Welcome to the Sereni Medit practice,
Where we meditate in serenity.
My name is Paula Ribeiro and I will be guiding you today.
Into a very gentle practice.
As we arrive,
The invitation is to find a comfortable position for ourselves.
Truly meeting our body where it is right now.
Whether agitated or tired,
We adapt and adopt the gentlest position for today.
Conscientiously we decide to sit,
Stand up or lie down.
Bearing in mind we are always different from day to day and that is natural.
Therefore,
We allow ourselves to do this practice in the way that will most benefit us.
As we settle in,
We simply try to keep our backs straight and maintain an open mindset.
Perhaps even curious as to where our bodies and our minds will take us throughout this meditation.
Abandoning our strong grip on control.
We remember to breathe.
Gently bringing our attention to our breath going in.
And our breath going out.
There is no motion in our bodies,
But our organisms are here,
Working for us,
Sustaining us.
Simply through this breath.
We allow our bodies to stop so our minds can slow down and fly free.
As we feel more and more comfortable,
We can choose to close our eyes completely or simply lower our gaze.
Again,
Whatever feels most comfortable and safest right now.
Benefiting from the gentle lullaby of our breath.
We notice this ability to simply decide to stop.
Something that can seem so hard.
Dangerous,
Uncomfortable to do these days.
Yet it is within our reach.
And our power to stop.
To offer our bodies this reset and take time to simply exist.
As we find our breathing becomes more fluid.
Deeper.
Our minds can seem to become louder as all our thoughts now find more space to come through.
And we allow them to.
Just like a waterfall,
We let our thoughts,
Our memories,
Whatever comes up,
Simply exist and pass through our minds.
No rush.
Without trying to change,
Suppress.
To decide or resolve.
We are taking our time to command our power.
And observe our inner lives.
In this slow,
Steady rhythm.
It's only natural that we might get carried away by some story,
Some event.
And if we can,
We notice this mind wandering.
We accept it for its natural way of the mind?
And we bring our attention back.
To our breathing.
And to just noticing what comes up next.
This is the practice.
We stop.
We take time.
And we observe.
So we can proceed with the best next step for us right now.
Instead of being pushed around by our reactions,
Our mindless routines that can often be less than beneficial,
We empower ourselves through this gentle practice.
S T O P We stop.
We take time.
We observe.
And we proceed.
And if one particular thought keeps coming up,
Maybe then we give it our attention.
Maybe after we have stopped.
Taking time and observed the waterfall of our mind chatter,
We realize this is what needs our consideration right now.
As we observe the topic,
Situation.
The memory,
The dream,
The goal.
Whatever it may be.
The invitation is to ask.
Which is the smallest step we can take right now,
Today.
Trusting our relaxed bodies.
Our regulated emotions to guide us.
Merely see what bubbles up when we wonder what's the first thing that comes to mind that we can actually proceed to do.
That would help.
In better navigating this situation.
Free of judgment.
Recrimination or fear.
Only possibility.
Honest observation.
Maybe.
Maybe nothing comes to mind and that is okay too.
We can try to recognize that and let the thought further down the stream.
Let it be.
Allow our minds to quiet even more.
Letting the stream simply roll off our minds.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Enjoying this quietness this gift of taking our time.
Perhaps now we notice our muscles have softened.
Our face has loosened up.
And maybe even our worries feel a little less pressing.
As we relish in our freedom,
In commanding our willpower to stop.
Because it is possible.
It is our right and actually smarter to stop.
To take time to observe what is happening right now for us in our bodies,
In our feelings,
Our thoughts,
So we can proceed more intentionally.
And better informed regarding what is best at this moment.
Remembering we meditate to live better.
For us and for everyone around us.
I am so proud of ourselves for this practice.
Thank you for meditating in serenity.
