My name is Celia,
And I'm very happy to guide you through the next couple of minutes.
Find a seat for yourself.
You can either sit on a chair,
A bench,
Or a pillow,
Or whatever is comfortable for you right now.
The most important is that you are both relaxed and upright at the same time.
This is mainly achieved by finding a stable sitting position where you need to engage little muscle.
Now focusing on the contact that your body has with the ground,
With your seat,
Perhaps the arms resting on the lap or on armrests.
Perhaps you feel contact with the back of your chair,
Or maybe you can put a little bit of space between the back of your chair and your back so that you can sit really upright.
Notice how the head is balanced,
Top of the spine.
And for the next six or seven minutes,
Just allowing yourself to be here right now with whatever it is that comes up.
It's a common myth about meditation that one needs to stop thinking.
I really think that this is a belief that is not helpful.
Our brains are made to think,
So it's their habitual task that they go about.
And it's not about stopping this.
It's merely about becoming aware.
And the same applies to emotions,
Bodily sensations,
And any other experience that you might have.
Allow it to be there.
Now shifting awareness to the experience of breathing,
Checking in with yourself,
Where in the body do you feel the sensations of breath most clearly right now?
This can be the belly rising and falling,
The chest expanding and contracting,
Airflow at the nostrils.
Let awareness rest at one position where you feel the movement of breath most clearly right now.
And now I invite you to stay with this sensation,
Each and every breath being an opportunity to start again,
Gently moving awareness to the sensations of breathing in and breathing out.
There is no need to alter the way the breath is coming in and out,
The speed or depth.
Just watching,
Noticing,
Being curious with this breath and with this one,
Resting awareness gently on the sensation of breathing like a butterfly that landed on the nose,
Chest,
Or belly.
Other experiences,
Sensations,
Thoughts might come in the foreground of experience.
Notice that this is happening and it's really very normal.
And gently don't engage in the story,
Gently coming back with awareness to the sensations of breathing in this very moment,
Not how you imagine the breath,
It's really about the actual sensations of expanding and contracting,
Of airflow,
Whatever it is that you notice right now with regards to this breath.
Now I invite you to take a couple of really conscious deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth,
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
And in your own time,
Start wriggling your fingers and toes,
Perhaps opening your eyes and returning back to your day with an attitude of curiosity,
Calmness,
And perhaps a bit of friendliness towards yourself.
