Mindfulness of breath and body.
So beginning by finding the posture that best suits you today.
Maybe sitting on a cushion or a chair.
And if you are sitting down,
Making sure that your spine is self-supporting.
So sitting away from the back of the chair.
You might prefer to lie down today.
You might like to try astronaut pose,
Where your feet and legs are supported by a chair and your back is resting on the floor.
Finding what's comfortable for you today.
Embodying a sense of ease and alertness.
So beginning by exploring the sensations of contact.
Between your body,
The surface beneath you.
Perhaps the feet on the floor.
Perhaps the body on the chair.
Getting a real sense of that lower half of the body,
Grounding you.
And with this meditation,
We want to encourage an attitude of curiosity and one of kindness.
Befriending all sensations that we find.
Allowing what's here to be here.
So beginning by getting a sense of breathing.
Becoming aware of the breath coming in and out of your body.
And notice where you feel this.
Notice the sensations that you're calling breathing.
Might be the feeling of the air coming in and out of the nose.
A slightly cooler air coming in,
Slightly warmer air leaving.
Might be the feeling of movement in the chest or the belly as you breathe in and out.
There's no right or wrong.
Just noticing where you notice your breathing.
You can use the breath as an anchor.
A steadying anchor to which you can return whenever you find that your mind has wandered away.
Which is perfectly normal.
A knowledge that the mind is busy and it will wander away from this exercise.
So really remembering to bring some patience,
Some kindness.
And a deliberate choice to notice when the mind has wandered where it's wandered to.
And a bringing back of the attention.
Back to the breath.
The feeling of the breath.
And expanding the awareness around the breath.
Tuning into the feelings,
The sensations that you're aware of in the body now.
Perhaps gently moving your awareness through the body.
Noticing any areas of tension.
Any areas where you're holding on.
If it feels okay to do so,
Maybe giving yourself permission to allow that tension just to soften,
Release a little.
Maybe with an out breath.
Aware of the jaw.
Noticing where your shoulders are.
An awareness of the arms resting.
An awareness of the hands.
Noticing that you can move your attention where you wish.
Down through the body becoming aware of the legs.
The feet.
And widening that focus of attention to the body as a whole.
And the breath.
Noticing whenever the mind wanders.
Really doesn't matter how many times this happens.
When you become aware that the mind has wandered,
Simply coming back in a patient,
Unhurried,
Deliberate way.
Back to your anchor,
Whether that's the breath or the feeling of contact between the body and the surface beneath you.
This is how we train the muscles of attention.
Perhaps beginning to notice how sensation can change through this exercise.
Noticing any parts of the body that might feel a little uncomfortable.
Any areas of difficulty.
Seeing if we can acknowledge these.
Allow whatever's here to be here.
Before returning your attention back to the body.
Back to the breath.
Noticing how it feels to sit in stillness.
To rest in awareness.
To rest in being.
Allowing all things to be as they are.
You.
