Before we begin,
Let's just.
.
.
Just take a moment to arrive.
Wherever you're joining from today.
Just perhaps allow yourself to.
Settle into your seat or wherever you've chosen to be for the next little while.
And today.
We're going to explore something now.
I think probably effects.
Almost all of us in one way or another.
And that's just how difficult it can be to like switch off from our devices and screens and The irony isn't lost on me today that the fact that we're meeting here through screens and devices and phones to talk about spending less time connected to them.
The chances are your.
Listening or watching on your phone right now.
I'm using technology screens to speak to you.
And without it,
This wouldn't be possible,
Right?
This particular moment between.
.
.
Me communicating with you wouldn't be happening.
To be clear,
This isn't really about deciding that phones,
Computers and technology is evil or bad.
Because they're not,
Well they don't have to be,
They're incredibly useful as a tool.
They allow us to stay in touch with people we love,
Give us access to information.
That we wouldn't have music,
Meditation,
Like from the Insight Timer app.
Like just entertainment,
We work and we find communities that we would never find if we didn't have the technology and the screens and the phones and all the rest of it but the difficulty comes when There's almost no break from any of it.
It's just constant.
I think about.
.
.
How many times through just an ordinary day.
Something.
Screams for your attention on your device,
A message pings or an email appears.
There's like notifications coming all the time news headlines flashing at you and then you open one thing and somehow we get like drawn down to a rabbit hole looking for another thing and another thing and um we're doing something completely different 10 minutes later that we didn't mean to get caught up in and even the little gaps in our day.
Um many of us just automatically reach for our phones i know i do like you know just like waiting for the the kettle to boil or sitting on a train or in a in a dentist's waiting room he just automatically reach for your phone.
Even those few minutes before going to sleep at night or immediately waking up.
These moments become another opportunity to check what has happened since the last minutes we live.
And after a while.
.
.
The mind can be.
Accustomed to constantly receiving that stream of information.
Like more opinions thrown at us,
More pitches and more things to respond to.
Ends.
Or things that.
.
.
Like apparently need our attention.
But the truth is much of it doesn't need our attention.
And that constant stream of input can become so exhausting on us.
We might find ourselves feeling overstimulated.
Or overwhelmed with without immediately connecting that feeling to the sheer amount of information we have taken during the day.
And sometimes I think.
We know we need a break but we still find ourselves reaching for the phone automatically.
And I think it's important to recognise that without judging ourselves for it.
Because these devices are designed to be useful and engaging.
And.
.
.
We.
.
.
Built our lives around them really.
To many people.
If you completely disconnect for hours every day,
Just.
.
.
To be honest,
It isn't realistic,
Is it?
Because there's work,
Family,
Kids.
And people who do genuinely need to be able to contact us.
But perhaps.
.
.
We don't need to be available to everything,
Every minute of the day.
Maybe we can create.
Just a little space,
Maybe.
.
.
20 minutes perhaps.
20 minutes where nothing new is arriving,
We're not scrolling,
Checking,
No headlines flashing at us or messages.
Or videos playing in the background.
Just 20 minutes and.
.
.
You don't really you don't necessarily need to spend those 20 minutes like in deep meditation or anything like that you could just be sitting with a a cup of tea.
Or just go outside,
Walk around a block.
Look out the window.
And um.
.
.
Just simply allow yourself to sit.
Without immediately having that need to fill the space.
You might find you even notice boredom.
And I think perhaps boredom isn't always something that needs fixing.
We sometimes forget how to be bored.
I think in that boredom is where a lot of ideas and thinking come from right just like sitting with yourself um we feel incredibly uncomfortable to be bored even for like a couple of minutes so we have to take our phone out our pocket or whatever Um.
.
.
Yeah,
Sometimes boredom is just simply the feeling that appears when.
.
.
When the mind's not being constantly.
.
.
Entertained.
During the meditation today.
We're going to practice stepping away from all that incoming information for a while.
If you're listening on your phone at the moment and and you're able to do so and once you're comfortable you might place the phone somewhere nearby where you can still hear my voice but where you don't need to hold it physically with your hands if that's possible or look at the screen.
And for the next.
Few minutes there is nothing else you need to check.
Whatever is waiting for you,
Can wait just a little longer.
For now,
You are allowed to be here.
Say.
Make yourself comfortable.
And when you're ready.
Will begin.
Allow your eyes to close if that's comfortable for you or you can simply.
.
.
Lower your gaze.
And begin.
By noticing the supports.
Beneath your body.
Chair beneath you.
Flow beneath your feet.
Or the bed or the cushion beneath you if you're lying down.
You don't need to be creating any particular state,
Just notice where you are.
And take a slow breath in and let the breath leave naturally.
Another breath in.
And breathe out.
Now allow the breath just to return to its own natural rhythm.
Nothing to control,
Nothing to count.
Just simply breathing.
You may.
Already notice how different it feels just to sit here without needing to do.
Anything with your hands without scrolling or typing.
Without searching or looking for the next thing.
Just sitting.
Just breathing.
And listening.
Begin to notice.
The physical sensations of the breath.
Effects.
The movement around your chest or your ribs and abdomen.
Feeling the air passing through your nose.
Choosing whichever sensation.
Is easiest to notice and.
.
.
Allow that to become your resting place.
For the next minute or so.
Sooner or later,
Your attention will change.
We'll move somewhere else.
A thought may appear or a memory.
Maybe something you need to do later.
Perhaps even the thought of your phone.
You might suddenly remember a message you haven't answered or something you meant to look up.
Something that you wanted to check.
Notice that impulse if it comes and you don't need to follow it but you don't need to push it away either just simply recognize Hmm,
I have an urge to chit.
And then just return to your breath.
We become so used to responding immediately to these little impulses that Sometimes we hardly notice them anymore.
The thought appears and the hand automatically reaches for the phone.
So today we're just creating a little gap between that impulse and the action.
You can want to check something without checking it.
You can remember something without dealing with it immediately.
And it's okay to allow a question to remain unanswered for a while.
Take another slightly deeper breath in now.
And breathe out.
Allowing your shoulders to rest.
Letting your hands become comfortable.
Maybe.
.
.
Rest your hands on your legs or beside you.
All gently together in your lap.
And just notice what it feels like to.
Let your hands just go.
Simply be still.
Now begin to become aware of.
Any sounds around you.
Not sounds coming through the screen or headphones.
Apart from my voice,
Notice the sounds that are already present where you are.
Perhaps something inside the room or something further away.
Maybe.
.
.
Sound of traffic.
Birds or the wind.
People you hear in the distance.
Or perhaps you hear very little at all.
You don't need to identify every sound,
Just listen.
Notice that life continues around you without requiring you to respond to it.
Sounds appear and they pass.
Something else takes their place.
You can simply be here.
And listen.
And now.
Bring some awareness.
Into the body.
Notice your feet.
Your legs.
The weight of your body.
Notice your hands.
Your arms.
Your shoulders.
Your face.
And notice whether there are areas holding.
Any unnecessary effort.
Perhaps.
.
.
In the jaw.
On the forehead.
May be around the eyes.
You don't need to force anything to relax.
Simply noticing.
Can sometimes allow the body to release a little bit of what it's been holding.
And as you sit here,
Imagine for a moment.
All of the information that has already passed through your mind today.
You don't need to remember any of it,
Just.
.
.
Recognise that there has probably been quite a lot.
Whaaat?
Images,
Conversations.
Decisions.
Sounds.
The things you have read or watched.
Things other people wanted you to know.
And now,
Nothing new is required for now.
You don't have to keep filling up the mind,
You can just let it digest what is already there.
Like allowing stirred up water to become still.
Because nothing kills.
Is being added.
If thoughts continue to come,
That's completely fine.
A break from information.
Doesn't mean that the mind immediately stops thinking.
Your mind may still be busy.
You're simply just not giving it another go.
Thousand things to process.
Just let the thoughts move through in their own time.
Imagine.
Replacing everything that can wait.
Outside of this moment.
Messages can wait,
Emails can wait.
News and social media can wait.
Whatever has happened online during these minutes we've been here.
Still be there later.
If you decide you need to see it.
But for now.
You don't need to know.
Notice what happens when you hear those words.
You don't need to know.
For these few minutes,
You don't need to know what everybody else is doing.
You don't need to know what has just happened somewhere in the world.
You don't need to know whether someone has replied.
You don't need to know how many notifications are waiting.
There can be things happening somewhere else.
And you can remain here.
Bring your attention back to your breathing again.
Feel one breath arriving.
And leaving.
And then another.
And perhaps notice that this moment is actually quite simple.
A body breathing.
Sounds coming and going.
Sensations changing.
Thoughts appearing and then passing.
Nothing else needs to be added.
If restlessness appears,
See whether you can become curious about it.
Where do you feel that restlessness?
Maybe in your hands or your chest.
Your legs.
Maybe it feels like an urge to move or check,
Look,
Do something.
But rather than immediately satisfying that urge.
Just give it a little room and notice it.
Breathe with it.
And see whether it changes when you don't immediately react to it.
This is one of those things we can begin to rediscover when we step away from constant stimulation.
We learn that every impulse really doesn't need an immediate response.
Every empty moment does not need to be filled.
Every thought doesn't need another piece of information attached to it.
Now imagine that.
You had just 20 minutes like this somewhere in your day.
Later today or tomorrow.
It doesn't have to look exactly like this meditation.
Just imagine putting your hands somewhere safe.
They don't need to be doing anything.
Just imagine putting your phone down.
Turning,
Turning off the screens,
The television,
Closing the laptop.
And giving yourself.
Just those 20 minutes without incoming information.
Where might you be?
Maybe you're just sitting in your favourite space at home.
Maybe walking outside somewhere.
Just notice what would feel.
Realistic in those 20 minutes for you.
Don't worry about making a commitment right now,
Just imagine what those 20 minutes might feel like.
Just a.
.
.
Tiny pocket of the day in which nobody is asking anything for your attention.
You don't need to check anything.
And then return once more to the feeling of the body breathing.
For the next little while.
I'm going to give you even more space.
There is nowhere else you need to go mentally.
Just let the breath come and go.
And listen.
To whatever sounds were around you.
And allow yourself the.
.
.
Probably unusual experience of not needing to consume anything mentally,
Nothing to read or watch or respond to.
Just being here for the next couple of minutes.
And now begin slowly bringing your awareness back toward my voice.
Notice your body again.
And the points of contact beneath you.
Notice your feet.
Your hands.
Notice your breathing.
And take a fuller breath in.
And slowly breathe out.
Maybe bringing movement to your fingers,
Wiggling your toes.
And allowing a little movement.
Back into your shoulders.
And your neck if that's comfortable and good for you.
And notice.
How you feel after spending this little amount of time with less input.
Just notice if there's no particular way you should feel,
But maybe calmer or clearer.
Perhaps you simply notice how busy your mind is still.
Whatever you find is okay.
The practice is simply having given you.
And yourself the space.
And just before you open your eyes,
Perhaps remember the idea that we explored earlier.
You don't need to disappear from the digital world.
You don't need to chuck your phone in the bin.
You can just choose moments when you are not available to everything in the world.
Just maybe 20 minutes or whatever is doable for you a day.
Where your attention.
Belongs to you.
Keep yourself that space.
And that energy.
And when you're ready,
If you haven't already,
Slowly allow your eyes to open.
Letting the room come back into view.
Just take your time.
Thank you so much for sharing this time with me today.
Before you immediately reach for your phone or move on to whatever comes next for you today.
See if you can just stay here for.
.
.
Just a few more moments.
And perhaps.
.
.
Some time tomorrow.
Experiment with that 20 minute break.
Or even 10 minutes,
Five minutes,
Whatever is doable for you.
There's no need to make it like another task that you need to succeed at.
Choose a little piece of your day.
Just see what it feels like when nothing new is bombarding you.
And coming into your brain.
We spend so much of our lives deciding what deserves our attention.
And I think sometimes it's worth remembering.
That our attention itself needs looking after too.
Thank you all for joining me today.
I really appreciate you being here.
