So today we're just going to practice something really simple.
Giving your attention a place to land in the body.
Not one place actually,
Five places.
Because different anchors work at different times and the more options you have the easier it becomes to find your way back when you need to.
So with that said,
Let's settle in.
Find a position for yourself.
Sitting is great,
Lying down is also fine as long as you are careful not to drift off.
Whatever lets you be comfortable without too much effort.
If it feels right,
Allow your eyes to gently close.
If you prefer to keep them open then just soften your gaze.
Then take one nice,
Long,
Slow,
Deep breath.
Breathing in through the mouth and out through the snoz.
And then when you're ready,
Take a nice,
Big,
Long,
Slow,
Deep breath.
Breathing in through the nose and exhaling gently out through the mouth.
We're going to visit five anchors in the body and at each one you don't need to do anything special.
Just notice what's there.
Feel it.
Stay for a moment.
That's the whole practice.
We're going to start with your feet.
Feel the soles of your feet.
The contact they have with the floor or perhaps the inside of your shoes or socks or the surface of the bed.
Whatever's happening with the soles of your feet.
Notice any sensation of weight there.
Any pressure.
Perhaps there's a subtle warmth or coolness.
You don't need to be able to describe it perfectly.
Just feel it.
And now bring your attention to your hands.
Wherever they're resting right now,
Notice them.
The weight of them.
The texture of whatever they're touching.
Maybe you can feel a pulse in your fingertips or maybe a very slight tingling.
Maybe they just feel still.
Next,
Bring your attention now to the place where your body meets the surface beneath you.
Your seat,
If you're sitting.
Your back,
If you're lying down.
Feel the support there.
The solidness of it.
You don't have to hold yourself up right now.
Something is already holding you.
And now we're going to look at the breath.
You don't need to change it.
Just notice the movement.
The gentle rise and fall.
Perhaps you feel it most in the belly.
Or maybe the chest.
Maybe just the air in the nostrils.
Wherever it's most obvious,
Just rest your attention there for a moment.
And finally,
Open your awareness to sound.
Whatever you can hear,
Near or far.
Not labelling the sounds or thinking about where they come from.
Just receiving them.
Let the sounds come to you.
And now this is the key part.
See if you can let all five of those anchors be available to you at once.
You don't need to hold them all in a focus,
But see if you can just let your awareness be wide enough that if your mind drifts into a story,
Any one of them can bring you back.
Feet.
Hands.
Seat.
Breath.
Sound.
You might find your attention naturally resting on one more than the others.
That's fine,
Let it settle where it wants to.
And if you find your thoughts drifting,
If a thought carries you away,
Just choose one anchor.
Any one.
Feel your feet.
Feel your hands.
And then for these last few moments,
Just allow yourself to be here.
You don't need to be focused or concentrated.
Just present in whatever way feels right now.
And now just gently letting the practice go.
Take a slightly fuller breath if you'd like.
Feel the room around you and when you're ready,
Just slowly opening up the eyes if you had them closed.
So here's your one small thing for today.
Before your next transition,
Whether standing up,
Walking into another room,
Getting out of the car,
Just pause for one breath and feel both feet on the ground.
Just one breath,
Just feeling the feet on the ground.
