Welcome to day three of putting space between you and your thoughts.
This is the final day in this series of three meditations.
If you haven't listened to the first two,
You might go back and try them.
The first one was focusing on how to notice thoughts without getting attached to them.
The second one was recognizing that you and your mind are separate and you can be an observer of your thoughts.
And today we're going to focus on the breath,
The breath as a guide and an anchor.
So as we get started here,
Find a comfortable position.
Might be seated,
Or maybe you're lying down and let your body settle.
If it feels okay,
Maybe close your eyes or find a soft gaze,
Bringing yourself inward,
Letting go of that external stimuli.
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
Open the mouth and exhale slowly.
Say to yourself,
Or maybe out loud,
I am here.
I am safe.
I am present.
And now bring your attention to the body,
Noticing where you feel supported by whatever's beneath you.
And maybe take a scan of the body,
Noticing if there's any areas of tension or areas that you're holding on to without even knowing.
Maybe starting at the top of your head,
Release the scalp,
Soften that area between the eyebrows,
Unclench the jaw,
Soften the shoulders,
Soften the belly,
Release the glutes,
Let the thighs settle and release any tension in your legs.
Notice the weight of your body as it settles into whatever is supporting you.
Take a deep breath in through the nose.
Exhale,
Let it go through the mouth and say silently to yourself,
Or maybe out loud,
I allow myself to be supported.
I allow myself to rest.
In this moment,
I let go.
And maybe for the rest of this meditation,
You breathe in and out through the nose,
Gently pulling the lips together,
Sending that signal to your brain that you're safe and you're calm.
You are not your thoughts.
Thich Nhat Hanh said,
Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.
Conscious breathing is my anchor.
We can replace thoughts for feelings in that quote and focus on conscious breathing is my anchor.
Bring your attention to your breath now,
Feeling it entering and exiting through the nose.
No need to change it,
Just notice it.
Take a great big inhale through the nose,
Breathing in,
I receive calm.
And exhale through the nose,
Breathing out,
I release tension.
Inhale,
Exhale.
When we're focusing on our breath,
It's very hard for our mind to wander.
Focusing on your breath is a wonderful way to put space between you and your thoughts.
In addition to focusing on inhales and exhales,
We can intentionally control the breath.
Normally the body breathes for us.
When we bring attention to our breath,
It sometimes automatically deepens.
And the next level would be intentionally deepening it.
Taking an inhale through the nose to the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And exhaling through the nose,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale,
And exhale.
Keep that breath going,
Maybe continuing to count in your head and notice how the brain changes.
There's also the opportunity to add affirmations rather than counting.
On the inhale,
You might say,
I am grounded.
On the exhale,
I am at ease.
If that one doesn't feel authentic,
Another one to try is inhale,
I trust the rhythm of my breath.
Exhale,
I trust the rhythm of life.
Inhale,
I trust the rhythm of my breath.
Exhale,
I trust the rhythm of life.
Inhale,
I trust the rhythm of my breath.
Exhale,
I trust the rhythm of life.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Finding ways to put space between you and your thoughts.
Slowing the mind down,
Allowing the mind to rest.
And listen,
Your mind will wander.
It will drift.
It's okay.
Without judgment,
Without blame,
We bring our mind back to the breath,
A soft return.
Again and again and again.
You aren't doing this wrong.
You're doing this right.
You're here.
So when that mind wanders,
Creating the awareness that it's wandering and gently redirecting back,
Perhaps saying to yourself,
Each breath is a new beginning.
I am patient with myself.
Taking a great big inhale through the nose,
Opening the mouth and letting it go.
Michael A.
Singer said,
There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind.
You are the one who hears it.
Coming back to your breath,
Noticing each inhale and each exhale,
Beginning to notice the space around you,
The sounds,
Your body,
Notice what you've created here today in yourself.
Take a final deep inhale.
Let it go.
And say very gently to yourself,
I carry this calm with me.
I move through my day with clarity and kindness.
I am not my thoughts.
When you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes,
Bringing your awareness back to here and now.
Thank you for participating in this series to help put space between you and your thoughts.
You can return to this anytime,
Anywhere,
And know don't believe everything you think.
They're only thoughts.
Have a wonderful rest of your day.
