And welcome to day one of the beginners meditation course.
So even though this is a beginners course,
It's not necessarily going to be something that's just suitable for people that have never done meditation.
This is actually for anyone and I encourage anyone to do this before they actually step into any other meditations of mine.
Now when it comes to meditative practices,
As mentioned in the intro,
There's no such thing as a perfect meditation because every meditation is perfect.
So what I encourage you to do is to not force anything specifically,
Meaning you don't want to force peace because it's a forced space and force is a stressful thing to do,
Thus you're actually cultivating more stress and less peace.
Also if you're trying to clarify your mind,
That's like me telling you,
Okay let's shut off your heart and your liver,
You are not shutting off your mind,
We're allowing it and by allowing it we create space.
So this meditation is either standing,
Walking or sitting,
It's up to you,
Whatever feels most comfortable for you.
So I encourage you to try walking your first time if you have space but if you don't you can just stand or you can sit somewhere that's comfortable for you.
And what I want you to do is simply notice your surroundings,
We're not closing our eyes,
We're not following the breath yet but we're just noticing our surroundings.
I would like you to take a deep breath though and as you do imagine you're filling up your lower belly with oxygen as if it's a jug of water.
So from all the way from the bottom to all the way to the top you're filling up your lungs and just focus on breathing in and out through the nose.
As you do this,
As mentioned before,
Notice your surroundings whether you're walking,
Standing still or seated.
I want you to first notice one thing,
One object.
Just something and really focus on it and as you hone in that focus into this thing I want you to rather than identify it and simply call it something like a leaf or a bird or a table,
A lamp post.
It's not what I want you to do.
What I want you to do is try think about its shape.
What kind of shape is it?
Think about the surface and what it's made of.
How heavy or light it looks.
How big or small it is.
What it does,
What its function is.
How long it's been there.
How did it get there?
Really focus on these details as you continue to breathe deeply into your lower belly.
Now I want you to pay attention to sound and rather than just listening to a sound and again identifying it,
I want you to pick one specific sound that you hear around you and I want you to tune into it without deciding what it is.
Instead notice what it sounds like.
What is the sound like?
Does the sound have a specific texture,
A certain frequency,
A certain vibration?
What kind of pitch is the sound?
Really focus on the sound now.
There's a sound coming from an action.
Is it on and off or is it consistent?
And now as you continue whatever you're doing whether it's walking,
Standing or sitting,
Start to pay attention to smell.
What do you smell in the air?
Rather than identifying it,
What does it smell like?
Is it sweet or sour,
Strong or soft,
Pleasant,
Unpleasant?
Hopefully the smells not coming from you.
Really focus in on the smell,
On the scent.
Does the scent draw imagery in your mind and remind you of anything?
Or is the scent something that's completely new?
And then do you taste something in your mouth?
Maybe it's some food that you ate earlier or the taste of tea.
I just drunk some tea.
Or maybe you haven't eaten something in a while and your mouth is quite dry.
So leaving a bland taste,
Just noticing whatever taste is in your mouth.
As you continue to breathe deeply into the lower belly,
Rather than identifying the taste,
It's just noticing it,
Being with it and deciding what the taste is like.
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Strong,
Weak.
Does it remind you of anything?
And then finally,
I want you to reach out and touch something.
If you're walking,
Maybe it's a bush or a tree or a building.
If you're inside,
Then maybe it's your wall or the carpet,
The floor or a table.
But all I want you to do is,
As you touch it,
I want you to feel what the texture is like on your skin.
What does it feel like?
Is it rough or smooth,
Hard or soft?
Maybe it's quite rough or it's got a specific texture to it.
Noticing the sensations on your skin.
It really turn into them.
Does the texture make you think of anything else as well?
And then you can let go of whatever you're holding on to.
And whether your eyes are open or closed does not matter.
I just simply want you to focus on the breath now,
On that deep lower belly breath.
And this is the end to your first meditation of this course.
Very simplistic,
But ultimately,
If we want to do anything with our present thoughts and our present emotions,
We ultimately need to be present.
And our five senses,
Our five sensory organs,
They're all existing right here in the moment,
Whereas thoughts can flow into the future or in the past.
And living in those moments take us away our ability to be fully present,
To fully shift what we want to shift.
So practice tuning into these sensory organs a little bit more during the day today.
And I'll see you tomorrow for day two,
As we learn to deepen our practice a little bit.
