So we're going to start today by finding a comfortable position.
So sitting in an alert and a relaxed posture and knowing that it's okay to move at any time during this meditation.
We're going to invite you now to close your eyes or you can leave your eyes open if you like with a soft gaze in front of you on the floor.
And if you are closing your eyes today,
Then have that same soft gaze.
So even though we're not looking at anything,
Try and make sure that the eyes are relaxed and not focusing on anything.
And we're going to have a quick check in with the mind and with the body.
And in particular,
I want you to notice whether or not you're here,
Whether or not you're present.
So are you focused on today's practice or have you maybe got other things running through your mind?
You might have stresses of the day or worries about the week ahead.
Not that it matters,
But we want to be aware of where our mind is.
So if we're feeling calm and present,
We can bring awareness to that calmness.
But if our mind is somewhere else,
Then we're bringing awareness to the fact that our mind is elsewhere.
It can often help to set an intention to just drop everything for the next 10 minutes and simply be present.
There's nothing that you need to figure out.
There's nothing that you need to do here.
You've got the rest of the day to plan and think and make all the effort that you want to make.
So we're going to start off today by taking a few deliberate deep breaths.
So in through the nose and out through the mouth.
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
With each in-breath we're feeling the lungs and the chest and the stomach expanding.
With each out-breath we're allowing the body to become heavy,
Sinking deeper into the cushion or into the chair.
So we expand on the in-breath and we relax more deeply on the out-breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Allowing our bodies to become still,
Becoming aware of the breath as it enters the body and becoming aware of the breath as it leaves the body.
Paying very close attention to the cool air coming in through the nostrils on the in-breath,
Feeling the body and then the warm air leaving the nostrils on the out-breath as the body relaxes and softens.
Taking one more full breath in and a full breath out.
Now allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Notice that we don't have to do anything or make any effort to breathe.
The body knows exactly what it needs to do.
So we allow the breath to soften and we stick to a natural breath.
We want the breath to feel effortless.
So just pause for a moment and notice,
Notice that fact.
Notice that the body can breathe by itself without any effort or control from you.
Noticing what the breath feels like as it enters the body and what the breath feels like when it leaves the body.
What does the air taste like in the nostrils?
So we're really becoming curious about our breathing.
For some of us we may have never even paid any attention to what it actually feels like to breathe.
So let's pay close attention to that now.
And the mind will get distracted.
It's what the mind does.
And when the mind gets carried away on a train of thoughts,
So we could be thinking about the day or planning the week ahead or going over an argument that we had in the past,
Gently and we quietly come back to the breath without giving ourselves a hard time.
We patiently come back to the breath.
We simply pick up where we left off.
With each in-breath we're feeling the lungs and the chest and the stomach expanding.
With each out-breath we're allowing the body to become heavy,
Sinking deeper into the cushion or into the chair.
We expand on the in-breath and we relax more deeply on the out-breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Notice how you're paying attention.
Are you really trying hard to focus or are you relaxed?
If you are trying,
Are you able to let go of that effort?
Can you be relaxed and still be focused?
We're aiming for a relaxed curiosity,
So being curious about the breath but maintaining that relaxed body and that relaxed mind.
It's very likely that when you hear my voice I'll be interrupting a train of thought that you've got caught up in.
That's perfectly normal.
So whenever this happens I just want you to notice what it was that you were thinking.
Notice whether the thoughts were words or pictures and then gently bring your attention back to the feelings of the breath.
You don't need to dwell on these thoughts.
We just gently bring our attention back to the breath whenever we notice we're distracted in thought.
Now in this last minute I just want you to begin again.
It doesn't matter if you've been sleepy or anxious or irritated or distracted.
Just begin again right now like this is the first moment of the session.
Now after a couple of breaths we're choosing now to bring our attention back to the body.
So we're going to feel our body once again connected to the chair,
Connected to the ground and we're just noticing how the body's feeling.
Right now does it feel differently in any way to the start of the meditation 10 minutes ago?
We're just noticing.
Keeping our eyes closed we're bringing our attention now to sounds inside the room,
Sounds outside the room.
Gently wiggling our fingers and toes and when you're ready slowly opening the eyes in your own time,
Having a stretch if you need to and congratulating yourself for having taken out this last 10 minutes to look after yourself.
I hope that you're feeling a little bit more centered and maybe a bit more relaxed and even if there are lots of thoughts running around your mind don't worry about that.
It's perfectly normal.
Mindfulness takes practice and the more we do it the better the results are going to be.
If you can try and do this short meditation each day and I look forward to seeing you at class this Friday.
