Just settling into your meditation posture.
Whatever's going to work well for you.
Ensuring that you're going to be comfortable yet awake and alert for the next 10 minutes or so.
So just go ahead and set your intention to be as present as possible in this 10 minute practice.
As you become aware of the weight of the body,
The contact the body's making with the surfaces beneath,
And the height of the body,
Rising up the spine,
The neck and head.
Perhaps becoming aware of bodily sensations throughout the body,
That arise and perhaps fall away from your awareness in their own time.
Just sitting here and tuning in.
What's here for you at the moment?
Try not to judge.
Try not to resist.
Just seeing if you can get curious,
Turn towards with some friendly interest.
What is going on for me in this moment?
And if there are any intense sensations which are hard to be with,
And see if you can notice if there's any resistance or tension held in the body,
Preventing you from allowing this intensity to be there.
So perhaps around the eyes,
Softening the muscles here.
Perhaps around the jaw,
Neck,
Shoulders.
Just allowing tension to dissolve as you breathe in and breathe out.
Softening with the breath,
Opening up to allow experiences to be here.
As we now deliberately seek out pleasant experiences,
That may already be here for you,
But may be more subtle and more quiet.
Maybe experiences we take for granted.
Tuning in to these pleasant experiences as best you can now.
Could be a sensation of warm.
Perhaps the hands are warm.
Perhaps another part of the body is experiencing this warm.
Perhaps parts of body are cool.
And maybe this feels pleasant for you.
Perhaps there's a gentle tingling,
Or gentle pulsating,
Which feels pleasant in parts of your body.
Maybe the sensations of breathing are pleasant for you.
You're just trying to seek out pleasant experiences.
And when you come across the pleasant experience in your awareness,
See if you can fully dwell in it.
Save you the pleasantness.
And if you're getting pulled away by thoughts,
Or maybe louder,
More intense sensations in the body,
Just note that.
And kindly,
Yet firmly,
Place your attention back on seeking out these quieter,
Pleasant experiences.
Maybe there's a pleasant sound.
Maybe pleasant aroma.
Maybe sensing where the air meets the skin is pleasant.
And you can experiment here with a subtle half-smile.
So just curling up the corners of your lips,
Ever so gently.
And noticing,
How does this affect things?
What arises for me when I bring a smile to my experience?
Using the breath to soften around tension and resistance.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
And refocusing the attention on seeking out the pleasant.
Perhaps the touch and feel of the skin.
The absence of hunger.
The softness around the eyes.
The soft hands.
The relief that comes with letting go of tension around the shoulders.
Sitting now with the breath.
Allowing the soothing breath to cradle you.
Gentle rocking with each in-breath,
Each out-breath.
Gentle expansion.
Gentle release.
Turning your attention once more to the sensations of touch and pressure,
Where the body meets the chair beneath.
Feeling into the weight of the body.
Becoming more and more aware of the shape and size of the body.
Perhaps gently moving or subtly stretching,
Just to transition out of this practice into the next part of the day.
And seeing if you can carry forward whatever this practice has given you.
And the intention to deliberately seek out the pleasant.
The pleasant moments of the rest of the day.
Opening your eyes when you feel most comfortable to do so.
