I'm going to walk you through a meditation that touches on each of the six senses,
Sight,
Hearing,
Touch,
Taste,
Smell,
And mind.
Many of us don't normally think of mind as a sense,
But you'll find that we perceive thoughts in much the same way that we perceive objects,
And one of the things I'd like to practice in this session is being aware of our thoughts as imaginary objects.
But first,
As we settle in,
I ask you to place your feet firmly on the floor.
Try not to slouch.
You don't need to be rigid,
But I don't want you falling asleep either.
To begin with,
Leave your eyes open and gaze softly on the floor or whatever is in front of you.
That is,
Don't look at anything in particular,
But just take in the visual field as a whole.
Don't move your eyes,
Just leave them open,
Gazing softly at whatever is in front of you.
Just take in the visual field as it is.
Don't move your eyes,
But take note of what you see.
Be aware of the colors and shapes,
But let those colors and shapes be what they are.
Don't try to interpret them.
Let's observe.
Now if you wish,
You may close your eyes and attend to your hearing.
Again,
Don't focus on anything in particular,
Just let the sounds come.
Do you hear?
Do you hear sounds outside?
Sounds within the room or nearby?
Do you hear your own body?
Again,
Simply observe these sounds.
Don't try to interpret them or judge them,
Just let them be.
Now bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.
Feel them touching the ground through your socks and shoes.
Feel your toes.
Feel the solidity and stability of the floor beneath your feet.
Now feel the tops of your feet.
Now bring your awareness to the inside of your feet,
The many bones and muscles in there,
Perhaps working even now to keep you stable.
Now feel your ankles,
The joint where your feet connect to your legs.
Perhaps you can feel your socks.
Now feel your calves,
Your shins,
Your knees,
Your thighs.
Feel your seat and the lower part of your back.
Feel your groin and abdomen.
Feel it expand and contract with the breath.
Now feel the bottom of your ribs,
Your solar plexus,
Your chest.
Feel into your heart and lungs.
Feel your upper back and into your shoulders.
Now feel your upper arms,
Your elbows,
Now your lower arms,
Now your wrists.
Be aware of the tendons and ligaments that run through your wrists into your hands,
Controlling your fingers.
Feel the palms of your hands,
Your fingers,
Your fingertips.
Feel the back of your hands,
The back of your arms,
Your shoulders,
Your neck.
Feel your spine,
Each vertebrae stacked one on top of the other with nerves carrying signals from your skin and other bodily senses up the back of your spine and motor signals traveling down the front of your spine into every part of your body.
Feel the air traveling up and down through your lungs and throat.
Feel your neck and feel your skull sitting gently on top,
Almost floating there.
Feel your jaw.
If it's a little tight,
See if you can relax it a bit with your tongue sitting gently against the palate of your mouth.
Do you notice any tastes?
Feel the bones on the top of your mouth,
In your face.
Do you notice any smells?
Feel the bones in and around your ears and the back of your head.
Feel the space inside your skull.
Now bring your awareness to the top of your skull and maybe just a bit above your head.
Keep your attention here for a little while.
Now bring your attention back to your head,
To your nose.
The space between your nose or the outside of your nostrils where the air flows in and out.
Take your breath from one to ten.
As you focus on your breath,
You may notice sensations in your body.
Sounds in your hearing.
Thoughts in your mind.
Let all of these pass through your awareness.
If one of them grabs your attention for a little while,
That's okay.
Just remember to let it go and to return to the breath.
If your mind has wandered,
That's fine,
But please bring it back to the breath now.
Feel the air flow into your nostrils and back out.
Feel your nose,
The skin of it.
Feel your face,
Your eyes,
Your eyebrows.
Feel your scalp and your ears.
What do you hear?
Feel the back of your head.
Feel your jaw,
Your tongue.
Feel your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your arms.
Feel your chest.
Feel the air flowing into your lungs.
Feel your abdomen expanding as you inhale and contracting as you exhale.
Feel your waist,
Your thighs,
Your knees.
Feel your shins and calves and ankles.
Feel your feet.
Feel the soles of your feet firmly rooted to the ground.
And gently,
Gently,
If you haven't already,
Open your eyes,
Not focusing on anything right away until you're ready.
Bring yourself back and see that you are here now,
Fully present.
