This beginner's guided meditation will help you to reduce stress,
Alleviate the symptoms of anxiety,
Depression and insomnia,
Helping you to improve your focus and attention,
Increasing your productivity,
So you are able to live life in a more peaceful,
Harmonious and content way with the increased ability to place your focus and your attention on the important things in your life.
So let's begin.
Turn off or silence any distractions and find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed.
Finding a comfortable seated position.
If you are sitting cross-legged,
Ensure your hips are higher than your knees.
If you are sitting on a chair,
Ensure that both feet are flat on the ground and your spine is upright.
You can place your hands on your lap or your knees,
Palms facing up or down.
Feel free to find what is most comfortable for you and softly close down your eyes.
Scan your body to make sure you are in a comfortable seated position.
If you need to make any slight adjustments during this meditation to be more comfortable,
It is ok to do so,
Just be sure to move mindfully.
We will begin by taking 3 deep cleansing breaths to settle the body and the mind.
So on your next inhale,
Take a long,
Slow,
Deep inhale.
Feel the breath as it fills up your stomach,
Your chest and your back.
And a slow exhale,
Fully exhaling all of the air out of your lungs as your body relaxes,
Releasing any stress and tension that you are holding.
Take another long,
Slow,
Deep inhale.
Feel your body expand.
And a slow exhale,
Fully exhaling all of the air out of your body,
Allowing the stress and tension to drift away.
Take one more deep inhale.
Notice your breath as it fills up your body.
And a full exhale,
Completely exhaling all of the air out of your body as your body relaxes.
And return your breath back to its natural rhythm.
Take your attention to the crown of your head now,
As the top of your head relaxes.
Continuing that relaxation down into your forehead,
As your forehead becomes heavy,
Your eyebrows become heavy.
Relaxing the muscles around your eyes.
Relaxing into your eyes now,
And relaxing deep into your eye sockets.
There is no need to strain the eyes now.
Allow them to rest.
Allow your face to relax now.
Just notice as it softens,
Relaxing into your nose and your cheeks.
Unclenching your jaw,
Allowing your tongue to rest away from the roof of your mouth.
Turn the corners of your mouth up slightly into a half smile,
As this helps your face to relax.
Continue that relaxation down now into your throat and your neck,
As they soften.
Relaxing into your shoulders,
Allowing them to become heavy and to rest away from your ears.
We often carry lots of stress and tension in our shoulders,
So just allow them to relax now,
To become heavy.
As you continue that relaxation down into your upper arms,
All the way down to your elbows.
Relaxing into your forearms,
To your hands and your fingers,
Allowing your arms to become heavy now.
Take your attention to your chest and your upper back,
As they soften and relax.
As you continue that relaxation down into your middle back and your lower back.
Allowing your stomach to become heavy,
As it softens and relaxes.
We can carry a lot of stress and tension in our stomach,
So just allow it to become heavy now.
Allow it to relax,
Allow the stress and tension to drift away from this area.
Continuing that relaxation now into your upper legs,
All the way down to your knees.
Down into your lower legs,
Your feet and your toes,
As your legs become heavy.
Take one more deep inhale now,
And as your body expands,
Feel the crown of your head as it rises to the sky.
And on your exhale,
Keep the crown of your head up high,
As your body relaxes.
This will help to keep your spine upright,
But not stiff.
And return back to your natural breath.
Bring your attention to the sounds around you.
Listen to the sounds that are close by,
And the sounds that are far away.
Don't label what the sounds are,
Or judge the sounds,
Whether they are pleasant or unpleasant.
Simply be a witness to the sounds that are around you.
Welcome in all sounds.
Take your attention to the silence between the sounds now.
Notice where the sounds arise from,
And where they dissipate to.
If you get distracted by sounds at any point during your meditation,
Just welcome the sounds,
Accept the sound,
And when you notice your attention has drifted off to the sound,
Kindly and gently return your attention back to your breath.
Bring your attention to your nose now,
As you breathe naturally in and out of your nose,
And be a witness to what sensations you are experiencing.
You may notice the cooler air around your nose on the inhalation,
And the warmer air on your nose on the exhalation.
You may notice other sensations,
Such as twitching,
Tingling,
Throbbing.
Without going into a story about the sensations,
Or judging whether these sensations are pleasant or unpleasant,
Just simply be a witness to them,
Without labeling them.
Take your attention to the pause between your breaths now.
Notice the pause between your exhale,
And your next inhale.
Notice the stillness,
Notice the peace.
Don't try too hard to focus during this meditation,
All you need is your gentle attention,
Your effortless effort.
On your next inhale,
Follow your breath in through your nose,
All the way down into your stomach,
As your stomach expands,
And as you exhale your stomach contracts,
As the breath exits your nose.
Inhaling through your nose,
All the way down into your stomach,
As your stomach expands,
And exhaling back out through your nose,
As your stomach contracts.
Inhale,
Stomach expands.
Exhale,
Stomach contracts.
Don't try to control your breath at any time,
Allow your breath to be natural,
And follow its natural rhythm.
On your next inhale,
Follow the breath as it enters your nose,
And it fills up your lungs and your chest,
As they rise and expand.
And as you exhale,
Your chest and shoulders lower,
As the breath exits your nose.
Inhaling through your nose,
Your chest expands,
Your shoulders rise.
And as you exhale,
Your chest and shoulders lower,
And contract.
Inhale,
Expand.
Exhale,
Contract.
Just relax,
Let go of any expectations.
I invite you now,
For the remainder of this meditation,
To choose a point of focus wherever you felt the breath most prominently and comfortably in your body.
Whether that is the breath in and out of your nose,
Or the sensations of your chest and shoulders rising and falling,
Or your stomach expanding and contracting,
Or it can be the whole sensation of breathing,
As the breath enters and leaves your body.
Just breathe in and out naturally,
Focusing on the sensation of your choice for the remainder of this meditation.
If your attention drifts off into thought at any time,
Be kind to yourself,
No matter how many times this happens.
And without judging,
Or going into a story about your thoughts,
Simply notice that your attention has drifted,
And gently and kindly return your attention back to your breath.
If you have any physical sensations,
Or any discomfort during your meditation,
Bring your attention to the feeling of these sensations without labelling,
Without analysing or judging the sensation.
Simply and gently focus on what it feels like,
And after a while it will dissipate.
Then return your attention back to your breath.
If it becomes too uncomfortable,
Then please move mindfully to get a more comfortable position,
And return your attention back to your breath.
If your attention has drifted off to a thought or to a sound,
Gently and kindly return it back to your breath.
If your attention has drifted off to a thought or to a sound,
Gently and kindly return it back to your breath.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Take your attention off your breath now,
And simply sit in the stillness that you have created.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Become aware of the sounds that are around you.
Start to get a sense of your surroundings.
Notice where your body is in contact with the chair or the ground beneath you.
Notice where your body parts are in contact with other body parts.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Slowly start to move your hands and your feet,
Your arms and your legs,
And stretch out into the space around you.
Take your time here,
As you slowly begin to open your eyes,
Starting off gazing down at the floor,
And take your time to come back around.
Thank you for meditating with me.
