A warm welcome to this mindfulness session and thank you for joining me.
Make sure you are sitting or lying comfortably.
And start by taking a few deep breaths in through your nose and releasing out through your mouth.
As you inhale gently shrug your shoulders.
You exhale allow them to drop.
And take a few more breaths,
Just letting yourself become more settled in this practice today.
And when you feel ready on your next out breath just allow your eyes to gently close.
As you breathe,
You can just become aware of any external sounds today.
And as you do so,
Acknowledge that they will likely come and go as this practice continues.
So feel free to just welcome them into your meditation today.
And just allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
And for a moment now just let your focus follow the flow of your breath You are inhaling naturally.
Releasing naturally.
It is very normal here to notice that the mind might start to wander,
This is okay.
If or when you notice it,
You can just acknowledge this without judgment and then return your attention to your breath.
Body or to my voice.
Another nice way to maintain our focus with our breathing is to count the breaths from 1 to 10.
Inhale for one,
Exhale for two.
Inhale for three… exhale for four.
.
.
Inhale for five.
Exhale for six.
.
.
Inhale for seven.
Exhale for eight.
.
.
Inhale for nine.
Exhale for ten.
You can do this now in your own time and at your own pace Remember that today,
You are simply an observer.
Is nothing to force here so try if you can to lead with curiosity rather than expectation You're doing fantastic.
Continue for a little longer.
And gradually,
Now,
You can allow your focus to move away from your breath and come into your body.
Giving permission for all of your body to relax in this moment.
You can start to notice the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
Whether it be a chair.
The floor or wherever.
Which parts of your body are touching the surface and how are those parts resting?
Remember that this is an observation,
Not a judgment.
And there is nothing that you need to change here today.
So try to lead with kindness to yourself.
Just keep observing these pressure points,
Allowing your focus to move between them,
Becoming aware of them all,
And aware of any new sensations that might arise.
Feel now how your weight is being distributed.
Is it even?
Or is there a more dominant side?
Are you noticing that your focus is perhaps biased towards one side of your body?
Or even to a certain area or cluster.
Maybe this is an area that needs a little more attention and care today.
Gradually now become aware of your forehead.
Notice how this area feels Maybe it is light and relaxed.
Perhaps there is some holding or tension here.
Simply observe.
And as you check in with yourself,
Give permission for things to be as they are in this moment.
Try to avoid labeling feelings or sensations as good or bad for now,
But instead continue with this idea of investigating with kindness.
Move down into your brow and round the back of your head.
Let your focus drift over your eyes.
Your eyelids.
Your eyelashes and your eyeballs.
Move down the bridge of your nose and into your nostrils.
Notice the sensation of the breath coming in.
And out.
In and out.
What is the temperature of this air?
Focus on your cheeks,
Your jaw.
Your ears.
Perhaps those sounds have suddenly become clearer again And as you continue to scan,
Remember it is normal for the mind to wander.
And that this is not a failure.
If or when you notice it again we want to acknowledge with a kind heart before coming back to the practice focusing on your body or on my voice bring your awareness to your mouth.
Your lips.
And your teeth.
Your tongue.
The roof of your mouth.
The back of your throat.
Check in with your neck.
Your shoulders.
Your upper arms.
Elbows.
Your forearms.
Your wrists.
Your hands and your fingers.
Back up now into your chest down into your stomach,
Connecting again to your breath.
Perhaps for a moment just following the full cycle of your breath.
Through your nostrils.
Round and down the back of your throat.
Into your chest.
Eventually expanding in your stomach.
Releasing back the other way on your exhale.
Move your focus to your back.
Your spine.
Checking in with each vertebra.
Down into your buttocks.
Your thighs and hamstrings.
Your knees.
Your shins and your calves.
Into your ankles.
Your feet.
And to the tips of your toes.
And just notice how your entire body is feeling.
Notice how your breath is rising and falling.
Notice how the sounds may come and go little thoughts might pop up.
Only to fade again.
Allow every single part of it to happen Welcome it.
Surrender to it.
And now,
For a minute or two,
Just give permission for your mind to think whatever it would like to think.
And to go wherever it would like to go.
And as your thoughts change and weave around,
Remember that you are simply an observer of all this today.
And you are giving your mind free reign in this moment.
You might be surprised where your thoughts start and where they end up.
And gradually,
Just bring your focus back to the room around you and allow your eyes to blink open as we come to the end of this practice today.
In your own time you can slowly stretch,
Wiggle or move in whatever way is comfortable for you.
If you feel the urge to rush back into your day,
Just take a few more breaths.
And remind yourself that it's okay to slow down.
Well done on a great practice today.
You've done fantastic.
Feel free to come back to this session whenever you need it.
Thank you for joining me today.
I'll see you again soon.
