Hello,
My name is Evan and today I'm going to be leading you in a labeling meditation.
So first find a comfortable position.
If you can sit comfortably cross-legged,
Then it's best to do this.
If not,
Sit in a chair with your back straight.
Or if you'd like you can also lie down.
Close your eyes.
Now labeling is a way to increase your awareness of the world and yourself,
But also to be content with what is and to practice letting go.
The process is simple.
Whatever comes to mind,
Whether it be a sensation,
A thought,
Or an emotion,
We simply label that in our mind and return to our breathing.
Before we practice labeling however,
We're going to do a quick scan of our body and our surroundings.
So with our eyes closed,
Starting at the top of our head,
Let's be aware of any sensations here.
The very top of our head.
And we're going to bring our awareness down the full length of our body,
Passing through each body part.
So I like to start with the top of my head and then go down to my forehead,
And then my eyebrows,
And then my eyes.
We're just moving our awareness down our body,
Being aware of any sensations,
Whether they be pleasurable or painful.
Just being aware of them.
All the way down to our toes.
Then when we reach our toes,
We can go back up to our head.
Let's just do this for a little bit.
Now as we do this,
We're also going to be aware of any sounds you might hear.
Any thoughts or emotions you might have.
Any smells,
Tastes,
Or sights that are present beneath the eyelids.
So as we scan our body head to toe,
Being aware of anything we hear,
Anything we taste,
Anything we smell,
Anything we're thinking,
Anything we're feeling.
So this is sort of a quick Zen meditation.
We're just sort of trying to be aware of everything that's going on in our mind,
And in our environment,
And in our body.
We're not going to label anything just yet.
We're just trying to notice everything that is going on inside and outside.
Continuing to scan our body from head to toe.
From toes to head.
Alright,
10 minutes.
And if you find yourself spending too much time thinking about something,
Just bring your attention back to your body.
The sounds around you.
Any sensations that are going on.
Not clinging to one,
Just being aware of all of them.
Good.
Now,
Let's begin labeling.
First we're going to place our attention on our breathing.
You can do this in three ways.
You can keep your attention on the sensations inside the nostrils and at the openings of the nostrils.
You can place your attention on the sensation of your chest and lungs as they rise and fall,
Rise and fall.
Or you can have a general attention on both of these things.
Or if you have another way that you like to be aware of your breath,
You can use that way as well.
So now that we have our attention on our breath,
The sensations of our breathing,
We're going to keep our labeling tool at the ready.
What this means is if anything distracts you from your breath.
Any sensation,
Any stimulus,
We're going to label that stimulus in our mind.
For example,
If you're breathing and you feel some pain in your knee,
You can label to yourself pain,
Or pain in the knee.
And then bring your attention back to your breathing.
So we're spending a few seconds labeling whatever that sensation is and bringing our attention back to our breathing.
Other examples might be dog,
Dog barking,
Or brightness,
Or tingling in the back,
Or scent and so on.
So whatever sensation distracts you from your breathing,
It can be a sound,
A thought,
A smell,
A taste,
An emotion.
Just labeling that and bringing our attention back to our breath.
So you might think of the process of labeling as a cycle.
Focus on the breath,
The stimulus arises,
Label it,
And return to focus on the breath.
Breathe,
Label,
Breathe,
Label,
Breathe.
Over time,
This cycle trains our mind to be aware,
But not to cling to anything.
Not to cling to any of these sensations that we're experiencing,
But just to be aware of them.
I will give you all some time to practice now.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
As we bring our labeling practice to an end,
Let's again try to be aware of all the sensations in our environment,
In our body,
And in our mind all at the same time.
So we're going to stop labeling for a few seconds.
We're going to have a general awareness of the situation we're in right now,
Of the present moment.
Anything you hear,
Anything you taste,
Smell,
Feel.
Just aware.
It's verybeck wilderness.
When you're ready,
You may open your eyes.
Congratulations on practicing labeling meditation.
Thank you for meditating with me.
