Hi,
I'm Cassidy and today I'll be leading you through a guided mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation invites us to simply be present and aware in the moment without judgment.
This practice can help us to calm down,
Focus,
And find clarity,
But it can also train our brains to be more mindful in every aspect of life.
For today's meditation,
Just find a comfortable spot to either sit or lie down.
Once you find that comfortable spot,
Simply start to cultivate an awareness of your surroundings.
Looking around,
Noticing your environment,
Noticing the temperature,
Noticing the way your clothing feels against your skin,
If there's any sounds or smells that you can observe around you.
And once you feel present in your physical space,
Allow the eyes to fall closed or just gently soften the gaze.
Take an inhale and feel the breath fill the body up.
Exhale and allow tension to melt away from the body,
Settling in.
If distractions arise in today's practice,
Simply acknowledge them and then direct the mind back into this space,
Allowing the distractions to pass without judgment.
Bring your awareness to the top of the head and we'll gradually move the awareness all the way down the body until we reach the toes,
Performing a body scan.
Along the way,
Just becoming aware of every part of the body.
Open the space in between the eyebrows,
Unclench the jaw,
Allow the shoulders to relax,
Falling heavy,
Softening through the arms and the fingers.
Open the belly,
Allow the legs to feel heavy,
Allow the feet to fall into a comfortable position.
Bring your awareness to the full body,
Heavy yet soft.
Notice if there's anywhere where you're still holding tension.
And if there is,
Turn your attention to that space.
Take a deep breath and allow yourself to soften in.
Let that tension melt away with the exhale.
And shift your attention from the body to the breath.
First,
Just beginning to notice the breath without judgment,
Noticing the length of every inhale and every exhale,
Noticing the natural rhythm of the breath that you brought into our practice today.
And gradually begin to make each and every breath just a little bit deeper,
Taking in a little more air with every inhale,
Allowing a little more time to soften in with every exhale.
With every breath,
Notice the inhale filling up the lungs,
The belly,
The back.
Allow every exhale to take just as long as the inhale,
Releasing all the air from your body.
Maybe you place a hand over the belly to feel the rise and fall with every breath.
Inhaling,
Filling up,
And exhaling,
Letting go.
Inhale,
I am.
Exhale,
Present.
Inhale,
I am.
Exhale,
Present.
Allow the breath to be a tool for mindfulness,
Using it to explore the sensations that occur within the body with every breath,
Noticing the space that is created with every breath in and the release that comes with every breath out.
And focus on the breath for a bit longer,
Noticing your inhales and your exhales.
If the mind wanders,
Maybe you begin to count the breath.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Hold at the top.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One,
Hold at the bottom.
Maybe you find counts of three or four or five,
Focusing on consistency and the rhythm of the breath.
Re-inhale just as long as every exhale.
Simply breathing and being here in this moment.
Begin to bring your awareness back into the body,
Into the physical space.
Gently rub the thumb against each of the other fingers,
Mindfully.
Notice your environment,
Any smells or sounds.
And gently blink the eyes open,
Taking a moment to reacclimate with your space.
And set an intention for the rest of your day,
Maybe even the rest of your week,
Of showing up and being present,
Being mindful,
Coming back to these mindfulness techniques when you need them,
Scanning the body,
Focusing on the breath.
Thank you so much for joining me for this mindfulness meditation,
And I hope you're feeling calm and present.
Have a wonderful rest of your day.
