So we begin by finding a comfortable seat.
One that allows you to be upright and alert,
Allows for a free flow of air all the way through your torso,
Crown of the head lifting toward the ceiling.
And if you'd like,
You can gently close your eyes or perhaps just a soft gaze to the floor.
We start by bringing our attention into our senses,
Stepping into the role of curious observer and becoming aware of what we can hear.
Getting curious about sounds.
What's the closest thing you can hear?
And what's the farthest thing you can hear?
Noticing anything that we taste or smell.
Noticing sensations on our skin where the skin is exposed to the air.
Perhaps we feel a coolness or a warmth.
Perhaps a movement of air.
Noticing sensations where our feet might be in contact with the floor or another surface.
Perhaps our socks,
Shoes.
Maybe it's smooth,
Rough.
Noticing if there's anything we can see,
Even with the eyes closed.
We might think there's nothing to see,
But get curious.
Can you see anything?
Perhaps a play of light?
It's actually present.
And now drawing the attention inward,
Finding a home base or an anchor as it's sometimes called.
Some place to rest your attention,
Your awareness.
A place to return back to when your mind wanders away.
So for many,
This can be the breath.
So drawing your awareness to wherever you feel your breath the strongest.
Perhaps this is at the nostrils or the back of the throat,
Maybe the chest or the belly.
Wherever it is,
There's no right or wrong place.
Just notice,
Draw your attention there and get curious.
What does it feel like to breathe?
Does it feel cool or warm?
Is your breath shallow or deep,
Tight,
Expansive,
Slow,
Fast?
There's no need to change the breath to manipulate it in any way.
You're just noticing.
And then see if you can follow that breath from the beginning of the inhale all the way through the inhale to the pause at the top,
All the way through the exhale to the pause at the bottom.
Noticing if the place where you feel the breath shifts through the cycle of the breath.
Remaining in that role of curious observer,
Seeing what else you can notice about your breath in this moment.
If you had to describe a breathing to someone who didn't know what breathing was,
How would you describe it?
How would you describe your breath?
If resting your attention on your breath,
Using the breath as an anchor doesn't feel right for you,
You can also draw your awareness into your hands or your feet,
Some other part of your body where you notice sensation.
So drawing your awareness there and noticing what you might feel on the inside of that body part.
So if it's your hands,
For example,
Noticing what's the temperature,
Perhaps you feel heat or cold.
Resting your awareness inside of your hands,
You might notice a tingling,
A vibrating or an energetic quality.
Then bringing that role of curious observer into that body part.
Noticing what's present.
Not what you think is present,
But what is present.
And then just choosing your anchor,
Whatever you've chosen is perfectly fine.
Just experimenting,
Choosing one.
And whenever your mind wanders away,
Lost in a thought,
Drawn away by a feeling or a sensation,
Whenever you notice you've been pulled away,
Just pause.
You can say to yourself,
Thinking,
Daydreaming,
Planning,
Whatever it might be,
Just notice.
And with kindness,
Without judgment,
Just return back to your anchor,
Back to your home base.
The practice of mindfulness meditation is the noticing and the coming back.
The practice is not to clear your mind.
It's not to stop thinking.
It's to wake up,
To notice and to return to the present moment.
The practice is the coming back.
It's the coming back.
Asking yourself,
Am I present?
Coming back to the home base.
What am I aware of now in this moment?
All right.
Continuing to return back.
A lot of people say you're in sweet spot now.
And we'll finish up our meditation together by taking a deep deep inhale together in through the nose filling up the whole torso.
Pausing at the top and then exhaling loudly out through the mouth.
Offering a bow of gratitude to these ancient practices.
Thank you for your practice.
Goodk-----
