Before we begin our meditation,
Let's just discuss what mindfulness really is.
As Jon Kabat-Zinn has repeatedly been referenced,
It's paying attention in a particular way,
On purpose,
In the present moment,
Non-judgmentally.
So if you unpack that,
We're paying attention,
But we pay attention to so much,
We get hijacked.
Our attention is always being hijacked.
But this is on purpose,
A consciously attending attention.
And in the present moment,
Which is the full experience as it is,
And we do this non-judgmentally,
So not wanting it to be different,
Or pushing it away,
Or holding on to it,
To be just as it is,
Paying attention in a particular way,
On purpose,
In the present moment,
Non-judgmentally.
And through this,
We're able to know how we are in relationship with our body and our mind,
Our thoughts and emotions.
What has led us to this point,
In this moment?
And we also learn how to live with integrity and kindness towards ourselves,
Others in the world.
So it gives us a lens to see clearly and own the full experience,
Meaning the good,
The bad,
And the ugly,
Or the experience.
It's awareness.
It's not thinking,
But a state of being that develops your capacity for attention.
We can refine not only our thinking,
But our awareness of our thoughts and experiences,
So it's not an idea or a concept,
But a way of knowing that changes our relationship with ourselves and our worlds.
We do this in practice both formally,
With a sitting meditation,
The body scanner,
Mindful movement,
And informally,
Even just pausing in the middle of a busy day to breathe and experience what's going on for us at that moment,
Or attending completely to a small task that we do oftentimes without ever giving any thought to it,
Like making a cup of tea or brushing our teeth.
So to begin the meditation of mindfulness of anchors,
Let's start by finding a posture that we can be in for the next few minutes,
Being comfortable,
Relaxed,
But still a dignified posture.
You could sit in a chair or on a cushion,
Or you may lie on the floor if that's comfortable for you,
Whatever it is.
Just at this point,
Settle into your position.
Just give yourself some time just to settle in and feel your body and your posture as it is right now.
From the top of your head to the tip of your toes,
On the surface you're on.
Be mindfully aware of the experience of taking your seat.
Now note that you're breathing in when you're breathing in,
Breathing out when you're breathing out,
Experiencing your body breathing in this posture,
In this moment.
Maybe taking a deeper breath in,
And when you let it out,
Just gently closing your eyes or you could hold a soft focus of the ground in front of you,
Whatever's most comfortable for you.
Just feeling your contact points of your sit bones on the surface you're on,
Your feet on the floor,
Any of the body that's supported,
Just being aware of that sense,
The felt sense of it.
Now we're mindful when we're in the present moment and we have options for anchoring to that present moment.
So let's choose an option internally to begin this practice,
Starting with the breath as an anchor.
So notice where you feel the breath the most.
What's resonating for you today?
Is it the touch of air on your nostrils when you breathe in and out?
Feeling the rise and the fall of your chest with your breath?
Or maybe it's the belly rising and falling,
Following the breath in and out.
Whichever is most accessible for you,
Place your attention there.
That can be your anchor.
Not trying to change your breathing,
Just following the natural rhythm,
Breathing in and out.
You may notice the quality of your breath,
Whether it's deep and long,
Or if it's shallow and quick,
Not needing to change it,
Just being with it as it is in this moment.
Becoming aware of breath as your anchor.
And inevitably,
Your mind will be taken away in thought,
And that's fine.
Just becoming aware and returning back to your anchor of your breath,
Being mindful to come back to the anchor.
Always maintaining a sense of kindness and curiosity as you breathe in and out in the present moment.
And now releasing the breath as an anchor and moving to another option internally,
Physical sensation.
You have a choice,
You can focus your attention on the bottoms of your feet,
The pressure that you feel,
The contact,
The surface below it,
Warmth,
Maybe moisture or tingling.
You could anchor there if that's comfortable for you.
Or you could place your awareness on the physical sensations in your hands as they sit on your lap or thighs and experience the felt sense of your hands.
Pulsing,
Tingling,
Numbness,
Whatever's arising for you right there,
Just allowing it to be as it is,
Keeping you in this present moment.
If you find you become distracted from the sensation,
You have a choice.
You can allow it to arise and pass and refocus on the physical sensation,
Or you can move to an external anchor.
You always have this choice.
So now letting go of the anchor of your hands or feet and moving externally to sounds as your anchor,
Sounds being received,
Sounds that are close within you,
The sound of your breath,
The sound of my voice.
Soft sounds within the room you're in.
Not trying to strive for sounds,
Just allowing sounds to be received in this moment.
And in this moment,
Maybe sounds farther away,
Sounds outside,
Cars or birds,
No children playing,
Whatever is here to be heard.
Because sound can only be experienced in this present moment.
So now just spending some time anchoring to sounds.
Maybe you're experiencing the quality of sound,
The high tones,
The nuance of pitch.
Just allowing it all to be as it is without wanting to change it.
How will that be?
And how is this experience of sound as an anchor for you?
Maybe you find you're restless or becoming bored.
That's okay.
Just allow it to be as it is,
Following your anchor,
Being present in this moment.
Inevitably,
The emotion changes to a different emotion,
Not holding on and not pushing away,
Just allowing sounds to be received.
And now letting go of sound as the external anchor.
And opening your eyes if they were closed and gently taking in sight as an anchor.
Noticing colors,
Soft shapes,
Maybe softly focusing on one particular shape or object without labeling it.
So if you're looking at a branch of a tree,
Just experiencing scenes seeing that tree in this moment without evaluating it or judging it.
Experiencing sight as your anchor may be a very different experience for you.
Just knowing what's to be known here,
How is this anchor working for you today?
And now letting go of sight as your anchor,
Taking in your body as a whole again,
The bottom of your feet all the way to the top of your head,
Your body as it's breathing.
Knowing what is to be known here right now,
The body breathing as a whole.
Knowing that at any time you always have options for anchors to ground yourself in presence and whatever you choose today may be different than you choose tomorrow.
Always approaching this with an attitude of friendliness,
Compassion and kindness towards yourself.
Now placing your attention on the full breath,
Breathing in and out.
Taking a deep breath in and letting it go.
And another breath in and out.
And feeling your sit bones and the physical space you're in,
The air touching your skin.
Becoming more aware of the physical meditation space.
Before we finish our meditation,
Maybe taking some gentle movement,
Wiggling fingers and toes or wrists.
And then whenever you feel ready,
Gradually opening your eyes and returning to your meditation space.
