Hello,
In the previous meditation we have been exploring settling to create a new experience for our day.
Here we are focusing on bringing attention to our thoughts.
When we start practicing mindfulness,
We realize how incessant and invasive thoughts can be.
Non-stop comments,
Plans,
Worries,
Judgments,
Thoughts are like the clouds in the sky,
They rise out of nowhere,
Change shape as they pass,
Sometimes,
And then they disappear.
It is estimated that we have about 60,
000 thoughts a day and 95% of them are the same as the day before.
While our body is in the here and the now,
Our mind lives in the past without even realizing.
We created a familiar cocoon of familiar thoughts and because it is familiar,
That is why we go back to it again and again and again.
Our thoughts create an experience of life.
For example,
Repeat the word trouble and sense how it lives in your body.
Now do the same with the word kindness.
Is there a difference?
Thoughts create our moods.
So let's settle now and observe what is happening inside.
Find your comfortable seat with your spine long and a soft and relaxed awareness on your body.
Take a few breaths,
Inhaling softly,
Exhaling fully,
Perhaps softly parting the lips to accommodate the exhale.
Bring your relaxed and soft focus on your breath and stay here with this one and only focus point,
Your breath.
Notice how quickly a thought appears when it does label it,
Thinking,
Planning,
Worrying,
Ruminating,
And just go back to your breath.
We'll do this for one full minute.
This one is going to ka-pow….
Now take a deep breath,
Slowly exhale.
Maybe you noticed a lot of thoughts,
Or maybe just a few thoughts.
And then you thought,
Oh that's a thought.
And that's the essence of mindfulness.
It's about noticing what is without emotions linked to our discovery.
Now continue focusing on your breath,
Just noticing what the experience is like.
Let your intention to simply stay with your breath,
Relaxed and present,
Until thoughts pull you away.
Some days this practice will be easy and relaxing.
Other days it will be incredibly difficult as you may feel bombarded with thoughts and sitting still may be really,
Really difficult.
The point is just to witness the activity without any judgement and become the scientist,
The observer of your own mind.
We'll close with a quote from Mark Twain.
