Before we begin,
Find a quiet and comfortable space for yourself.
You can sit in a comfortable position.
In this practice,
We will explore your behaviors and action impulses.
Should the experience with this practice be overwhelming or in any way uncomfortable to you,
You can always take a break or stop the practice at any time.
This practice is intended to help you explore and connect to your actions,
Impulses and behaviors in a gentle and easeful manner.
Let's begin.
Now that you have found a comfortable position,
Take a few deep breaths,
Allowing yourself to settle into the present moment.
As you breathe,
Letting go of any tension in your body or distractions in your mind.
Fully arriving in the here and now.
Start by bringing your attention to your breath,
Taking a few deep breaths,
Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your nose.
Feeling the body expand with each inhale and feeling a sense of grounding
and relaxation with each exhale.
Allowing your breath to find its natural rhythm.
Shifting your attention to your body and noticing any sensations that arise.
Allowing yourself to take note of these sensations without judging them or trying to change them.
Also turning your attention to your emotions,
Taking a note of your current emotional state and how you are feeling in this moment.
Taking a note of your thoughts as well.
Are any particular thoughts present in this moment?
Are they moving through your mind quickly or rather slowly?
Without needing to change anything,
Observing what is present for you in your body,
Emotions,
And thoughts.
With curiosity,
Openness,
And acceptance.
Letting go of any tension in your body or distractions in your mind.
And acceptance.
Now turning your attention to any impulses to take action that may be present in your mind.
This could be an impulse to move your body,
Move your hands,
An impulse to speak,
Cough,
Or engage in any specific behavior.
Perhaps you are feeling hungry and want to get up to get food.
Or perhaps you are finding yourself busy and feeling an impulse to stop the practice,
To do something else.
The invitation here is to simply observe these impulses with curiosity and without acting on them.
If it is difficult to simply observe the impulse you are sensing,
You can focus your attention back on your breath as an anchor for a moment.
With each inhale and each exhale,
Creating a space between the impulse and the action.
Allowing your breath to be a guide and a buffer,
Helping you pause and giving you time to relax.
Helping you pause and giving you time to reflect before reacting or acting on the impulse.
Taking a few moments to allow yourself to explore this process of sensing your action impulses.
And then,
When necessary,
Bringing your attention back to the breath to anchor yourself
and create space to reflect instead of react.
If your mind begins to wander,
That's perfectly okay.
It's simply what minds do.
The moment you notice your focus has shifted away from the observation of your action impulses,
Gently bring your focus back,
Acknowledging the nature of the wandering mind without judgment.
Now that you have become aware of any action impulses that are present for you at the moment,
Let's practice becoming curious about the impulse to action you are observing.
Pick one impulse that is specifically present for you right now.
Exploring the nature of the impulse.
Is this action impulse driven by a habit of yours?
Or is it driven by a thought?
Or is there some external stimulus,
Something happening in your mind that you are not aware of?
Let's practice being curious about the impulse to action you are observing right now.
Pick one impulse that is specifically present for you right now.
Or is there some external stimulus,
Something happening around you that is causing you to feel inclined to take this action?
Without judgment,
Observing the body sensations associated with these impulses
and the emotions and thoughts that accompany them.
Noticing the contexts in which the impulse to act is occurring.
As you continue to breathe and observe,
Practice non-reactivity.
Instead of immediately acting on the impulse you have identified,
Observe it with a sense of curiosity.
Explore the impulse as if you are investigating it.
What is this impulse about?
Where may it come from?
How strong does it feel?
Allowing the impulse to be present without feeling compelled to follow through.
As you are engaging in this exploration of your action impulse,
Taking a moment to check in with the sensations in your body.
Where in your body can you feel the impulse to act the most?
What does this area in your body feel like?
Can you feel areas of tension or ease?
Exploring how the awareness of action impulses affects your overall state of being.
We are reaching the end of your practice for today.
As we conclude,
Bring your attention back to your breath.
Taking a few deep breaths,
Expressing gratitude for the awareness of your action impulses.
Bringing your attention back to your breath.
Taking a few deep breaths,
Expressing gratitude for the awareness you have cultivated.
Allowing this awareness of your behaviors and action impulses to be a source of compassion and understanding for yourself.
Now slowly bringing your attention back to the space you are sitting in.
Taking note of any sounds around you,
The temperature of the room or space around you.
Taking one more clearing breath in and a clearing breath out.
And then slowly,
When you are ready,
Opening your eyes.
This practice can help you develop greater awareness around your action impulses and behaviors.
And it can promote more intentional and thoughtful responses rather than impulsive reactions.
If you had any valuable insights in this practice,
I encourage you to journal about them and write them down before you transition back into the rest of your day.
Thank you for taking the time to practice today.
I look forward to our next session.
Until then,
Take care.
