So welcome to this short 15 minute meditation with Brijean Ray.
Sitting in a comfortable stable position,
Aware of the weight of the body going down,
Aware of the feet in contact with the floor,
Aware of the thighs and buttocks in contact with the chair or with the cushion,
Aware of the spine holding you upright,
Aware of the shoulders and arms,
The position of the hands,
The head and the neck.
Just adjusting so that you feel steady and comfortable,
Ensuring that you won't be disturbed and allowing yourself to just be.
For the next day while you are a human being not a human being and there is nowhere to go and nothing to do.
To help us be human beings we are going to get in touch with our breath.
By that I mean just noticing the breath,
Not trying to change or alter the breath in any way,
Just observing the breath as it comes in and goes out of the way.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Observing high flumes.
The wonderful thing about the breath is that it is always with us,
Wherever we are.
Lining our bed at night,
Standing in the queue at Tesco,
In the doctors waiting room,
On the train or the bus.
We can do this conscious breathing.
Conscious breathing is our anchor holding us,
Tethering us,
Keeping us here and now,
In the present moment.
Just sitting,
Just breathing.
I'm going to begin and end the meditation with three sounds of the bell.
If you attend any of my classes you already know that when we hear the sound of the bell we breathe in and breathe out,
Three times mindfully.
So even at no other time with the sound of the bell we can stop,
Turn off the non stop thinking radio of the mind and come back and rest on the inhale and the exhale.
Listen,
Listen.
This wonderful sound is calling me back to my freedom,
To the here and the now.
The bell is ringing.
The bell is ringing.
Breathing in.
I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out.
I know that I am breathing out.
I am breathing in.
I am breathing out.
In.
Out.
Breathing in and out.
If you find that your mind is drifting away,
Wondering off into thinking,
Remembering,
Planning,
Daydreaming,
Worrying,
Ruminating.
That's perfectly okay,
Normal and natural,
It's just what the mind does.
You can even say it's part of the meditation.
Whenever you notice that your mind has wandered off,
You gently and kindly,
Without judging or beating yourself up,
You just bring the mind back to rest on the breath,
Following the inhale,
Following the exhale.
Breathing in.
My breath goes deeper.
Breathing out.
My breath goes slower.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Slow.
Day.
Slow.
I'm going to lie on my breath to go deeper.
I'm going to lie on my breath to go slower.
Breathing in.
I am aware that there is calm inside and outside of me.
Breathing out.
I am aware that there is ease inside and outside of me.
Breathing in.
Calmly.
Breathing out.
With ease.
Calm.
Ease.
By becoming aware of my inhale and my exhale,
I know that calm is possible and ease is possible.
Breathing in.
I remember to smile and hold it all lightly.
Do you remember the smile in?
I remember smiling as a mindfulness practice.
I call it my huger.
So we smile,
We soften and relax all the muscles around us.
Ears,
Around the eyes.
Breathing out.
I knew that I can release all tension in my body and all tension from my mind.
Breathing in.
Smiling.
Releasing.
Breathing out.
Releasing tension.
Smiling.
Releasing.
Smiling.
Releasing.
And if you like every time you exhale,
You can imagine any tension or stress just going into the ground.
Just releasing,
Relaxing,
Letting go.
Exhaling.
Exhaling.
Exhaling.
Exhaling.
Breathing in.
I am aware of this very moment.
Breathing out.
I know that this moment is the only moment where I'm truly alive and can experience my life.
The past is gone,
The future is not here.
All I have is this continuous present.
Breathing in.
I'm aware of the present moment.
Breathing out.
Knowing it's the only moment.
Present moment.
Only moment.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing in.
I am aware of this present moment.
Breathing out.
I know that in this moment I am safe.
I feel that in my body.
I'm well enough to be here,
Not everybody is.
There's nowhere to go and nothing to do.
So even just for these three reasons,
I know that this moment is a wonderful moment.
Breathing in.
Aware of the present moment.
Breathing out.
Knowing it's a wonderful moment.
Present moment.
Wonderful moment.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
The sound of this bell is a voice calling me back to my freedom.
The sound of this bell is a voice calling me back to my freedom.
The sound of this bell is a voice calling me back to my freedom.
The sound of this bell is a voice calling me back to my freedom.
