Hi friends,
This is Kelsey with Life Alchemy,
And this is a mindfulness meditation to help you bring kind awareness to the busy mind.
I invite you to come into whatever posture would feel most supportive for you right now.
Taking the time to make any adjustments that might make you more comfortable.
And as you're settling in.
Remember that my guidance is just suggestion and everything here is optional and adaptable.
Now take a full,
Deep inhalation.
And a long,
Slow exhalation.
Repeating this cycle a few more times.
And seeing if you can extend the exhalations to be a bit longer than the inhalations.
Returning to the natural breath now.
Begin to notice the sensation of the surface beneath you.
It's texture and support.
And notice the sea of air around you and its temperature and humidity.
You might invite a softening at the eyes and the brows.
Maybe releasing the jaw.
You might allow the shoulders to drop down and away from the neck.
And maybe softening at the chest and belly.
And now bring the attention to an anchor of your choosing,
Maybe the breath,
The sensation of the surface beneath you.
Sensation in the hands,
Or maybe something else.
And begin to notice and welcome whatever sensations arise into your kind awareness.
When the mind begins to think,
As it naturally does,
Take the opportunity to simply notice that thinking is happening.
You might internally whisper,
Oh,
A thought.
Or thinking,
Thinking.
Or something similar.
And then return the attention to sensation at your chosen anchor.
When you notice thinking is happening,
There can be a natural tendency to react.
To judge the thinking or push it away.
The invitation here is to remember that each time you notice the mind has wandered is a moment of mindfulness itself.
Each time you notice that thinking is happening.
You're developing your capacity to be in presence and to relate to the mind wisely.
Stay with the anchor for about the next minute and simply and kindly notice when thinking happens.
Now we'll intentionally bring attention to the mind.
For the next 30 seconds,
Simply count how many thoughts you notice.
Not paying any attention to their content,
Not reacting to them,
Just noticing and counting them.
You might notice that thinking is happening a few times,
Or a hundred times.
That doesn't matter.
What's important is strengthening the awareness of when thinking is happening.
Now begin to pay attention to the content of the thoughts,
Not to analyze or critique them or push them away,
Simply to become more familiar with the type of thinking that's happening.
You might notice when planning is happening or worrying.
Daydreaming.
Remembering or judging,
Maybe something else.
The invitation is to simply notice and to gently and kindly name the type of thought that's happening.
If it's difficult or not helpful to name the type of thought,
You can simply return to naming that thinking itself is happening.
If the thoughts get overwhelming,
You can always return the attention to your chosen anchor or alternate the attention back and forth between the thoughts and your anchor.
On your own now.
If negative or unpleasant thoughts arise,
You might try internally whispering,
Just a thought.
And if you find that stories or beliefs are arising with the thoughts,
It can be helpful to ask,
Is this true?
If repetitive thoughts are happening and it becomes apparent that there's a strong emotion underneath,
You might name the emotion.
And see if you can allow it to be here in your kind awareness too.
And you might even bring a caring hand to the heart,
As a way of being with yourself with compassion.
Continuing with the practice now.
Before this meditation comes to a close,
You might take a moment to extend some gratitude to yourself for exploring this today.
The more we are able to notice when thinking is happening,
The more we realize that we are not the thoughts.
We are the space of loving awareness,
Noticing the coming and going thoughts,
Just as we notice all other forms of experience.
And the more familiar we become with the contents of the thoughts,
The more we cultivate clear seeing,
Choice about what we're believing,
And wise relationship with the mind.
When you're ready,
Begin to slowly and gently transition however works best for you.
Maybe taking a few deep breaths.
Maybe wiggling fingers and toes.
And maybe taking a stretch.
Thank you for practicing with me.
Many blessings to you.
