Mindfulness Practice 1.
Present moment,
Finding stillness,
Focusing on the breath.
Find a comfortable seat in a quiet space,
Sitting up if you can,
But doing whatever feels comfortable to your body.
If it's possible to sit in a chair with your feet on the floor,
Please do so.
If that doesn't work for you or your body,
Feel free to be in whatever position works best for you.
It is most important to find the position where you are least distracted,
Where you can focus.
If it's available to you,
Feel free to close your eyes.
If not,
Feel free to gaze down.
Take a deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Allow your body to settle into this moment.
On your next full breath in,
Focus on all the things that are swirling around in your brain from your day.
And as you exhale,
See if you can let all or any of them go.
Let go of the past and the future to focus on your now.
This may take a few rounds of deep breaths.
Come into this moment more and more.
Be aware of your body in your seat.
Feel where your body connects with the chair.
Feel where your body connects with the earth,
Even if you are up several stories in the building you're in.
If it's available to you,
Notice your breath.
Notice where in your body you feel your breath coming in and out.
Do you feel it in your chest as your chest rises and falls?
Do you feel it in your belly as your belly expands and contracts?
Do you feel it underneath your nostrils where the air heats up your upper lip as it is expelled from your lungs?
Just notice.
There is no right or wrong here.
It's just what you're experiencing in this present moment.
Continue to focus on your inhales and exhales.
If it's too uncomfortable for you to focus inwardly on your breath for whatever reason,
Due to trauma or pain,
Anything else that may be bothering you,
Focus on the details of some object in front of you.
You'll get the same benefit from doing it this way.
Whatever brings you into the present moment and allows you to find some inner stillness is what is important.
Continue to breathe.
As your mind starts to wander,
Which our minds are prone to do,
Continue to bring it back to your breath,
The object in front of you again and again and again.
This practice of continually refocusing is in itself one way to meditate.
See if you can continue this practice for five minutes.
QQ you you you you you you you you you when you are done,
Open your eyes if they were closed stretch your body in whatever way it feels it needs to stretch take a moment to transition your focus back to your surroundings and notice how you feel you you welcome back feel free to journal now about your experience or about any ideas or insights that arose for you you
