Start Where You Are: Beginner-Friendly Mindfulness

Friend, If you've been curious about meditation but unsure where to begin, or if you’ve had difficulty finding a practice that works for your body — this is for you. This beginner-friendly mindfulness meditation invites you to start exactly where you are. There's no need to quiet your mind, no special position to master, and no experience required. All of you is welcome here - exactly how you’re feeling, just as you are right now.
Through gentle exploration of different anchors for your attention — the surface below, sound, the hands, and the breath — you'll discover multiple pathways for arriving in the present. You will also have the opportunity to explore an anchor of your choosing in more depth with prompts followed by periods of silence. With this practice we learn to arrive more fully in our lives with kind, loving awareness.
As always, think of my guidance as suggestion and make any adaptations that will serve you.
With Encouragement,
Kelsea
Photo Credit: Antonio Cabrera

Transcript

Hi friends, This is Kelsey with Life Alchemy, And this is a beginner-friendly mindfulness meditation. However you're feeling right now, Wherever you are, All of you is welcome here, Just as you are. Let's begin by coming into whatever shape would feel best for you and your body right now. Maybe standing. . . Sitting. . . Reclining or laying down. And as you are settling, Remember that my guidance is simply suggestion, And everything here is choice-based and adaptable. Now taking a full breath in. . . And a slow breath out, Maybe sighing. Two more times at your own pace. And on the exhalations, See if you can release any obvious tension from the body, Sinking into the surface below. You might welcome a sense of softening at the eyebrows and the eyes. Maybe simulating a yawn and releasing the jaw. Maybe inviting the shoulders to drop down and away from the neck. And noticing if there's anywhere else the body might be gripping or holding. And seeing if it would feel okay to soften a bit. Even just one percent. Not forcing anything, Just gently inviting a sense of softening. And if it doesn't feel okay or possible to soften, Just noticing that and seeing if you can meet it with kindness. Now bring the attention to the heart space and notice sensation from the inside out. You might even bring a hand to the heart and explore what this feels like. And I invite you to contact your heart's deepest intention for practicing today. Maybe it's to awaken, To see things more clearly. Maybe to cultivate more kindness or compassion. Maybe to respond more and react less. Maybe something else. Ask your heart, What matters most to me? I invite you now to join me in exploring a few different possibilities for anchoring the attention in meditation. A meditation anchor should feel pleasant or neutral. So if an option feels intense, Or if it isn't accessible for you, Feel welcome to skip it and return to one of the others. Begin to notice the sensation of the surface beneath you. Maybe noticing its temperature or texture. Noticing all of the tiny contact points where your body is being supported. You might notice how much each point of contact is supporting the weight of the body. If it is difficult to feel the surface beneath you, You might try gently shifting the weight of the body back and forth. Or making small movements with the parts of the body contacting the surface below. See if you can hold whatever sensations are present or not present in your kind awareness. Now bring the attention to the sounds in the space around you. Noticing the farthest away sound. And the closest sound. Maybe in the space around you. Or maybe within you. You might notice where each sound is coming from. And how it moves or changes. You might even notice how different vibrations feel in your body and in the field around you. You might focus on a specific sound. Or shift the attention between different sounds. Or perhaps take in all the sound as if it were one big symphony. Whatever sounds arise, See if you can hold them in open, Curious awareness. And now bring the attention to the sensation in the hands. Noticing sensation from the inside out. You might notice what the air around the hands feels like. Maybe cool. Warm, Dry, Or humid? You might explore sensation in the hands, One finger at a time. Maybe noticing sensation at the back of the hands. And in the palms. If it's difficult to feel sensation at the hands, You might try gently lifting the hands up. And gently placing them down again. Noticing what the hands feel like moving through space. Whatever sensations arise or don't arise, See if you can meet them like a kind, Open-hearted friend. And now bring the attention to the natural breath. Noticing the inhalations. And the exhalations. You might notice the breath coming in and out of the nostrils. Maybe noticing the rise and fall of the chest or belly. You might notice the beginning, Middle, And end of each breath. If the breath is difficult to feel, You might put a hand on the chest or belly and notice how it moves with the breath. See if you can meet whatever sensations are present or not present with a kind curiosity. I invite you now to choose an anchor for the attention to explore in more depth. It could be one of the options we just visited. Or something else. Any anchor that supports you in arriving here, In this body, In this moment, Is most welcome. The invitation is to see if you can welcome whatever unfolds, Moment to moment, Into kind awareness. Not changing anything, Just noticing what's here. If something difficult arises, It can help to ask, Can I be with this? If so, Continue noticing the unfolding with curiosity and care. It might help to name what you notice, Or to whisper this to. If something feels too intense to be with, Feel welcome to switch the attention to another anchor. On your own now. If you notice the attention has wandered, As it naturally does, Just gently return to the practice. Each time you notice is a moment of mindfulness and an opportunity for coming home to the present. You might notice how the experience at your chosen anchor changes. How everything comes and goes Feeling the flow of sensation. And seeing if you can let it be just as it is. If other sensations or parts of your experience are calling for attention. You might let your primary anchor dissolve into the background. Bringing full attention to whatever's arising. You might name what you notice and offer the experience your kind, Loving presence. If nothing is calling your attention, Or if it feels too intense. Continue resting the attention at your home base anchor. Before this meditation comes to a close, Take a moment to rest here in loving awareness itself. With this practice, We are building our capacity to be present in the fullness of experience with love and care. The present moment is always here for you, And the home base where you anchored the attention is a pathway for arriving. You might extend yourself some gratitude for exploring this today. And you might set an intention to continue noticing what's unfolding at your chosen anchor, Or to return to this practice to continue coming into the aliveness of presence. Thank you for joining me. Many blessings to you.