Mindfulness practice structure.
This structure is your foundation for all formal practices.
It's important to work through each of the stages,
Beginning,
Middle,
To end.
In the beginning,
You'll be deliberately working through each of the stages,
But it will become more natural and systematic way of entering into your formal sitting practices.
The beginning.
Intention and motivation.
Begin with a quality that you would like to embody.
That includes your reason and benefits for practicing mindfulness.
Your intention can be as simple as,
I intend to sit and practice to be mindful now.
Your motivation is really the benefit that it will bring to yourself and others.
The purpose of why this is important to you.
Always hold this in your mind and it will get you to the cushion or in the chair to do your practice.
It's what wakes you up in the moment and brings your mind back to the present moment when it strays.
Taking a moment now to check your posture.
Turning to the breath for your support at the nostrils.
Your pathway to this present moment.
Just allowing the breath to breathe itself.
No need to control the breath,
Although it may seem a little labored when you first bring your awareness to it.
That's okay.
But as you settle into that normal natural rhythm,
Just feel if you can notice the subtle touch of the breath within the nostrils.
The coolness of the in-breath compared to the warmness of the out-breath.
Watching the breath move in and out of the body through the nostrils.
And when you feel comfortable with this and your breath is settled into that natural rhythm,
You can begin to label the breath with an in on the in-breath and out on the out-breath.
Or count the breath.
For example,
Breath in 1,
2,
3,
4.
Out 1,
2,
3.
I'm just repeating this with each in and out breath.
Helping you to really connect with the full duration of the in-breath and the out-breath as best you can.
See if you can invite in a quality of beginner's mind.
Curiosity.
Settling into the breath and the breathing in this way.
And when you're feeling that connection with the breath,
Settling into the present moment through the breath,
Then you can move into grounding.
And this really is a stability that moves the focus down into the body's core to the embodiment of the present moment.
The ground holds the body fully and supports you.
And the body holds the mind.
Feeling the weight of your body in this moment.
However you are.
The position of your hands.
Your posture.
And anytime the mind wanders,
Just returning to the breath watching for support.
Now resting in the space of this awareness using either the breath watching or perhaps even sound as support to bring you back when your mind wanders.
Getting a sense and resting in the wider space of this present moment.
Expanding to the sense of you in your environment just as you are.
Just as it is with the quality of allowing to be with you in this wider space of your awareness.
Holding our thoughts,
Inner dialogue,
Feelings and sensations and awareness mindfully with our breath.
We can discover our wise mind has the ability to process and handle things in a gentler way.
And you can move into a formal sitting meditation or just rest in this presence.
And when you're ready you can end with a dedication.
Which is your commitment to bring the quality of awareness with you throughout your day.
To benefit yourself and others.
And remembering where you started at the beginning with your intention and your motivation to practice.
