Welcome to this guided sitting meditation practice,
Recorded especially for participants of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction,
Or MBSR,
Program,
And also offered to anyone who wishes to receive this guidance and support for developing a mindfulness-based sitting practice.
Small sitting practice strengthens the intention toward a wakeful relationship with the unfolding experiences of our lives,
Moment to moment.
It invites a shift,
A space for releasing the doing sense that often shapes the contours of our lives.
And it supports connecting with an aspect of our experience that often gets obscured by our various daily activities.
This is the sense of simply being.
Our innate capacity for awareness is strengthened by connecting with the being sense.
And so the regular practice of formal sitting can support us in more frequently recognizing this essential sense,
The direct experience of being awake and aware,
Right now within our everyday lives and activities.
You can begin this practice by establishing a sitting position that feels balanced,
Upright,
And easeful.
The sitting form reflects and supports the two guiding intentions of this practice,
Wakefulness and self-care.
So you may decide to sit in a chair or on a cushion on the floor,
Arranging your trunk and limbs in a way that feels respectful,
Upright,
Dignified,
And that allows you to soften your shoulders,
Hands,
Belly,
And face.
If your body requires a different position than sitting in a chair or on a cushion,
Please choose an appropriate form for your body.
Simply keeping in mind the twin intentions of this practice to both stay awake and feel supported enough to be where you are for the duration of the practice.
If needed,
Go ahead and take a few moments to set up the sustainable position you wish to use for the sitting practice today.
I'll pause speaking for a few moments,
Or if you feel it will be easier for you,
You can pause this recording while you get set up.
Now that you have chosen and established a way of sitting that feels appropriate for your body,
Begin noticing the experiences and sensations of just sitting here and now.
Just sitting,
Just being,
And knowing that sitting,
Being,
Is happening.
Now as your chosen steady position takes shape,
You may wish to close your eyes or simply allow them to rest open,
Softening the eyelids down somewhat.
Connect your attention with the felt experiences of being here sitting,
Knowing the sensations of contact between your feet and the floor,
Between your seat and the seat of the chair or the cushion that's holding the base of your body.
Feeling your resting hands touching your lap or each other,
Directly aware of the sense of hereness in whatever way it is knowable to you right now.
Begin sensing the breathing of the body.
Aware of breathing in,
Aware of breathing out.
Noticing that the breath is happening all by itself.
The practice is in simply connecting with the experiences of breathing unfolding half a breath at a time.
Breathing in,
Aware,
And breathing out,
Aware.
What sensations and experiences are letting you know that breathing is happening right now?
Discovering each moment of breathing just as it is,
Bringing interest and curiosity to the entire process.
Directly experiencing the arising,
The duration,
And the fading away of each half a breath.
Working with the breathing in this way,
You may discover a particular region or area of the body where the sensations associated with breathing are especially distinct and easy to notice.
If that's the case for you right now,
Gathering attention in this area to support sensing the moment-to-moment experiences of breathing in and breathing out most clearly.
Perhaps noticing the breathing in the belly or in the chest.
Possibly sensing it in the nostrils or perhaps in an area I have not mentioned where the breathing sensations are most distinct in your experience.
Now possibly,
If it's helpful,
Using a silent whispered word or two inwardly to support you in being aware of the breathing.
Simply repeating silently to yourself,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Or simply in when breathing in and out as the breath leaves the body.
If you choose to use a silent mental note like this,
Remembering that the intention here is to support the connection with the experiences of the felt sense of breathing.
So most of the attention stays with the breath and the mental note is just an assist for that.
It can be very soft and at times you may drop it altogether as the connection of the attention and the breathing grows firmer and more clear.
Breathing in aware and breathing out aware,
Aware of the sensations arising and changing,
Sensations associated with the breathing process.
As you explore this guided practice,
At times your mind may drift or lose track of the breathing sensations altogether.
Thoughts or emotions may catch your attention and you might forget your intention to be awake to the body breathing.
Even though the recording is still playing,
You may lose track of hearing the guidance being offered through these words.
Things like this are completely normal and are in fact an important part of the practice.
When you notice you've been lost,
It can be helpful to recall that this is entirely normal.
It does not mean that anything has gone wrong.
It is an opportunity to practice beginning again,
Simply bringing the attention back to the instructions being offered right now,
Beginning again to notice your direct experiences just as they are unfolding right now.
Breathing in aware and breathing out aware.
Breathing out and knowing that breathing out is happening,
Perhaps noticing a small pause before breathing in begins again and knowing that breathing in is happening.
Even whenever you notice that you've been lost,
Reconnecting with the breathing experiences.
This process of intentionally starting again,
As often as is needed and possible,
Helps to strengthen access to the already innate capacity to be aware.
Taking the breathing as a mooring,
As an anchor to support both aiming and sustaining the attention with the here and now experiences.
Both when we are aware of it and when we are not,
The breath is happening.
So in a moment of waking up,
Turning toward the breathing again helps us reconnect with what is.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Perhaps a moment of pause and breathing in.
Resting in awareness of breathing.
If you have been focusing on one particular area of the bodily breathing sensations,
Now perhaps widening the lens to include the entire body together with the experiences of breathing in and breathing out.
What do you notice right now in the entire field of the body breathing?
Are there subtle movements?
Perhaps at times senses of pressure or of softening.
Maybe a felt sense of the breathing is creating a kind of rising and sinking movement within the bodily experiences.
Breathing in,
Knowing,
Breathing in is happening.
And breathing out,
Knowing,
Breathing out is happening.
Exploring your immediate experiences just as they are.
Arising,
Changing,
Perhaps at times fading out or transforming into another experience altogether.
Moment to moment,
Curious.
Take to the experiences associated with breathing in the entire body.
Breathing in,
Sensing the entire body.
Breathing out,
Sensing the entire body.
While encouraging you to follow the instructions as fully as you are able,
It's also important for you to know that you always have choices within this practice and that you are in charge of your own experiences.
If something in the practice is felt to be uncomfortable,
Perhaps seeing if it's possible to be with that discomfort just as it is.
Simply investigating the discomfort a bit.
What is it made up of particularly?
Does it seem to be changing or remaining fixed?
Are there other experiences happening simultaneous with this discomfort?
If so,
Perhaps knowing these as well and possibly toggling attention back and forth between the area of discomfort and an area that feels okay.
And if something you connect with here in this practice feels overwhelming to you,
Knowing that you can simply shift your attention perhaps back to the sense of breathing in and breathing out in just one particular region of the body or perhaps to the places where you feel the body resting on the earth below you.
If needed,
You can choose to change the position of your body to alleviate the discomfort that has arisen.
If that seems necessary,
Simply noticing the urge to move,
Being aware of the decision to move,
And then of the movements themselves.
Once you've changed position,
Noticing whether the shift has accomplished the relief it was aimed at.
So making the process of changing your posture part of the practice when that feels necessary to you.
And then whenever you feel ready,
You can continue to follow and take support from the guidance and instructions being offered through this recording.
Breathing in and knowing that breathing in is happening.
Now,
If you wish,
Widening the lens of attention once again to include the sense of hearing so aware of the body,
Aware of breathing in and breathing out,
And also noticing hearing sounds.
Sounds may arise within the body or outside it.
Of course,
There's the sound of my voice.
Sounds as they arise may be quieter or louder,
Pleasant or unpleasant,
Or neutral to your ears.
Simply noticing the process of hearing itself and seeing if it is possible right now to allow hearing to be just as it is.
All the while sensing the body breathing as the ground in which this hearing experience is happening,
One moment at a time.
Perhaps noticing hearing the sounds arising from your own breathing in and breathing out.
And perhaps tuning in to the fact that there is nothing you are doing to create the sounds or the breathing.
They just arise and sustain for some duration and then pass away all by themselves rather like clouds moving in the sky.
Simply knowing hearing as hearing,
Breathing as breathing,
Body sensations as body sensations.
No need to name them or affect them in any way.
Breathing being known.
Body breathing being known.
Remembering that distractions are a normal part of the practice.
Remembering that in a moment of waking up from being distracted arises an opportunity,
An opportunity for practicing beginning again.
Hearing being known.
Body breathing being known.
Remembering that challenges like discomfort are also an ordinary part of the practice and they do have choices in how you approach such challenges.
At times perhaps feeling curious about a challenge and investigating the sensations of discomfort.
At other times perhaps returning the attention to something simpler like breathing in and breathing out.
And remembering that if it feels necessary,
You can reset your posture.
Doing so with full awareness.
Hearing being known.
Body breathing being known.
And now perhaps including another aspect of experience by beginning to notice any arising of thoughts and emotions that may be available to be known at this time.
You may find it helpful to begin noticing thinking by intentionally asking yourself this question,
I wonder what my next thought will be?
And then tuning,
Resting your attention in the present moment to see what arises from that question.
Continuing to be supported by the anchor of the sense of the body,
The sense of the breathing.
While noticing thinking and emotions arising,
Shifting and changing within awareness.
Thoughts and emotions being known as they are as thoughts and emotions.
As with any sort of experience,
The thoughts and emotions being known right now may be pleasant or they may be unpleasant or perhaps they are neutral,
Simply ordinary.
So remembering there is nothing in particular you are supposed to be aware of.
There's no right experience.
There's no particular thought or emotion you're supposed to have.
The practice is in the noticing.
The practice is in the knowing.
Knowing whatever is arising presently within what we might call the field of awareness,
Including the arena of thoughts and emotions.
Sitting knowing that sitting is happening.
Breathing knowing that breathing is happening.
Knowing knowing that hearing is happening.
Thinking and feeling emotions and being fully aware that thoughts and emotions are arising.
If an unpleasant thought or emotion arises,
Perhaps knowing it as such as uncomfortable and seeing if it is possible to simply be with that discomfort just as it is.
Perhaps investigating the discomfort a bit,
What is it made up of particularly?
Is this thought or emotion associated with some sensations in the body?
If so,
Where in the body?
And what are the sensations?
Is it heat or tightness or gripping?
Understanding that the words of the instructions are guiding you in exploring your own experiences and that only you can feel what is happening within you right now.
Exploring your direct experiences just as they are.
Rising,
Changing,
And perhaps at times fading out or transforming into another experience altogether.
Moment to moment,
Curious,
Awake to the experiences,
And always remembering that you have choices within this practice.
If something you experience here feels overwhelming to you,
You can simply shift your attention perhaps back to the sense of breathing in and breathing out or perhaps to the points of contact between your body and the earth to the sensations of pressure and weight in the body.
Or perhaps to noticing hearing,
Noticing sounds flowing through the field of your awareness.
So now if you wish,
There is the possibility of resting in direct awareness of the changing flow of experiences without choosing one in particular.
Noticing body sensations when these are most obvious,
Most apparent.
Noticing breathing experiences when these seem most clear.
Or hearing sounds.
Or being aware of thoughts floating through the mind.
Or being aware of emotions as they pass through the field of your awareness.
All of these experiences just as they are moving within the field of awareness.
Simply aware.
Here and now.
Just one moment at a time.
And remembering that becoming distracted is a normal part of practicing.
Knowing that you can return to the steady ground of awareness of the body breathing at any time.
This can be especially helpful if simply resting choicelessly in awareness feels too scattering,
Too distracting.
What's important is how you handle the experience of having been distracted when it arises in awareness.
Seeing if it is possible to begin again with kindness.
Taking the body breathing as a support for beginning again and again and again.
Here and now.
Just a moment at a time.
Taking the body breathing as a support for beginning again.
And knowing clearly the experiences of the body sitting.
Sensing directly the experiences of breathing in and breathing out.
And then possibly softening once again into the wider field of choiceless awareness.
Sensing the arising,
Sustaining,
Fading,
And changing of the whole array of experiences.
The body breathing sounds,
Thoughts,
Emotions.
Resting the attention with this wide open focus.
Prepare of the entire play of experiences that are available to your attention right now.
Sitting and knowing that sitting is happening.
Listening and knowing that breathing is happening.
Hearing and knowing that sounds are happening.
Sitting and knowing that these are thoughts arising in the field of awareness.
Seeing emotions and recognizing these are emotions arising in the heart.
All of these are emotions arising.
Resting the attention with the wide open focus,
Aware of the entire play of experiences available to your attention right now.
In a few minutes,
This practice will conclude.
It can be helpful as the session comes to a close to return to the body breathing.
Resting your attention again with just the felt experiences of being here sitting,
Allowing thoughts,
Emotions,
And hearing to fade into the background again.
Knowing clearly the sensations of contact between your feet and the floor,
Between your seat and the seat of the chair or the cushion that's holding the base of your body.
Feeling your hands touching your lap or each other resting.
Simply aware of the sense of hereness in whatever way it is knowable to you right now and sensing the breathing of the body.
Aware of breathing in,
Aware of breathing out.
Noticing that the breathing is happening all by itself.
Exploring that the practice is in simply connecting with the experiences that are unfolding.
You may perhaps explore opening and closing your eyes a few times,
Allowing the light and forms to be known and then to fade again as the eyes close.
Recognizing seeing as seeing.
And you may also wish to move or stretch,
Possibly wiggling your hands and feet or stretching your entire body.
In concluding this practice,
You may also find it useful to intentionally acknowledge your capacity and willingness to give attention in this way.
Recognizing the time and care you have devoted to this practice.
You may also like to reflect for a moment on the fact that the awareness with which you have been deepening a sense of connection is still here.
And perhaps set an intention to bring this present moment orientation into the next activity you'll be engaging with.
This concludes the practice.
Thank you for your practice of sitting meditation today.
