Hi,
I'm Sarah from Adaia.
And this is the practice sitting with the difficulty.
Take a moment to settle.
And allow yourself some time to find a posture that feels comfortable and stable at the same time.
You may choose to sit or lie down.
Know that there is no right or wrong position.
Just choose whatever suits you at this moment.
In this practice,
We will explore sitting with a difficulty.
The intention is not to change anything,
But to notice what happens.
And at any time you have a choice.
If it feels too intense,
You can gently step back.
And you can do that by returning to your senses.
For example,
By noticing your breath as an anchor in the present moment.
Or.
.
.
By feeling the contact points of your body with the chair or the mat.
Or simply by softly opening your eyes again.
I would like to invite you to approach this practice with a sense of friendliness,
Openness and gentleness.
Towards yourself and also towards your experiences.
And now give yourself the time to.
.
.
Completely arrive in your posture.
And it might help you to bring your attention to the breath.
You have nothing else to do but noticing the natural rhythm of your breathing.
In breath.
Out breath.
And maybe a subtle pose.
Between the two or after the exhale.
You don't need to change.
The rhythm or the frequency of your breath.
Noticing is enough.
And see where you can notice it the most the subtle movements your chest,
The belly or at the nose.
And wherever it is most clear for you.
You might choose to rest your attention.
In the movement.
In the rhythm of your breathing.
And if your mind wanders.
.
.
Know that this is okay.
At this part of the exercise.
If that happens you just notice it and gently return back with your attention to the breath.
And choosing your breath as a focus point as the object of your attention in the practice always helps you to come back to the present moment And now if it feels okay.
I would like to ask you to bring to mind something that has been on your mind recently.
This could be a concern.
Situation.
Or maybe a future event.
And it does not need to be the most difficult thing in your life.
Choose something that feels manageable.
And that you can practice with.
And we will explore a different way of relating to this difficulty.
Let's begin by simply holding the difficulty in awareness.
And if you now have a thought or a picture of that difficulty.
Gently bring your attention to the body.
And notice if this difficulty is reflected in any sensations in your body right now.
What do you notice?
And where in the body are the sensations most noticeable for you.
It can be something very little.
Maybe tension or tightness warmth or something else.
All of this is okay.
It's not about what you notice but the fact that you are now noticing it.
And try to stay with it and if it feels okay.
You can imagine breathing into this area.
As if you were free to choose where to breathe in your body.
It can move.
In and out of the place where the sensation is.
It's simply an invitation.
To breathe.
To the area.
The area where the difficulty is.
Resonating in your body and observing if the sensation stays the same.
Or maybe with time and with breathing.
Is it changing in any way?
It can change,
Intensify or soften,
Shift.
Whatever you notice That's okay.
And if it feels possible I would like to ask you to silently say.
.
.
That's alright.
Let me be with this.
That's all right let me be with this The invitation is being with what is here.
You don't need to fix it and gently check in again with yourself.
And see if the difficulty is still present.
In your mind,
In your body.
On your emotional landscape.
And if so,
Where do you notice it?
And what do you feel?
It may also very well be that it has already faded into the background.
In that case,
You don't need to.
Go there again.
If the difficulty is no longer present,
You can simply rest your attention on the breath.
And now I would like to ask you to.
.
.
Allow the breath to be your anchor again noticing the in-breath and the out-breath There's nothing you need to change.
Just noticing and observing the natural rhythm of your breathing.
And by doing so,
See if you can gently bring in a sense of self-compassion.
By silently saying,
This is how it is right now.
Or.
.
.
This is a moment of difficulty.
And if it feels possible,
Allow a small sense of kindness towards yourself.
Soothing yourself.
Feeling the warmth.
And also the kindness that you are allowing yourself to be with what is here.
And also by recognizing that others experience moments like this too.
You are not alone.
As humans we live in a body.
What do we have such a fascinating internal life.
That others may not see or feel.
All the thoughts and emotions coming and going But what we have in common is.
.
.
We all have thoughts,
Emotions.
And we have a body.
And now slowly begin to widen your awareness.
Notice your breath.
Your body.
And also feeling the space around you.
Take a moment to thank yourself for taking the time to.
.
.
Practice.
Taking the time for self-care.
And if possible,
See if you can take this moment of awareness with you into the rest of your day.
And when you will hear the bell.
You might choose the fitting form to end this practice.
In a way that suits you by stretching or by drinking.
A warm cup of tea.
By massaging yourself.
Or whatever suits you best.
