This practice can be beneficial for managing stress and anxiety as well as pain.
Begin by taking some time to establish your seat.
One that's comfortable and dignified.
If you're sitting on a chair,
Placing your feet on the floor and your hands comfortably on your lap or thighs.
As you settle into your posture,
Noticing any areas of tension that you might be holding and just sending your breath into this area,
Relaxing the body.
Taking some time to gently scan areas that tend to hold tension,
Starting with the face.
Softening your brow and moving to the areas of the muscles that surround your eyes and softening.
Letting your eyes gently close and be soft as if your eyes were floating behind your eyelids.
Then moving to the jaw,
Feeling into this joint for any tightness and maybe offering some space between your teeth to offer ease here.
Then scanning down your shoulders and just seeing if you can relax them down just a bit more.
Moving through your torso to the belly and feeling for any holding in the lower belly and softening to receive your breath.
In and out,
Allowing your belly to rise and relax breath by breath.
Now bringing your attention down to your pelvis,
Noticing the weight of your body on the surface holding you to the earth.
Moving in to the hips and down the legs all the way to your feet and just relaxing your entire body,
Softening.
Becoming aware of your whole body sitting in this posture and be still,
Just the body sitting being while you invite an attitude of kindness and compassion into your heart.
Now turning towards your breath,
Breathing in calming the body,
Breathing out calming the mind.
Becoming aware of your breath as it moves in and out of your body,
Noticing where it's most prominent for you today.
Maybe the cool air in and out of your nostrils or passing down your throat.
The expansion and contraction of your ribs,
The front,
Back and sides of your upper torso.
Maybe the belly rising and falling with each breath in and out.
Or maybe you feel the whole body breathing so alive with breath.
Here you are,
This body sitting,
This body breathing,
Becoming still,
Quiet,
Stilling the body into calm.
Calming the body and steadying the mind,
Noticing thoughts as just thoughts as they arise and pass.
Not identifying with the story,
Just letting them be and then go.
Whenever you notice you're off in Thora,
You're already back in the present moment in this body breathing here and now.
And it may be helpful to find a touchstone to help you steady your mind.
For some it's the body or the breath or maybe sensations in your hands or feet.
Or maybe receiving sounds,
Not listening just receiving sound.
So now choosing one of your anchors and returning each time you find yourself in the future or past.
Always returning to this present moment.
And spending time in stillness,
Calming the body,
Steadying the mind,
Becoming aware of sensations within the body.
Some pleasant,
Others unpleasant,
And still others might be just neutral.
Allowing all to be just as it is.
There's no need to hold on to or push anything away.
So just allowing the richness of each moment to be exactly what it is.
This awareness of true nature of all phenomena ever changing as you sit in stillness,
Calm body,
Steady mind.
Welcoming,
Accepting,
And befriending all that arises and passes through your awareness.
Sitting in stillness you train your mind as you release the grip on wanting this experience to be other than it is.
All phenomena arising and passing,
Changing,
Life unfolding.
Still you sit with a calm and steady mind.
Becoming tranquil,
Peaceful,
And content in this present moment.
So practicing in silence for the next few minutes.
And when the bell is rung,
Allowing all reverberation to be experienced before opening your eyes and completing the practice.
All phenomena arising and passing.
All phenomena arising and passing.
All phenomena arising and passing.
