Welcome to your practice.
Find a comfortable seated position with your feet on the floor.
Feel free to prop yourself with any pillows so that you can find an upright position without working too hard.
If it feels safe,
You can close your eyes or simply take your gaze down so your eyes can soften.
Notice what it feels like to come to a seat,
To slow the body down.
Notice what you are starting with today.
What is on your mind and in your body?
Maybe it's the rush of your day or the intensity of an interaction.
Maybe your mind is racing with all the to-do's or ruminating on an experience from the past or worrying about something in the future.
Maybe you notice some tension,
Aches or pains in the body.
See if you can notice it all without judgment.
Allow everything that arises to be part of this practice of awareness.
Notice the quality of your experience as a whole.
The feeling of your body in this space,
In this moment.
Notice the sounds in the room,
How they move in and out of awareness.
Allow your awareness to travel all the way down to your feet.
Notice sensation in the soles of your feet on the floor.
Maybe wiggle your toes to draw your attention to the sensations of the feet.
Imagine you could draw an outline around the feet,
Securing them to the floor.
Notice the steady,
Grounding sensation of your feet connected to the floor.
Allow your awareness to travel up the body,
Slowly,
Noticing any sensations.
Maybe you feel where your body meets the couch or the chair.
Imagine that the cushions are rising up to meet your body,
Holding you in the space.
Notice where you feel your breath move your body.
Maybe it's the belly,
Or the back,
Or the chest.
Notice the expansion and the softening.
As you breathe in,
The body rises and expands,
The lungs uplifting the heart.
As you breathe out,
Watch everything soften back to center.
Stay with the breath for a few moments.
If the mind begins to wander,
Just notice,
Without judgment.
It is the nature of mind to think thoughts.
When you notice a thought,
Gently bring your awareness back to your breath.
Back to the rising and falling,
The expanding and softening.
If it's helpful,
You can use a simple mantra.
Breathing in,
I breathe in.
Breathing out,
I breathe out.
Breathing in,
I breathe in.
Breathing out,
I breathe out.
Allow your awareness to expand back into the space around you.
The sounds of the room.
The feel of your body on the chair or the couch.
The sensation of your feet on the floor.
Notice the quality of your experience in this moment.
Slowly blink your eyes open and closed a few times.
See if you can keep your gaze soft as you take in the space around you.
Shapes.
Take a moment to appreciate yourself for showing up.
Maybe place one or both hands over your heart as a gesture of tenderness towards yourself.
Thank you for spending this time with me.
Thank you for joining me.
