Hello my friend and thank you so much for joining me.
There's a thought going round and round in your mind right now,
Something unwanted,
Uncomfortable,
Or maybe difficult to shake.
I'd like you to give yourself these next few minutes.
.
.
And know that you don't need to solve the thoughts.
You don't need to work out why it appeared and you don't need to force it away.
For now,
Just find a comfortable position.
Allowing your body.
To settle.
And take a slow breath in.
And just let it leave naturally.
Another easy breath.
No complicated breathing here,
Just notice that you are here intrusive thoughts can feel powerful because they arrive with a sense of urgency.
The mind says.
Pay attention to this.
Work this out.
Just check it again,
Make sure.
But a thought can feel urgent without actually requiring your attention.
So instead of following it,
We're going to practice letting it be present without giving it the whole room.
Bring your attention.
Down into your body.
And notice.
Where your body is being supported.
Maybe the chair beneath you or the bed perhaps the floor beneath your feet,
Just feel the physical reality of this moment and yourself being supported.
And notice one place in the body.
That feels neutral.
You know,
Not especially relaxed but not uncomfortable.
Just neutral.
It could be your hands or feet.
Your shoulders,
Even the movement of your breath.
Wherever you find,
Just rest your attention there for a few moments.
And if the thought comes back.
Just let yourself notice.
There is a thought again.
That's all,
You don't need to finish it or try to argue with it you don't need to answer that thought.
Just notice there's a thought again.
But for now,
Rest your attention on that part of your body that is neutral,
For the next few moments.
Now notice what happens in your body when that thought appears,
There may be a tightening or a sinking feeling.
Feeling of restlessness or an urge to check or analyse your thought.
See if you can notice that reaction as a physical experience,
Rather than as a problem you immediately have to fix.
Bring your attention to the place where you feel it most clearly.
And breathe normally but just let that sensation be there The mind may try to pull you back into the story,
As that's what minds do,
But each time you notice yourself being pulled in,
Gently return to something concrete.
Your feet,
Your hands,
Your breath or maybe the sounds around you.
You are not trying to prove this thought wrong.
That can turn into another internal argument inside your mind.
Instead,
You are learning that a thought can appear and it doesn't have to become an instruction.
Imagine that thought sitting somewhere nearby.
You don't need to push it out of sight.
You don't have to sit down beside it and spend the next hour discussing it.
It can just be there.
And you can still.
Be here.
Take another slow breath in.
And let it go.
Quietly ask yourself.
What is actually happening right now.
Not what could happen,
Not what the thought says something might mean,
Just what is happening right now.
And try to feel the answer through your senses.
You are breathing.
Your body is supported.
There are sounds around you.
There is a room around you.
There is this moment.
And I thought,
May still be there,
That's okay.
Success here is not making it disappear.
Success is recognising that you can choose where your attention goes next.
For the next few breaths,
Practice that choice.
When the thought appears.
Notice it.
And then.
.
.
Gently bring your attention somewhere else.
The feeling of the breath.
The contact beneath your body,
A sound in the room.
Again the thought may return,
And,
Again,
There's a thought,
And back you come.
And you may have had to come back from the thought 10 times already.
And that doesn't mean you're doing it badly.
That is the practice,
Noticing,
Returning.
Continuing.
Now think about what you were doing before this thought took hold of your attention.
Or think about what you would like to do after this meditation finishes.
Maybe just something ordinary like making a drink?
Perhaps you need to get dressed or go for a walk?
Maybe you're going to return to work or have a conversation with someone Let your mind connect with that next,
Ordinary,
Regular part of your day.
The thought doesn't need to be resolved before.
You get to continue living.
You are allowed to carry on.
Take a fuller breath in now.
And let it leave slowly.
Feeling your feet.
Your hands and noticing the space around you again.
And just before we finish,
Remind yourself.
A thought is something my mind produces and I do not have to follow every thought.
I can just notice it and return to my life.
And if the thought comes back later,
You can use exactly the same approach.
There's the thought again.
Then return to what is actually here.
No battle,
No investigation.
Just the gentle decision not to give it more of your attention than it needs.
Take one final comfortable breath.
.
.
And when you are ready.
Allow your eyes to open if they were closed and just take your time.
And continue on with your day.
Thank you so much for spending these few minutes with me and forgiving yourself this time.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
Go in peace.
Namaste.
