Hello everyone,
And thank you for being here today.
And thank yourself for being here today.
Because the purpose of this meditation is to help you be present in this moment right here and right now.
Being mindful and being present is a funny concept from the outside.
Because of course you're present.
You're physically here and not anywhere else.
But it's your mind that's not present.
And it's because our mind is always going,
Always thinking about what is next,
What you have to do next,
And creating a mental checklist.
But that all means you aren't actually in this moment.
Being present is important for our mental health and can raise our satisfaction in life,
Especially when you remember to be present for the good things and the moments to cherish.
So you may come back to this meditation often and practice this often.
To begin,
I'd ask you to close your eyes,
Get into a comfortable position.
It does not matter how you're seated or if you were laying down.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and let that breath out through your mouth.
We're going to focus on slowing our breathing here.
So breathe in,
Hold,
And breathe out.
Breathe in,
Hold,
And breathe out.
The first mindful observation we'll make begins with what's going on inside of you.
It is useful to keep your eyes closed here.
So let's begin by looking inside of us and at our emotions.
So would you say that you feel anxious,
Bored,
Tired?
How would you describe how you're feeling?
Now is this manifesting physically?
And if so,
How is it manifesting physically?
Is it a tension in your chest or not in your stomach?
Is any part of your person in pain?
And what is causing that pain?
Are these sensations static or are they constantly changing?
As we transition to the world outside of you,
At this point,
You can continue with your eyes closed or you can open your eyes.
If you open your eyes,
Have them sit on one thing so you don't get too distracted.
Let's begin with the sensation of touch.
Notice the feeling on your skin.
Are your clothes constricting or are they loose?
Are you warm or are you cold?
What is touching your person right now?
Can you feel the air on your skin?
Is there a current to that air?
How does the ground beneath you feel?
Is it hard or is it soft?
Is it different on different parts of your body?
Is part of your body cradled by a cushion of a chair or is your head sinking into a soft pillow?
Are you comfortable where you are or do you need to take a long stretch?
You can stretch out your muscles now and while you do,
Just notice how those sensations feel.
Take a moment and really notice this and remember the feeling.
At this point,
I'd urge you to remember that it's natural for our minds to wander.
The more stressed you are,
The more cortisol in your brain,
The harder it is to sit still.
The more your mind wanders.
It's nothing to be upset about because your mind believes it's working to fix things,
To remember things,
Doing what it thinks is best.
But you control your mind and right now,
We want to focus on the moment and enjoy the moment.
So,
Every time you find your mind wandering,
Just come back to now and ask yourself,
What is the last thing that you noticed?
Next,
We'll move on to smell.
It said that smell is the steps most connected to memory.
So take a deep breath and see what you can smell if anything.
Do you smell one thing?
Many things?
Is it a pleasant smell or a horrid one?
Does that smell remind you of anything?
Perhaps after today,
That smell will remind you of this moment right now.
Take another deep breath and take the moment to notice what you can smell.
Do you hear anything right now?
Do you hear many things right now other than the sound of my voice?
What do you hear?
Where are they coming from?
Are they loud or quiet or confusing,
Jumbled together?
That this sounds pleasant and calm or not so calm.
Listen to what you can hear around you and really notice it.
I will tell you my personal trick to mindfulness.
I try to notice everything and try to remember everything as if I was explaining it to someone else,
As if I was painting a picture or writing a book.
What would you tell someone right now to put them in your shoes?
What would you tell someone right now to explain the world around you and how it feels to be you right now?
Take a moment to notice what you can see.
What colors are in front of you?
Do these colors go together or do they clash?
If your eyes are closed,
Do you see pure darkness behind your lips or do you see a bit of light creeping in?
Take a moment to notice what you can see.
Now that you have noticed the world around you,
Shift your focus back to what's inside you.
Does it feel the same as it did at the start of this meditation or does it feel different?
Have the feelings moved around or manifested in different ways?
Explain to me where.
Explain to me how.
Put me in your shoes right now and paint a picture of what it's like to be you right now.
As we end our meditation today,
I want you to take one tip with you.
The next time you're out at a moment of your life that you know you should cherish,
Notice everything around you.
Paint that picture in your mind to remember to cherish later on as well.
On the other hand,
If the moment is an unpleasant moment,
Noticing the world around you will keep you in this moment,
Will stop your mind from wandering to the worst case scenarios and you will find that it will reduce your stress to focus on what's here and what's now.
My name is Faye Brooks and I want to thank you for listening to this meditation.
I hope this helped you be a little bit more present and notice the world around you all the time.
Namaste.
