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Begin by settling into our posture.
Letting go of everything we were doing before this.
And settling into the here and the now.
Starting to anchor ourselves with our breath.
Feeling the air coming in and the air going out.
Noticing any resistance and pulling of the mind away from the breath.
And just notice that and gently escort your attention back to the breath.
We begin our breath and thoughts meditation by imagining that there's a screen in front of us.
And on it we're going to display our thoughts.
And you can choose a moving object such as balloons going up,
Leaves floating down a river,
Cars driving by,
Waves ebbing and flowing.
And just take a moment to get a good picture of this visualization in your mind's eye.
Start to allow the thought secretions to come out on your screen.
Putting each thought on a leaf and letting it go or on a wave and watching it float by.
Seeing if you can let one thought out at a time.
Seeing if you can find the space that exists between each thought.
Noticing the space that the thought arises out of and drifts back into.
Taking notice if there's a lot of thoughts or maybe when you bring awareness to it you realize there aren't that many at all.
Doing your best not to connect with the distracting thoughts but rather sitting by the shore watching them go by.
Noticing the distance between you and your thoughts.
Doing your best not to judge your thoughts but rather just accepting them as they are however they are.
Taking a moment to realize that you are not your thoughts and that thoughts come and go.
Doing your best to let go of thoughts and not cling to them.
At the same time not trying to avoid any thoughts.
Welcoming all thoughts and everything they have to say.
Noticing if the thoughts are thoughts about the past,
About the future or the present.
Taking notice if the thoughts are judgmental or worrisome or peaceful.
And again we're not getting caught in the thoughts but rather just watching back from our seat of observation.
Maybe you notice thoughts of being bored with this exercise.
That's normal and that's okay.
Just keep watching.
And see if you can start to notice any emotional tone that the thoughts carry with them.
Whether it be an anxious tone,
Sad,
Happy,
Joyful.
And just like our thoughts let the emotional tone come in and slip right back out with a thought.
Not trying to avoid any of the emotions.
Not trying to cling to any of the emotions.
Realizing that our thoughts and our emotions are impermanent.
Realizing that at any moment you can step back and observe your thoughts and emotions and not get caught up or blindsided by them.
That you can remain calm and anchored.
And as you start to bring awareness to the emotional tone,
Maybe check in with the body and see if they land anywhere.
Maybe you notice changes in tension in the muscles,
A tightening of the chest,
Maybe a warmth around your heart.
And know too that these sensations are impermanent and they too will disappear.
Taking a moment to realize that you sit back behind all thoughts,
All emotions,
All physical sensations.
It's in this seat where you can remain calm and steady and create space to choose how to handle your thoughts,
Your emotions and your physical sensations rather than reacting to them.
Also remembering that at any time,
If your thoughts or emotions get too overwhelming,
You can always go back to the breath.
Noticing the relief that we get from distancing ourselves a bit.
And to re-anchor ourselves,
Let's now journey back to the breath,
Going to that spot where it's easiest to follow the breath in and out and start to hold your attention there,
Letting go of the thoughts.
It's normal if the mind wants to try and drag you back up to paying attention to the thoughts.
Simply notice this and return your attention back to the breath again and again and again.
Bringing one hand on the heart and one hand on the belly,
Feel the air coming in and out.
Remembering that you have everything you need beneath your hands and you are enough.
When you're ready,
You can bring your hands together,
Rub them to generate some heat and cup them over your eyes and gently return to the room.
