Welcome!
Before we begin,
As always,
Find a quiet and comfortable space.
You can sit in a comfortable position.
In this practice,
We will explore your thoughts.
Should any thoughts or experience with this practice be overwhelming or overly 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 your thoughts 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
Noticing the points of contact between your body and the surface you are on.
Now turning your attention to your emotions,
Simply taking a note of your current emotional
state and how you are feeling in this moment.
Without needing to act on them,
Change anything about them or judge them,
Observing the emotions
that are present for you right here and right now with openness,
Curiosity and acceptance.
Now shifting your attention inward to your thoughts,
Beginning to notice the flow of
thoughts in your mind without getting involved in their content,
Simply observing the thoughts.
There is no need to follow any particular thought.
Simply allowing the thoughts to arise and pass.
You may imagine yourself sitting in a movie theater and your thoughts playing out as images
and stories on the screen in front of you.
As your thoughts appear on the imaginary screen of your mind,
You can begin to notice that
you are not your thoughts.
Rather,
You experience thoughts and you are allowing them to arise and pass on the screen
as an observer,
Neither holding onto them nor pushing them away.
Simply observing what is being played out on the mental screen as though you were a
visitor in your own mind.
Taking a few moments to familiarize yourself with this process of observing your thoughts.
Now turn your attention back to your breath for a moment,
Allowing yourself to anchor
yourself back in the present,
Feeling the sensations of your breath entering and leaving your body.
When you have centered yourself,
Turn your attention back to your thoughts,
Examining
them more closely.
As you watch your thoughts,
Observe the types of thoughts that arise.
Are they thoughts about the past or about the future?
Are these plans,
Memories or some other kind of thought?
Without judgment,
Allowing the thoughts to come and go,
Watching them pass on the mental
movie screen in front of you.
You may try and label your thoughts based on what you have noted them to be.
You could note planning or remembering.
Alternatively,
You may explore allowing your thoughts to pass like waves in the ocean,
Allowing each thought to come and go,
Observing it arising,
Crashing and then slowly rolling
onto the shore before returning to the ocean.
Whichever image you choose,
Whether it is the mental movie screen or thoughts passing
like waves in the ocean,
Spending a few moments observing your thoughts without judging them,
Holding on to them or trying to push them away,
Letting them arise and pass.
Take this opportunity to practice not being attached to your thoughts,
Taking note of
the fact that you are not your thoughts and instead of identifying with them,
Observing
them with curiosity and attention,
Noticing the impermanence of each thought as it arises
and eventually passes away.
If your mind becomes busy or overwhelmed by any thought,
Return your attention to your
breath.
You can use your breath as a calming force,
Anchoring you in the here and now,
Allowing
the breath to create a space between you and your thoughts.
Through this practice,
You are connecting to the observer within you,
The part of you
that is aware of your thoughts without being entangled in them.
Taking a moment to appreciate this observer and recognizing that you are not your thoughts,
But that you are experiencing your thoughts.
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 you have cultivated,
Allowing
this awareness of your thoughts to be a source of compassion and understanding for yourself.
Now slowly bring 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 a more balanced and mindful relationship with your
thoughts,
Fostering a greater sense of inner calm and mental clarity.
Thank you for taking the time to practice today.
I look forward to our next session.
Until then,
Take care.
