Let's begin this practice by finding a comfortable position,
While allowing the body to settle.
Let the eyes begin to relax,
And begin to turn attention to the immediate experience of the body.
Feel into the body,
Noticing the variety of sensations that are present in this moment.
And within this noticing of sensation,
Give yourself an opportunity to harvest joy,
Highlighting and acknowledging any feelings that are pleasant,
Enjoyable,
Or even neutral.
And with this shift of attention,
Reclaim a sense of okayness,
And relax the body around this experience of okayness,
Bringing attention to any parts of the body that feel tight.
And as you breathe out,
Relaxing and releasing,
With each cycle of the breath revealing a posture of ease,
And alongside a deepening sense of relaxation,
Begin to embrace a quality of stillness,
Discovering this quality through the recognition that in this moment there's nowhere else to go,
Nothing else to do,
Coming to rest in the stillness of being.
And now within the body,
Complement this experience of relaxation and stillness with wakefulness.
If you're in a seated posture,
Keeping the spine upright,
Shoulders relaxed,
Chest open,
Slightly elevated,
If you've chosen to lie down,
Establish this quality of wakefulness through a resolve,
Resolving to use this posture to balance the mind,
And to round off this initial phase of settling the body in relaxation,
Stillness,
And wakefulness.
Gift yourself three coherent breaths,
Breathing in to the count of five,
Breathing out to a count of five.
With each cycle of the inhale,
Invigorating a sense of wakefulness,
And with each cycle of the exhale,
Deepening the sense of relaxation.
And after completing three rounds of coherent breathing,
Allow the breath to settle into its natural rhythm,
And begin to use this rhythmic flow of the breath as an anchor for your attention for a little while.
Know the breath as it flows in,
And know the breath as it flows out.
And if during this process,
You notice the mind has become distracted,
No problem.
Let your first response be that of relaxation,
Loosening up,
And then letting go of whatever it is that has pulled the mind away,
And finally returning gently to the breath.
And while tending closely to each cycle of the breath,
Continue to check in to the body.
If you find any tension beginning to build,
Perhaps deepening the sense of relaxation with each out-breath.
Alternatively,
If you find the body becoming heavy and dull,
Deepen the inhalation.
This way,
Restoring a sense of balance,
Relaxation,
And wakefulness while resting attention upon the breath.
And finally,
Before bringing this practice to a close,
Consider for a moment where would you like to bring more attentiveness into your day.
And if something clearly comes to mind,
Formulate an intention to live more fully into your attention.
Thank you for your practice today.
Let's bring our session to a close.
