Hello,
I am Dr.
Shaniqua and today I'm going to lead us through a focused attention practice.
Focused attention is a foundational mindfulness practice.
It's good for people who are new to meditating,
But it's also good for anyone regardless of their meditation experience,
Who just wants to introduce a little bit more presence and mindfulness into their day,
Perhaps using a brief practice.
So let's begin by settling into our posture.
You might be seated on the floor,
On a meditation cushion,
On a chair,
A sofa.
You could also do this practice standing or even lying down.
What's most important is that you find a posture that makes you feel stable and grounded.
One that you can hold with relative ease for the duration of this practice.
A posture that lets you feel relaxed and alert.
And as you sit,
Draw your attention to your seat.
The place where your body meets the surface beneath you.
Notice the weight of the body sitting.
Perhaps sensing the stability of the surface that you're on.
Noticing how it's capable of supporting you.
Feeling into the support beneath you.
Letting your attention rest on the seat for a while.
At times you'll find your mind wandering.
Knowing that this is normal.
It is the nature of the mind to wander.
It is the nature of the mind to think.
When this happens,
Just noticing it and gently drawing your awareness back to your seat.
And now directing your attention down into your feet.
Sensing into your feet.
Not trying to imagine or visualize the feet.
Just noticing that you can be aware of your feet without even looking at them.
Without even moving them.
Returning to the feet any time you notice that the mind has wandered away.
And practicing moment by moment awareness of the feet.
And now inviting you to shift attention again.
This time into the hands.
Seeing if you can sense the hands.
Perhaps on your lap or your thighs.
Noticing where the hands make contact with whatever they're sitting on.
Feeling into the hands.
How do you know that you are sensing into the hands?
What is it that you feel here?
Is it pressure or tingling?
Coolness or warmth?
Sensing into the hands without telling a story about them.
Without thinking about them,
Just feeling into them.
Now shifting awareness to the breath.
First starting at the abdomen.
Feeling the inhale and the exhale as the belly expands and contracts.
What does the breath feel like here?
Noticing the breath without changing it in any way.
And if at any time this or any part of this practice becomes too overwhelming,
You might shift your awareness back to a part of the body that felt more neutral.
And comfortable to you,
Such as the seat or the feet.
Or if it's helpful,
You might pause the practice and open your eyes and take a look around the room that you're in.
Grounding yourself.
And perhaps returning to the practice only if it feels right for you.
Now moving from the belly up into the chest.
Feeling the breath as it enters and exits the lungs.
Breathing in and noticing the chest rising.
And as you breathe out,
Noticing the chest falling.
And it doesn't matter how many times the mind wanders off.
Each time that you become aware that the mind has wandered,
You're practicing mindfulness.
And just gently guiding it back to the object of attention.
In this case,
The breath at the chest.
And now shifting one more time to the nose.
Noticing the feel of the air moving in and out of the nostrils.
Perhaps you feel coolness or warmth here.
Or maybe just the movement of the nostrils themselves,
Letting you know that air is moving in and out.
Now in the time that remains,
Choose one of these anchors.
An area to focus your attention.
The seat,
Or the feet,
Or the hands,
Or the breath at the abdomen,
The chest,
Or the nostrils.
Just choose one,
Whichever one feels right for you in this moment.
And focus your attention there for the next couple of minutes.
Bringing your attention back to your anchor.
Being present in this moment.
Being present in this moment.
And now this one.
In a few moments,
You'll hear the sound of the bell bringing this practice to an end.
As you end this practice,
Knowing that you have the capacity to bring presence and mindfulness into your day at any point.
Thank you for practicing with me.
Satsang with Mooji www.
Mooji.
Org
