Hello and welcome to this Awareness in 3 Parts Meditation.
There are two main benefits to this practice.
Firstly,
It helps to diffuse any negative states of mind before they can gather unstoppable momentum.
So often if left to themselves,
These may spiral out of control and enhance your suffering.
Second,
This is an emergency meditation that you can carry out in times of acute crisis or pain to soothe your suffering.
The meditation is composed of three stages of roughly one minute each.
It condenses the main elements of the whole mindfulness program into three minutes.
A good way of viewing it is to imagine your awareness moving through an hourglass shape as the meditation progresses.
At first,
I'll ask you to become fully aware of the thoughts flowing through your mind and the sensations in your body in a very broad sense.
I'll then ask you to gather up and focus your awareness on the sensations of the breath as it flows in and out of your body.
Finally,
I'll ask you to expand your attention outward again to encompass your whole body and to imbue what you find with warmth and compassion.
You then expand your awareness even further to re-engage with the world.
The beauty of this meditation is that it can be performed virtually anywhere.
It works equally well at work,
At home,
While you're waiting in a line or a train,
Wherever you feel overwhelmed.
This meditation is waiting to help you.
So,
Step one,
Arriving,
Become still wherever you are,
Interlying,
Sitting,
Standing.
Find a posture to be as comfortable as possible.
Then lightly close your eyes if you're able to.
Allowing your awareness to whatever is going on for you right now.
Give the weight of your body up to gravity.
Allowing your weight to sink into the points of contact between your body and the floor or chair or bed,
Whether it's your feet,
Your buttocks or your back.
So what sensations are here right now?
If you notice any tension or resistance to painful or unpleasant sensations,
See if you can gently turn toward them.
Just allow them to be there as much as you can.
If you begin to tense around your breath,
Then just try and let go a little bit with each out breath and softening into gravity.
Really becoming present where you are.
Notice any thoughts as they arise and pass through your mind.
See if you can let them come and go without being too identified with their content.
Try to look at your thoughts.
Observe them.
Remember thoughts are not facts.
Just noticing any feelings or emotions that might be there.
Are you able to just let them come and go without pushing away those that we don't like or jumping onto those that you do like.
Include everything into your awareness with a kind perspective.
Step 2.
Gathering Allow your awareness now to gather around the experience of the breath in your body.
Drop your awareness inside the breath and feel the different sensations in the front,
Back and sides of your torso,
Inside your torso and on the surface of your torso.
Feel all the different sensations of your breath as it flows in and out of your body.
Can you rest within the flow of the breath?
Letting everything change as you breathe moment by moment.
Use your breath to anchor your awareness in the present moment and in your body.
Each time you notice your mind has wandered,
Remember that you are having a magic moment of awareness.
You have woken up.
Then gently bring the mind back to the breath deep in your body.
Step 3.
Expanding Gently broaden and expand your awareness now to include your whole body.
Feel the weight and the shape of your body as it sits or stands or lies there.
Feel the breath in your whole body.
Imagine you are breathing in and out in all directions.
360 degree breathing.
If you do have any pain or discomfort,
Make sure your awareness stays open to include this with your sense of compassion.
Soften tension and resistance with each breath.
Cultivate acceptance for all of your experience.
Befriend it.
Now broaden your awareness even further to become aware of the sounds both inside and outside the room.
Be aware of other people around you.
Imagine expanding all of your awareness outward to include all of humanity.
Imagine the whole world breathing.
Now gently open your eyes and begin to move your body.
And as you re-engage with the activities of the day,
See if you can carry the awareness that you ve cultivated within you.
Loved ones.
