Relax, Return, Repeat: A Gentle Guided Meditation

One of the biggest barriers many people face when starting their meditation practice is the idea that they are inherently either “good” or “bad” at it. In reality, though, a lot of meditation is the practice of coming back over and over and over again. This 10-minute meditation, which is my "go-to" when I'm in a pinch, is a simple and yet effective practice that kindly reminds you to begin again and again. The good news is that this practice will always be there to welcome you back each time.

Transcript

Hi,

I'm Dawn,

Buddhist Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation teacher,

Author,

And mentor.

Thanks for joining me.

Let's get started.

Choose whatever practice posture feels the most beneficial for you in this moment.

If it feels appropriate,

Close your eyes or turn them down toward your heart.

Take a moment to settle into this posture in any way you need,

Whether it's a few deep breaths,

Snuggling in a bit,

Or adjusting something in your clothes.

Invite your body,

Your heart,

And your mind to relax.

You may scan the body from head to toe,

Or inwardly recite the words,

May this body relax,

May I relax.

Throughout this practice,

You may need to invite the body to relax more than once.

That's perfectly okay.

Relax your eyes,

Especially if you've been spending a lot of time looking at a screen.

Imagine your eyeballs sinking to the back of your head.

Take your time with this.

Invite your body,

Mind,

And heart to relax,

Right alongside your eyes.

Now feel into the support of whatever surface is underneath you.

Notice the parts of you that are making contact.

It might be your buttocks,

Your back,

Your feet.

Now also notice the parts that are not touching the ground,

Like perhaps the backs of your knees,

Your Achilles tendon,

Or something else.

Tune into how your support is supporting you,

How it's pressing into your body because of weight and gravity.

If need be,

Invite the mind,

Body,

And heart to relax once again.

Now turn your attention toward an anchor that keeps you present,

Something to return to when the mind wanders,

Which it absolutely will and may already have done many times.

It could be the breath,

Or the sensations in your hands.

You could also choose sound or sight if you prefer an anchor outside your body.

Use this anchor for the next two or three minutes as you practice returning to it over and over again.

The practice is to do so with as much kindness as possible.

Again,

The mind wandering is completely natural.

Celebrate awareness returning instead of judging the mind for wandering.

When the bell rings,

Notice how you receive the sound.

Perhaps it's with excitement or with resistance.

Whether or not you like the sound of the bell,

Can you take in sound as just sound before jumping to what the bell means,

Which is the end of the practice.

Thank you for your practice.

Until next time,

Take care of yourself because that's how we can best take care of others.

Reviews

Hi Dawn, I appreciate your soft and gentle style. The direction to gently return to the breath or any other body sensation was very helpful. Thanks so much!