If it's comfortable and safe for you to do so,
Why not close your eyes and perhaps place one hand on your heart and the other on your lower belly.
Becoming aware of the stillness of this moment and the invitation that unfolds to simply be and to take some time out for yourself.
And notice what your thought pattern is like at the moment.
Where is your mind is it right here right now with the meditation practice?
Are you perhaps a little bit distracted?
There is no right or wrong of course.
The first part of this practice is to simply become aware of our thoughts.
How busy is my head right now?
How calm is my head right now?
It's very normal for the mind to be in the past or the future.
That's what minds do.
They are constantly scanning to protect us.
The invitation here is to tell your mind that it can rest.
I'm going to give you a few moments to really practice bringing your mind back to this present moment without judgement.
And what about feelings?
What is your experience right now?
Again are you fairly relaxed or are you sensing certain emotions,
Certain feelings?
Can you be with those feelings?
Don't push them away.
And if there are no feelings,
No sensations,
No emotions,
Then what does that feel like?
And how about the body?
Are there any sensations you are aware of?
Any aches,
Pains,
Itches?
Let's see if you can just be with those without judging.
Always bringing the mind back to the here and the now.
Being okay with what is.
And now I would like you to focus on your breath.
Where can you locate or sense your breath the most?
Is it your nostrils or perhaps your lips?
Is it the rising and falling of your chest or your belly?
Just bring your attention to your breath without changing the way you are breathing.
Just observing this miracle of life.
The body breathing itself.
And now let's practice what is called conscious breathing.
So again without changing the way you are breathing,
Just fully be aware of the fact that you are breathing by saying to yourself,
I am breathing in and I am breathing out.
I am breathing in and I am breathing out.
This is an in-breath and this is an out-breath.
This is an in-breath and this is an out-breath.
I am going to give you a few moments to practice.
And as ever when the mind wanders gently and without judgment,
Bring it back to the now.
Back to the breath.
Back to your conscious breathing.
And as we move into the third stage of our meditation,
We are going to expand our awareness and our attention beyond just the breath.
We are going to become aware of our whole body from the top of our head all the way down to our toes.
And we are going to start with our facial muscles.
Bring your awareness to the space behind your eyes.
And see if you can rest your awareness there for a moment.
The space behind your eyes.
And then the cheek bones.
And your jaw.
Your ears.
Your eyes.
Your forehead.
Your whole head.
That beautiful balance of relaxation and focus.
Now bringing your attention to your neck and your shoulders.
Breathing in and out through your neck and your shoulders.
Through all the pores and the cells in your neck and your shoulders.
Now bring your awareness to your torso.
The whole of your upper body.
Including your arms.
Filling every cell of your upper body and your arms with your breath.
All the way down into your fingertips.
And now resting our awareness on the hips.
Filling that region of your body with your breath.
And now the whole left leg from your hip to your toes.
Becoming aware of the outline of your leg and your foot.
Filling that outline with your breath.
And the same with the right leg.
From your right hip to your right foot.
Breathing into any discomfort,
Any aches or pains.
So that the right leg can soften.
And now observing your whole body again.
And how that feels now.
Filled with your breath,
With your awareness.
Having reconnected and reacquainted yourself with your physical body.
And that is the beauty of the three stage meditation.
The integration of the mind,
The breath and the body.
So until you hear the bells,
I invite you to simply rest in this awareness of integration.
