Mindful Sitting Practice

Eluned Gold from the CMRP leads a Mindful Sitting Practice as would be taught in a typical Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course.

Transcript

This is a guided sitting meditation,

Part of the mindfulness course you are taking.

It will last about 40 minutes.

Remember as you prepare for this meditation that each time you choose to spend some time with yourself in this way,

You are actively contributing to your own health and wellbeing.

Start by choosing a time and a place where you can be warm and comfortable and will not be disturbed.

Seeing this as a time for you and as best you can being willing to be with yourself,

However you are at this time.

Letting go of wanting things to be different from how they are right now.

Following this guidance as best you can,

But also paying attention to your own inner wisdom and doing what is best for you in each moment.

Knowing all that you are doing is practising mindfulness.

Learning to be present in this moment,

Being with whatever is here,

Just as it is right now.

So coming to sit.

Choosing whether to sit on a straight back chair or on the floor with your buttocks supported by a cushion or stool.

If you are sitting on a straight back chair,

Sitting upright and having your feet flat on the floor or on a cushion or folded blanket and having your back away from the back of the chair unsupported if that's okay for you.

If you're sitting on the floor or on a stool or meditation cushion,

It is important to be stable and comfortable.

Having the knees touching the floor if possible or supported by a cushion or blanket.

Experiment with the height of the cushion or stool until you feel comfortable,

Stable and relaxed.

As you settle into your chosen position,

Bringing an intention to honour your body and mind and the time and energy you're giving to this practice.

Now taking your attention to the sense of contact that you have with the ground or chair.

Using the support of the floor on the earth beyond a solid connection to the earth.

Allowing the back to be straight.

Now taking your attention from the base of the spine up through the spine to the top of the head.

Maybe taking some time with this and shifting the attention vertebra by vertebra.

Now taking your attention from the base of the spine to the top of the head.

Allowing yourself to rise up straight so that the head moves gently towards the ceiling in the sky.

And choosing whether to have the eyes closed or open with a soft gaze.

The hands can rest lightly in the lap or on the knees.

So that you're taking up a relaxed but dignified posture.

Taking your seat and embodying a sense of dignity.

Taking your attention now to the front of the body.

Allowing the front of the body,

Chest and belly to be soft,

Open.

Allowing the breath to move freely in and out of the body.

And now expanding that awareness to allow a sense of the space all around you.

In front of you.

To the sides of you.

To the back of you.

Above you and below you.

Taking up your space here and now.

Like a mountain.

Bringing a sense of dignity and a powerful intention for this meditation to your presence in each moment.

Now bringing your attention to your breathing.

Becoming aware of the sensations of the breath moving into and out of the body.

You may be able to notice this at the nostrils as the cool air moves in and the warm air passes out.

Maybe you can feel your breath across the back of your throat.

Or in the expansion and contraction of the chest.

The rise and fall of the belly.

Now taking your attention now to the part of your body which is most alive with the sensation of the breath.

Becoming aware in your body you're going to move up close to your breath.

Where is the breath most available to you?

And allowing one of these places to be the focus of your attention each time you bring your awareness to your breath.

Now,

You may be able to notice this at the nostrils as the cool air passes out.

Allowing yourself to focus your attention on the breath as it gently moves in and out of the body.

No need to change the breath.

Simply allowing the breath to breathe itself.

Finding its own way in and out of your body.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

And each time you notice that the mind has gone somewhere and it's no longer on the breath.

Noting where it went and gently but firmly escorting your attention back to the breath.

This is what minds do.

Minds wander.

So the breath becomes an anchor for your wandering mind.

As best you can,

Being with each breath for the entirety of the in breath and the entirety of the out breath.

Each unique breath as it comes into and out of the body.

So taking a moment or two now to simply pay attention to the breath in the body.

And whenever you notice that the mind has wandered,

Noting where the mind went to and returning attention to the breath again and again.

Breathing in and out of the body.

This breath right now.

The in-breath.

The out-breath.

Whenever you notice the mind has wandered as mind's will,

Returning your attention to the breath.

If the mind wanders a thousand times,

Returning attention to the breath a thousand times.

Allowing the breath to be your anchor.

Whenever the mind has wandered,

Coming back.

And as you sit with your attention on your breath,

Returning the attention again and again.

Noting if you're judging or becoming impatient with yourself.

And as best you can,

Letting go of judgement.

Instead becoming curious about each breath.

Letting your attention rest lightly on the breath.

Regarding yourself with kindness and treating yourself gently.

And now widening your field of awareness.

Letting the attention to the breath fade to the background.

And bringing attention to the sensations of the body.

Perhaps sensations of pressure in the feet,

Legs or buttocks if you're sitting on the floor.

Maybe sensations up through the back.

Perhaps feeling your hands resting in your lap.

Or being aware of sensations of temperature or moving air against the skin or the feel of clothes.

Sensations inside your body,

A rumbling tummy perhaps.

A tightness or a sense of ease or comfort.

Whatever you encounter as you bring your attention to body sensations.

As best you can,

Simply allowing yourself to be with it.

Noticing if you were wishing it were different.

Bringing your kindly curiosity to the sensations.

What is this?

How is it?

This is just how it is right now.

Just as you are right now.

And whenever you notice the attention has gone,

Noticing where it went gently but firmly.

Returning attention to the sensations of the body.

When have we practiced in this way,

From time to time we may encounter a stronger pull on our attention.

This may be from an intense sensation or emotion.

And when we encounter intensity we have choices about how to approach it.

We may choose to shift position to relieve the intensity.

Noting first the desire to move,

The sensations of movement and the experience of settling back to the practice.

In this way moving to relieve an intensity simply becomes another part of our practice.

Remembering we can always come to the breath as a helpful way to resettle ourselves,

Then returning attention to the practice.

Alternatively we can choose to explore the intensity whether it is physical or emotional.

Turning our kindly curiosity towards it.

Allowing ourselves if this feels okay to come right up close to it.

Remembering we always have the option of moving back to the anchor of the breath to ground and settle ourselves.

So now allowing awareness of body sensations to move to the background and turning attention to sounds.

Sounds from close by,

Sounds from far away.

Perhaps from inside or outside the room.

And as you turn your attention to sounds as best you can simply allowing the sound to be sound arising in your awareness.

Noting any tendency you may have to listen out for sound and as best you can settling into simply hearing.

Allowing the sound to arrive with you.

Arising,

Staying a while and then fading or making way for a different sound.

Allowing the sound to arrive with you.

Noticing the pitch,

The tone,

The volume of the sound.

The rhythm and shape of the sound vibrations arising in your awareness.

Bringing your curiosity to this too.

Noticing the spaces between sounds,

Silences and sounds arising from silence and fading back to silence.

Sometimes the mind wants to label the sounds and tell a story about them.

Moving attention away from simply hearing and into thinking about sound.

So as best you can when you notice this happening.

Letting go of the label and the story and coming back to sound as bare experience.

Remember you're used to judging sound.

I like this,

I don't like that.

Allowing your experience of sound to be just as it is without judgement.

And whenever you notice that the mind has wandered away from sound and hearing.

Simply returning attention to sound again and again.

Now allowing awareness of sound to fade and turning your attention to thoughts.

This time we're working with thoughts in a different way.

Previously we've been seeing thoughts as a distraction.

But now we're turning our attention deliberately to thoughts and bringing thoughts centre stage.

Beginning to notice that thoughts arise in our awareness.

Much like sounds stay a while and then fade.

So allowing yourself to observe thoughts rather than being caught up in thoughts.

It can be helpful to consider the mind as a wide blue sky and that thoughts are clouds moving across the sky.

Sometimes a thought cloud is light and fluffy and scurries across the sky.

Sometimes thought clouds are dark and heavy and may seem to fill the whole sky.

Something as if they will never move on.

If it is helpful allowing yourself to consider thoughts as cloud,

Remembering that the blueness of the sky is always there,

Even if it's temporarily obscured by clouds.

Another way of looking at it that may be helpful is to see thoughts like a thought train travelling through the station.

So often we automatically jump on board.

We find ourselves aboard a train that we never intended to be on.

And we find ourselves some way down the line where we didn't expect to be.

So now we're cultivating as best we can the possibility of standing on the platform and watching the train go by.

No need to climb on the train.

So taking some moments to encounter thoughts in this way.

So whenever you notice that you've got caught up in a thought instead of standing back and observing thoughts,

You can use the breath to steady your attention.

And when steady,

Choosing once again to work with thoughts in this way.

Often we find ourselves on board.

Often we find thoughts and emotions closely linked.

Emotions such as sadness,

Anger,

Joy.

Subtle emotions or heavy emotions that can feel overwhelming.

As best you can,

Allowing emotions to simply be present in your awareness.

Considering the possibility of softening towards emotions.

Bringing a kindly curiosity in their presence.

Noticing that some emotions we welcome and some we want to push away.

So how are you with this?

Noticing how like clouds and thoughts,

Emotions arise in the awareness may shift and change and dissolve in their own time.

So whenever you notice yourself caught up in emotions,

Remembering the breath is available at any time to focus steady and ground you whenever you feel knocked off balance.

Now letting go of thoughts and emotions and widening your awareness to experience a sense of the spaciousness of the mind.

Not focusing the attention on anything in particular.

Instead allowing experiences to come and go in your awareness.

Becoming aware of the layers of experience.

Just like orchestral music,

You are becoming aware of the first one experience coming to the forefront,

Now another.

Not holding on to nor rejecting anything.

Simply allowing and witnessing the ebb and flow of changing experience.

Awake,

Aware,

Present,

Moment by moment.

Noticing otherwise.

Taking some time now to be with this experience,

Being spaciousness,

Being present with yourself,

Whole and complete.

Take a moment to be with this experience,

Being spaciousness,

Being present with yourself,

Whole and complete.

Taking a moment to be with this experience,

Being spaciousness,

Being present with yourself,

Whole and complete.

Now narrowing the field of awareness once again to the body and breath,

Your attention coming to each breath,

Fully present with each breath,

Aware,

Spacious and whole,

Paying attention to the simple breath moving in and out of your body.

.

And as we come to the end of this meditation practice,

Remembering that each time you do this practice,

You're making an active contribution to your own health and wellbeing.

And before moving from your cushion or chair,

Forming an intention to take this moment by moment awareness with you into your everyday life.

.

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Reviews

Very clear & helpful guidance.

Beautiful, thank you.

Totally outstanding. Enjoyed it very much and would highly recommend it to all. 🙏

Good balance of guidance and space. I liked it.

Great session. Thank u. 1 to repeat.

First class mindfulness sitting practice.

Liked the simplicity of this practice, and the necessity of coming back to the present moment without prompting. I'll look forward to doing this practice again. Thank you.

Thank you for this beautiful practice. Wonderful guidance but would be nice to specify in description that it guides movement of awareness between breath, body, thoughts etc rather than staying with breath throughout.

Very helpful and useful. Thank you.