In this practice we're going to drop into the here and now and notice that every aspect of our experience can be held in awareness Whatever position you are in,
Making sure that you're comfortable,
Yet alert Keeping that quality of alertness throughout the practice Just bringing your attention to the points of contact between the body and the surface that you are on The soles of the feet,
Back of the upper legs,
Buttocks,
Contact with the back Just noticing the quality of that contact Is there pressure,
Hardness or softness,
Warmth or cold?
Allowing any tension in the body to drop down into the surface that you are on Letting gravity do its job Noticing a lightness as that tension is transferred into the surface Feeling supported,
Safe Noticing any sounds from within the body,
Sounds around you,
In the space that you are in All the sounds coming from outside Noticing the tendency to lean in,
Seek out the sounds Just leaning back and allowing those sounds to come to you No need to label or name the sounds,
Just letting them be as they are Noticing the air around the body,
Perhaps the feeling of air on the skin,
On the face,
The hands Noticing the air entering the body,
Through the nostrils,
The throat Cool air entering,
Warm air leaving the body Just allowing the breath to breathe itself Noticing the lungs expanding on the in-breath and contracting on the out-breath Noticing the sensations of the breath in the belly,
The soft area between the pelvis and the rib cage Belly rising on the in-breath,
Falling away again on the out-breath The mind wonders not to worry,
It's just what the mind does,
The moment you notice your attention is no longer on the breath That's the moment of waking up.
Mind wondering is not an obstacle to the practice Noticing and bringing it back to the breath is the practice Noticing your current mood state,
Any emotions that are present Perhaps asking yourself where in my body can I feel this emotion?
Is it in the chest,
The shoulders,
The face?
What are the qualities of that emotion?
Is there a tightness,
A pulling?
Just allowing whatever's here right now to simply be Without judgment,
Without conjuring up a narrative Allowing any thoughts to arise and fall away without grasping or clutching onto them And now leaving the sensations of breathing and expanding your awareness to fill your entire body Noticing any areas of tension and once again on each out-breath transferring that tension down into the surface that you are on Allowing that surface to hold you and support you Expanding awareness beyond the body now and taking in the space you're in,
Sounds around you And slowly bringing some movement in,
Perhaps rolling the shoulders,
Rolling the ankles If you've had your eyes closed,
Gently opening them again Bringing this intention to be with your present moment experience into whatever it is you're doing next Remembering that your awareness is always there,
Always waiting to be uncovered Thank you for practicing with me
