Hi friends,
You and I both have this incredible ability to choose where we place our attention.
It's one of the most amazing gifts we've been given as human beings really,
And as the saying goes,
Where our attention goes,
Energy flows,
Or what you focus on increases.
And so it's a worthy place to do a little bit of inquiry and work.
Now here's the thing,
When we are in a very contracted state,
Whether that be a feeling of anger or frustration,
Maybe grief or sorrow,
The the shifting can in those moments sometimes feel almost impossible.
And this is really an incredible reason to practice.
So let's explore this idea of of shifting and embracing this ability to place our attention where we choose.
So this practice will be somewhere in the range of 15 to 20 minutes,
And with that knowledge find a sort of seat that feels sustainable to you,
Whether that be on the floor,
In a chair,
Or lying down.
And take these next few moments to really just settle yourself in and feel as physically comfy as possible.
And as you settle in,
Begin to soften the gaze or completely close the eyes.
And first feeling the points of the body that are touching the ground,
The bed,
The chair.
And allow the awareness of your body touching the earth to signal to the mind that you are here,
You are physically here.
And then invite the mind to follow,
Also begin to find presence.
And notice the breath.
That's as simple as your next inhale being aware that you're inhaling.
The next exhale fully aware that you're exhaling.
And now this first practice of placing your attention consciously at a point begin at the top of your head.
Feel the tippy top of the head and begin from there almost like a radar x-ray scan to scan down the body feeling into the forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eyes,
Nose,
And mouth,
The ears,
Jaw,
Neck,
Chest,
And shoulders.
And as you continue your mental scan down the body,
Notice for any area of held tension.
This can often be unconsciously held,
Maybe a clenched jaw or a furled eyebrow.
And this body scan can move all the way down into the lower body,
Down to the soles of the feet,
And once you arrive there simply begin to scan back up the body and allow this scanning up and down to hold your attention.
And if there becomes a moment where you find a bit of contraction in the body,
A bit of holding of muscular tension,
Pain,
Heat,
Pause there for a moment.
Direct your breath into that area of your physical body and begin to moment by moment shift,
Release,
And let go of that tension.
And in that shifting feeling,
The other polarity of expansion,
Spaciousness,
And ease in the body.
And once that point becomes a little bit disinteresting,
Simply start your body scan again,
Searching for any other points of tension,
And transmuting that contraction into expansion,
Softness,
Openness.
And once again grabbing hold of your attention and shifting it away from the body and to the breath.
This relatively simple action of being aware that you're inhaling and really paying attention to the exhale.
The breath is a tool of presence that we are all holding all the time.
Deep breath is a function of our physiology that can be involuntary,
Unconscious,
As well as voluntarily controlled.
What's so unique about that is when we are voluntarily consciously aware of our breathing,
By definition we are present.
We are here now in this moment.
For the next few moments I would like to invite you into a practice of noticing your thoughts,
Feelings,
Trains of thinking as they randomly appear and run on and possibly lead towards a state of distraction.
And as the mind goes,
Use the tool of the breath to recenter and shift to presence.
And when you catch the mind off on its little journeys,
See if you can catch it with a bit of a smile,
Almost a curiosity with self-love and without too much charge,
Just come back to the next breath.
Both the work and the growth are in the noticing and returning to presence.
And notice one last time if the mind was out on its own.
So,
I would like to take a moment to focus on a train of thought and root back through the breath into presence.
And now allowing the breath to return back to its natural spontaneous rhythm.
As you begin to contemplate or listen for any states of emotion that seem to be highlighted more than others in this current moment,
Is there any disease,
Worry,
Frustration or anxiety?
Is there joy,
Contentment and happiness?
Chances are there's a concoction of all of it.
Is there anything to identify that's bubbling to the surface with a little bit more grab for attention?
And with this beautifully powerful mind we hold as humans,
Lean into a shift.
Using a simple prayer of loving kindness,
Mentally repeating,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy and may I be at ease.
May I be happy,
Healthy and at ease.
Continue to offer this prayer to yourself.
Just in the background of the mind.
Feeling in the body what those words feel like.
May I be happy,
Healthy and at ease.
And then let that mantra gently release.
Sensing into the subtle subtle shifts in the body,
Mind and emotions.
If we can lean into this idea that these waves of contraction,
Distraction and emotion will continually lap onto the shore of the mind.
It may be able to give us an ability to not only practice the shifting but embrace the waves and embrace this beautiful mind we have with its ability to choose its point of focus.
These practices can be done eyes open walking around through your day.
Maybe when you're driving take a few breaths that you really notice.
Or when you're doing the dishes soften the jaw.
Release through the soles of the feet and be easeful in your actions.
And take time now to gently bow the chin and blink some light back into the eyes as you complete this meditation.
Have a blessed day.
