Welcome to this guided meditation for balance and presence.
This practice is especially suitable for those who are just beginning a mindfulness practice.
We'll begin by finding a comfortable place to sit.
Often times it can be more comfortable if you sit with your hips elevated above your knees.
And you don't have to sit cross-legged.
You can sit in any way that feels comfortable.
I would encourage you not to lie down,
But you're welcome to sit in a chair or whatever feels best for you.
For this practice,
You want to ensure that you have a tall spine,
But you don't want to be rigid and tense.
You really want to feel upright and supported,
Yet relaxed.
You can tilt your chin down just a little.
Your hands can rest either on your knees or you can just cup them softly in your lap.
One thing to know about mindfulness practice is that often times people think that you have to do it with your eyes closed.
And while that is typically how it's done,
It doesn't have to be that way.
For some people who are sensitive or have experienced trauma,
It can feel unsafe to have the eyes closed.
So you can play around with it and notice if you need to keep your eyes open,
You can just have a soft gaze down toward the floor.
So whenever you're ready,
We'll begin our practice together by noticing sound.
You might notice the palm trees blowing,
If you can hear them in this video.
Wherever you're at,
Just allowing yourself to come into a state of openness and curiosity.
Let yourself be willing to just be with life as it is in this moment.
Whatever the sounds are.
Hearing a sound come and hearing the sound go.
Perhaps you can hear birds chirping,
People talking,
Cars driving by.
Perhaps what you can hear is the sound of your own breathing or your heart beating.
As we practice mindfulness,
We remind ourselves that in this moment,
There is nowhere to go and there is nothing to do.
But simply be here now.
Be with life just as it is.
That doesn't mean you have to like it.
Often times,
Especially with sound,
If there's a dog barking or if you hear a rooster crowing or people talking loudly while you're meditating,
You can often feel resistance come up in the body.
If you're frustrated,
You might notice thoughts of wanting it to stop.
That's totally normal.
As we practice mindfulness,
Not only are we aware of the sounds we're hearing,
But we also become aware of the thoughts that arise with those sounds.
We become aware of the feelings that come up in our body with the sounds.
And then,
Just as quickly as it came,
We can allow it to go and return simply just to hearing the sounds.
You might notice that your attention stays on the sounds for maybe a few breaths and then it gets pulled away.
We often find ourselves rehashing the past or rehearsing the future or judging the present.
And all of those are conditioned.
We've been taught to do that.
It helps us to make sense of the world.
And yet,
As we practice mindfulness,
We can see that there is another way of being.
Rather than clinging,
Wanting something we like to stay,
Or having aversion,
Pushing away something we don't like,
As we practice mindfulness,
We can start to develop a sense of equanimity,
Which is a sense of inner balance and the ability to simply be with life as it is.
That's because it's always coming and going.
In every moment,
Life is changing.
You are changing.
Your breath is changing.
You're breathing in and now you're breathing out.
So let's draw our awareness into the breath now,
Noticing what is it like to feel yourself breathe in.
What is it like to feel yourself breathe out?
If you like,
You can put one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.
And with this sense of openness,
Curiosity,
And compassion,
Just be the scientist of what is it like to breathe?
What do you notice?
What do you experience?
Perhaps you feel the subtle rise or fall of your shoulders and your chest.
Or you notice the expansion and the contraction of your abdomen.
When we focus on breath,
Sometimes we notice that the sensations are very pronounced and other times they are very subtle.
One of the most subtle forms is noticing the inhale and exhale from the nostrils and seeing if perhaps you can feel the air on your upper lip as you breathe out.
Noticing the cool air flowing in and the warm air flowing out.
And recognizing that no two breaths are exactly alike.
And now checking in with your body and seeing where the breath feels most comfortable,
Most distinct.
Is it noticing it in your abdomen,
In your chest,
Or at your nostrils?
There's no right or wrong answer.
There's no good or bad.
This isn't forever.
This is just for right now.
Where would you like to anchor your awareness so that no matter where your mind goes,
You can always come back to the breath in this place in your body?
So choosing your anchor now and really dropping into the felt experience of breathing rather than thinking,
I'm breathing in,
I'm breathing out.
See if you can really feel what it's like to breathe in and to breathe out.
You might notice that your mind wanders.
It's called the monkey mind,
Jumping from thought to thought over and over again.
If that's happening,
Know that you are not alone.
It's what minds were designed to do and you can still come back into presence,
Into this moment,
Into this breath.
Over and over again.
Your attention gets pulled away and you use awareness to bring it back,
Coming into the anchor of breath in your body.
If you'd like,
You can bring a hand to your heart now.
And just send gratitude to yourself for your willingness to let go of all that you do throughout the day and to spend these moments being in touch with your body,
Being in touch with life as it really is,
Being present.
Just notice what it feels like in your body as you cultivate this feeling of gratitude.
And recognize that you can come back to this place.
Perhaps you've noticed your mind has become a bit more quiet.
There's a bit more ease or stillness.
And if not,
That's okay too.
Whatever has been in your experience can be allowed.
It's okay.
And if you felt into this state of presence and it feels nourishing for you,
Remember that you can come back to this at any point by finding a quiet place,
Even if it's just for a few breaths,
To focus on your anchor,
Whether that be sound or if that's breath in your body.
And you can come back into being a human being,
Open,
Curious,
Present,
Compassionate,
Aware.
And now I invite you to begin bringing some subtle movement back into the body,
Noticing your toes,
Feeling the temperature of your toes,
Noticing the texture of your socks if you have any on,
And then wiggling your toes,
Wiggling your fingers.
And if your eyes have been closed,
You can blink them open,
Look around the room,
And feel into the state of being that you've cultivated through this practice of presence.
Listen to one sound of the bell to finish our practice together.
Thank you for joining me.
Have a wonderful day.
