Hi,
I'm Sarah from Metaya.
This is a 25-minute mindfulness practice entitled Resting in Awareness.
Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position.
Allow your body to be supported,
Whether sitting upright with dignity or lying down with ease.
See what fits best in this moment.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a moment to fully arrive in this position.
Take a slow natural breath in and a long easy breath out.
Breathe in and out at your own pace by visually also focusing on the belly area.
If you could just anchor yourself around your belly and feel the breath flowing in and out and the wave that comes every time you breathe in and out.
An easy wave in your upper body,
The nourishing energy of the oxygen flowing in and out.
And before we go further,
I would like to invite you to set an intention.
There is a subtle difference between intention and goal,
So we are not looking for something to achieve or fix.
It's more like a quiet wish,
A gentle learning of the heart,
Of your mind,
Of your body.
You might find it useful to ask yourself,
What would I like to wish myself during this time?
It can be a little more patience,
A gentle pose or rest,
Or simply permission to be exactly as you are.
Let your intention be soft and there is nothing you need to accomplish.
Just imagine that you are planting this seed,
This wish,
And let that intention rest somewhere in your awareness.
Not something to hold tightly,
But just something quietly present in the background.
And now I would like to invite you to bring your attention into the body.
Notice where your body is in contact with the ground,
The chair or maybe your cushion or mat,
And allow your body to fully relax.
Feel the weight of your body,
Of your head,
Your arms,
Your back,
Your pelvis,
And your feet.
And let gravity hold you.
You don't need to hold yourself up more than necessary.
And you can,
At your own pace,
Do a small body scan,
Starting at your feet and scanning gently through the body,
The feet,
The legs,
The hips,
The belly,
And just observe what's present.
Are these areas soft or tense?
Do you feel anything in particular?
And the chest,
The shoulders,
The arms,
Hands,
And fingers,
The neck,
The face,
And the muscles around the eyes,
The jaw,
Often holding some tension.
And there is no need to force relaxation.
Just notice and allow.
And it can be that somewhere in your body you feel some tension or something uncomfortable.
What you can do is gently bringing your breathing into that area.
Just imagine that every time you breathe in,
You bring some healing energy around that area.
And every time you breathe out,
Something can leave your body,
What you no longer need.
And in a friendly,
Open way,
You can also acknowledge the areas which feel neutral or at ease.
And just feeling the neutral or positive bodily sensations by bringing your attention into those areas as well.
And as you observe your body and also your breath,
Just feel where do you feel it most clearly,
Your breath?
Is there a place in particular where you feel the air and the movement?
Maybe at the nostrils,
The chest,
The belly,
Or somewhere else.
And allow that point,
That place to be your anchor.
Following the inhale and the exhale.
And you don't need to deepen or control the breath.
Just noticing,
Observing,
And allowing it to be your anchor here and now.
And where are you now with your thoughts?
If your mind wanders and it will,
That's not a problem.
Each time you notice and gently escort your attention back to the breath.
With a gentle smile,
You acknowledge there is a thought.
Maybe you can name it,
Label it,
If that's helpful.
And without judgment,
You can return.
The moment you notice you were somewhere else,
You are already back.
You practice awareness again and again.
And now allow your awareness to open a little wider.
Using your anchor and widening,
Not only focusing on your breath,
But being open to notice whatever arises.
Sitting in open awareness.
It can be that there are sounds you notice,
Sensations,
Thoughts,
Emotions.
And the practice is to let everything come and go.
Imagine that you are the observant,
Sitting beside a quiet stream.
You are looking at whatever comes and then goes.
And each experience is like something floating by,
A leaf,
A ripple,
A reflection.
Sitting with open awareness.
And where are you now?
You don't need to reach for anything or push away things that come and go.
You just watch.
And if you find it helpful,
You might name it.
If there is a thought,
You might gently note thinking.
And if there is a sensation,
You might name it feeling.
And just let it pass.
And as you sit in open awareness,
Gently bring in a sense of insight.
Notice that everything is changing.
The breath constantly changes.
The sensations are shifting.
The thoughts are appearing and then disappearing.
And then there is another one.
Nothing stays.
And yet,
Something is aware of all this.
Awareness itself.
Open,
Spacious,
Allowing.
That you are resting in awareness.
And also bringing your attention to whatever arises.
And then you can let it go.
You don't have to become awareness.
You are already noticing.
And this is something you are practicing now.
But you can also implement this in your everyday life.
In case you are getting caught in a thought,
You can gently return to either to your breath or to the sense of open awareness,
To your senses.
What do you feel?
Where are you in contact with your chair?
Or what are you hearing?
What are the smells around you?
Just to anchor yourself.
And also helping from ruminating and anxious thoughts that are often very sticky.
And now you can let go of every effort and focus.
No need to focus in any particular way,
Or to observe carefully.
Just be.
The invitation is let everything be as it is.
Just this moment.
And as we begin to close this practice,
Gently bring attention back to the body.
Feel again the contact with the ground and the support beneath you.
And take a moment to acknowledge yourself,
Your body.
And also that you took this time to pause,
To care for your body and mind,
To support your own well-being.
And there is something meaningful in that.
You might gently invite a sense of gratitude.
Just noticing what it feels like to appreciate this moment.
And let that sense of appreciation spread,
If it wants to,
Through the body,
Through the breath.
And gently reawaken the body with your breath.
And maybe you want to feel some small movements in the fingers,
The toes,
Maybe some stretching.
And when you will hear the bell,
You might end this practice your own way.
And carrying a trace of this awareness,
This gentleness,
For the rest of your day.
