My name is Raphael and this is a short beginner meditation for reducing stress.
For this session find a comfortable seat with a tall spine doing your best not to slouch.
If you are seated on the floor feel welcome to meditate against the wall for more support.
Gently close your eyes starting by feeling the connection of your feet on the earth.
Noticing the body you're inhabiting and then beginning to tune to the breath.
Breathing naturally in through the nose out through the nose or the mouth.
To start simply notice the quality of your breath at this moment.
Is the breath tight or labored or does it feel relaxed and full?
No judgment for what is,
Just witness.
If you are new to meditation understand that the goal of the practice isn't to stop thought.
We cannot control the thoughts in our mind.
We can control if we feed our awareness to certain heavy thoughts or if we let heavy thoughts pass by focusing on the present moment,
On the breath.
Today we'll use a breath technique as the anchor point to pull our attention away from stressful thoughts.
If and when your mind wanders understand that this is normal and forgive yourself.
Gently redirect your attention back to the breath and know that every time you catch yourself wandering,
Thinking during meditation,
Good.
This is the first step to meditation,
Becoming aware of the thoughts floating in your head.
While moving is allowed during the practice try to be mindful of excess movements of the hands or feet.
I recommend keeping your hands in a relaxed state on the thighs,
Palms facing up or one palm on top of the other.
The more stillness you can find with the body,
The deeper your mind will enter meditation.
The more you can let go,
The more you can enter presence.
Now we will start a practice,
A technique called the four count breath to train our awareness towards the here and now.
Listen closely.
To practice you're going to inhale through the nose for four counts,
You're going to hold the breath for four counts,
You're going to exhale out through the nostrils for four counts,
And you'll hold the breath out for four counts.
We'll practice a few rounds together.
Inhale through the nose 1 2 3 4,
Hold 2 3 4,
Exhale nose 2 3 4,
Hold 2 3 4.
Again inhale nose 1 2 3 4,
Hold the breath 2 3 4,
Exhale nose 2 3 4,
Hold the breath 2 3 4.
Practice a few rounds at your own pace.
Inhaling for four,
Holding the breath for four,
Exhaling through the nose for four,
Holding the breath out for four.
Let the daily to do's melt away for the next few moments.
Engage with the breath.
Train your awareness.
Keep focused on the technique.
When the mind wanders,
Not to worry.
Know that it is normal.
Focus back on the technique.
Remembering that every time you catch yourself wander,
You are on the way to finding stillness of the mind.
Stay with me for a few more rounds of this four count breath.
Reset your nervous system.
Don't feed any stressful thoughts,
Just observe any thought arising and let it pass as your attention drifts back to the breath.
With time,
The stressful thought leaves the mind.
Two more rounds at your own pace.
And then let go of the technique.
Let your breath follow its natural rhythm in and out through the nose.
Remember,
When we are stressed,
The breath becomes short and shallow.
Our heart rate gets elevated and the mind is in a deficit of oxygen.
All you need to do is breathe.
And you're already making a huge difference to reducing the stress in the mind.
When we practice the simple four count breath consistently,
It becomes easier and easier to enter a state of peace.
Accept that in some meditations,
The mind will be empty.
And in others,
The thoughts will persistently arise.
The more we practice,
The easier it will become to let go of stressful thoughts.
Take a few more breaths,
Resetting the nervous system,
Resetting the breath,
Calming the system.
Soften the shoulders.
Be present for a few more breaths.
Now with your eyes still closed,
Slowly bring your attention to any sounds in your immediate surroundings.
It can be people talking,
Traffic,
The wind,
Or any other sounds you can perceive with your ears.
Tune in to the moment.
Now guide your attention,
Your awareness back to the body.
If it feels good,
You can rub the palms together or take any movements,
Stretching,
Or whatever feels good to help you come in contact with the body.
When you feel ready,
Open your eyes and come into the space.
Remembering that we are building awareness with meditation.
Now take this awareness you have cultivated with you onto your day and move slowly and with purpose.
If you become stressed,
Forgive yourself and breathe.
I hope you enjoyed this practice.
I look forward to sitting with you again.
Until next time.
