Hello,
Glad you're here.
Sit somewhere you can stay for the next few minutes.
Upright suits this practice and lying down works if that's what your body wants today.
Arrive with a bit of movement,
Roll your shoulders back once,
Let your neck grow long.
Let your face soften around your eyes and your mouth.
More movement is available whenever you want it,
Right through this track.
Rest your hands somewhere easy,
On your knees or loose in your lap,
Palms turned whichever way is comfortable.
This practice works best with your eyes open and a soft,
Unfocused gaze somewhere ahead of you.
If closed eyes suit you better today,
Close them and there's a second way in at every step.
Feel where your body touches what's supporting it.
The seat under you,
The floor under your feet,
The weight of your hands wherever they've landed.
Rest there a few seconds longer.
This contact stays with you for the whole track and it's still available once the track finishes.
Take one breath and let it be an ordinary one,
In and out at its own speed,
While you notice it happening.
We're about to go looking for something interesting in an ordinary room,
So here's what to expect.
This is an invitation.
Your day may stay every bit as flat as it was when you pressed play,
And that's fine here.
Take what's useful and leave the rest.
If your attention wanders,
Let it wander and come back to the weight of your hands.
If any of this stops feeling good,
Let my voice become background and rest your attention on what's supporting you.
That alone counts as the practice.
You can also switch this off and come back to it when the day suits it better.
The room you are in is probably familiar.
After a while,
Familiar things become part of the background,
Even when their story is still unfinished.
Let your attention settle on one ordinary thing nearby.
The item itself matters less than the fact that it is already here.
With open eyes,
Let the first object that catches you become the one.
With closed eyes,
Use the fabric,
Wood or other surface under your hands.
Now let one question arrive.
What had to happen before this ordinary thing could be here with you?
With open eyes,
Let the object stay in view.
With closed eyes,
Keep your fingers resting on the surface while the question remains open.
You are free to wonder without finding an answer.
Let the question make the familiar thing slightly less familiar for a few moments.
See whether one trace of its journey is available.
A seam,
A worn place,
A repaired edge,
A texture shaped by use.
A trace may appear,
And the object may stay completely ordinary.
Both belong here.
If a feeling arrives while you're with it,
Let it be whatever size it is.
Curiosity,
Warmth,
Dullness,
Boredom,
Each one of those belongs here.
Now let your attention widen.
Keep the unanswered question with the object and let the rest of the room come back around it.
With open eyes,
Let the room return at the edges of your sight.
With closed eyes,
Let the sounds of the room come back in.
The room is the same,
And one familiar theme carries a little more history than it did a few minutes ago.
Let the practice settle here.
With open eyes,
Let your gaze wander the space at its own pace.
With closed eyes,
Let your hands stay exactly where they are.
Let your breath widen if it wants to.
Stretch your hands.
Stretch your feet.
If your eyes have been closed,
Open them slowly and let the room arrive.
This travels with you.
Any familiar object can hold one unanswered question.
Enjoy whatever you notice.
