now staying with the breath in a way.
And expanding the awareness to this whole breathing body.
This whole body breathing itself.
All day long.
And seeing if you can notice this breathing body right now.
This whole body breathing itself.
Seeing now if you can notice.
Any awareness of air in contact with this breathing body.
No need for special efforting or striving.
Just noticing.
Might there be some air in contact with the body.
Maybe an awareness of cool or warm.
Some of the limbs.
The feet.
Noticing air.
Noticing now again.
The feet on the floor.
Any points of contact between the chair or whatever is supporting you.
And the feet.
The feet.
The feet.
The feet.
Any points of contact between the chair or whatever is supporting you and the body.
And then when you're ready coming back into the space in which you are sitting.
Your own non-virtual room.
And maybe taking a minute to have a wee look around this space.
Just allowing your eyes now.
No rush.
No hurry.
Just to have a little look around.
Your perhaps very familiar space.
Maybe your eyes might even be drawn to some particular thing in your space that you haven't noticed in a while.
And letting the eyes rest there.
