In this practice,
We set out to literally change our minds,
Rewiring our brains for focus,
Mindful awareness,
Compassion,
And self-compassion.
Take a moment right now to find a comfortable posture that's sustainable for the next few minutes.
Allow your eyes to close if that feels comfortable,
Or just rest on the floor in front of you.
Without changing your breath,
Just bring your awareness to the fact that you're breathing,
And for the next few breaths,
Allowing your body to settle and your muscles to relax.
And now bring your awareness to an anchor that could be sensations in your body,
Could be your breath,
Ambient sounds,
Or even an image that you find powerful or calming.
Anything can be the anchor for your attention.
And just allow your mind to rest there.
After a few moments of rest,
You'll probably notice that your mind has begun to wander.
That's completely normal.
It's just what the mind does.
It's what we do with it that counts.
So that each time we notice the mind wandering,
We notice where it's gone,
And we gently guide our awareness back to the anchor,
Continuing to rest your awareness here,
Noticing when the mind has wandered off.
So that each time you notice that the mind has wandered,
That's a moment of insight,
When we notice where and when it's gone off.
Each time we direct our mind back to our anchor,
That's a moment that we're building that muscle of concentration,
Of focus.
And each time we do that gently,
That's a moment of practicing self-compassion during this practice so that we can be kind to ourselves off of the cushion in our daily lives.
So just resting on the anchor,
Building the muscles,
Building the neural connections for concentration as we focus on the anchor that invites our brains to detach from the thought stream.
This practice of letting go in the moment translates into the skill of being able to let go in the rest of our daily lives.
Each time you notice that the mind is wandering,
That's not the problem,
That's not the moment of failure,
That's an opportunity.
That in fact is the moment of mindfulness,
That moment that you capture the mind as it's wandering,
See where it's gone,
A moment of insight into your mind.
Each time you bring your mind back with gentleness,
With kindness,
Rather than with self-criticizing,
You're exercising and strengthening that self-compassion for those challenging moments in the rest of our lives when we make small mistakes or struggle.
So simply resting your awareness,
Building concentration.
Building a path out of the thought stream and into the present moment,
Building the muscle of letting go.
Each time you catch the mind wandering,
That is the moment of mindfulness.
Each time you notice where the mind has wandered,
That is the moment of insight,
Of wisdom,
Of self-understanding of our mind's habits and patterns.
Each time you choose kindness and compassion as you gently guide your mind back to your anchor.
It's activating compassion,
Building empathy,
Quieting distress and practicing self-compassion.
Staying on the anchor,
Building concentration.
Staying on the anchor,
Letting go of thoughts.
Noticing the mind wandering in the moment of mindfulness.
Knowing where the mind is wandering in the moment of insight.
And doing this all with an attitude of friendly,
Gentle compassion,
An opportunity to practice kindness to yourself in this moment and in any moment throughout your day.
Continuing for just a few more breaths.
And in just a moment,
I'll ring the bell.
When the bell rings,
You can bring your awareness back into the rest of your surroundings,
Remembering that you can always step out of the thought stream.
You can always focus.
You can always notice that your mind is wandering.
Practice when and where your mind is wandering and practice being kind to yourself.
Thank you.
