Welcome to Waking Waves.
In the short practice ahead,
We're going to bring some mindful acceptance to our experience,
To whatever is present,
Good,
Bad,
Or neutral,
To whatever comes up.
So taking a moment to find a comfortable position,
Whether sitting,
Lying down,
Or standing up,
And bringing a sense of awakeness to your posture so that you're alert and present,
So that you know you are here,
But not tensed.
Your shoulders and arms can be relaxed,
And your hands resting in your lap or by your sides,
Closing your eyes if this is comfortable for you,
And giving yourself a moment to do this.
When we begin any practice,
There can be a lot going on in our minds,
Bodies,
And heart.
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations.
We may be thinking about plans we have for the day ahead,
The things we need to do,
Or perhaps the things we have already done.
The conversations we've had,
The tasks we've completed,
The tasks left unfinished.
We might experience physical sensations in the body that accompany the thinking,
Or perhaps feelings or emotions,
A particular mood,
Worry,
Anxiety,
Or excitement.
In this moment,
We're not going to push any of this away.
We will allow it to be here,
Accepting its presence right now,
Creating space for whatever is here.
And now,
Bringing your attention to your feet,
Wherever they are planted or resting right now,
And tuning in to any sensations that are present.
Anything you notice,
The feeling of contact with the surface beneath,
A feeling of heat,
Warmth,
Or coolness,
A feeling of pressure or stability,
And staying here with this for a few moments,
Noticing how we may be pulled away by thoughts,
Physical sensations,
Or images.
And if this happens,
Without judging our wandering mind,
With kindness and acceptance,
Gently bringing your attention back to where you were focusing.
And in this moment,
We were focusing on sensations in the feet.
And now,
Moving our attention to the hands,
Wherever they are resting,
By your sides,
Or on your lap,
And taking a moment to tune into any sensations that are present.
You might notice some tingling,
Vibrations or pulsing in the fingers,
A feeling of warmth or coolness,
A feeling of pressure or contact where they rest.
Or you may notice no sensation,
And this is okay.
And now resting here in awareness,
In your hands,
Or in your feet,
Or both,
In the short silence ahead.
And now that we've found a calm space,
Asking yourself a question,
Is there something in your life where it would help to bring some acceptance?
It could be something that's been on your mind these past few weeks,
And it's troubling you.
It could be something that causes you stress,
Or perhaps it's something that gets in the way of life,
Of feeling at ease.
And now in this moment,
We will bring some acceptance to this experience,
This situation,
This difficulty,
Acknowledging that things happen in life,
That they are the way they are right now.
Some things we can change,
Some things we can't.
And that's okay,
Accepting that's how life is.
We don't have to enjoy the situation,
But it is possible to see it as a changing event in our life.
It may be a difficult situation,
But we could acknowledge that this could eventually change or resolve.
It might be dissatisfaction with our physical fitness,
Or how we look,
But that is always changing.
It could be a challenging or heated relationship,
But this may cool over time.
Accepting that all these things are possible,
Noticing any feelings of resistance that come up,
This is okay,
This is what my mind will do.
I can accept this about my mind,
And being here with this sense of acceptance in the short silence ahead.
And when you're ready,
Slowly,
Gently moving the body,
Wiggling the fingers and toes,
Stretching and blinking open the eyes.
I hope that that was a helpful way to bring some acceptance into the present moment.
By doing this in a focused way in meditation,
We learn to be with the thoughts,
Feelings,
And emotions that inevitably surface.
The very same thoughts,
Feelings,
And emotions which often stand in the way of us accepting life.
By being open toward them,
And accepting them in the moment,
We have an opportunity to heal,
And sometimes to transform difficulty into rich learning and growth opportunities in life or work.
