Welcome to this mindfulness based stillness meditation,
The complete practice.
So let's get our mindful bodies on.
Take a moment to adjust your posture.
So if you're sitting,
You're sitting open and upright,
Or if you're lying down,
You're lying down on your back,
Your legs are out relaxed,
Or perhaps you might like to slightly bend and support your knees to take some pressure off your lower back.
Relaxing your jaw and your shoulders.
Your palms are open and gently resting over your belly or resting by your side.
If you haven't already done so,
Please close or lower your eyes and take a moment to relax and settle into your body.
Perhaps taking three slow deep belly breaths helps.
As you breathe out,
Feel your muscles softening and relaxing.
Just letting go.
Relaxing,
Awake and alert.
And remember there's nothing you need to be doing right now.
There's nothing you need to experience or achieve during this mindfulness based stillness meditation.
This is your time.
Allow your breath to find its own depth and rhythm now.
Just let your breath breathe you.
And now become aware of the space in front of your closed eyes.
It's like a field of darkness.
Perhaps there's some muted shapes or colours there.
You're not looking for anything.
Just simply rest your attention there with relaxed eyes and a soft gaze.
And now bring your attention to any sounds coming to you from outside the room.
You're just listening with a non-judgmental curiosity.
And now listening to sounds inside the room.
Perhaps you can even hear the soft noise of your breath or your heartbeat.
Allow the sounds to call your attention into the present moment.
Just listening.
Now bring your awareness to your breath.
Notice what sensations there are as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Feel the air passing by your nostrils.
Feel the slight movement of your chest and your belly rising with the in-breath and falling with the out-breath.
Just your natural breathing.
Follow each breath.
And now bring your awareness down to your feet.
You might like to give them a little wriggle to help you reconnect to them.
And begin to move your awareness through your feet.
Notice any sensations.
Feeling into your toes,
Your heels,
The soles of your feet,
The tops of your feet.
All through the feet.
And as you feel into your feet,
Feel the flow of your breath.
Simply coming and going.
Quite effortlessly.
And now bring your awareness up to your hands.
Just resting your attention on your hands.
Can you notice that subtle sense of aliveness through your hands?
And as you explore all the small sensations around and through your hands,
Feel the flow of your breath.
And now bring your awareness up to your shoulders.
Notice the feeling of the muscles.
Perhaps there's a tightness,
A pressure,
A tingling,
A warmth,
A numbness.
You're just noticing without judging.
Just noticing those sensations around your shoulders.
And as you feel into your shoulder muscles,
Feel the flow of your breath.
And now bring your awareness to the space in front of your eyes.
Become aware of any sensations in and around your eyes.
Your eyelids just touching each other.
Move your attention through your eyebrows,
Across your forehead.
Just noticing whatever sensations are there.
And as you feel around the eyes and across the forehead,
Feel the flow of your breath.
And now with a willingness to get in touch with how you're feeling inside,
Bring your awareness to your centre.
The feeling line of your body.
Most sensations associated with strong emotions are felt along the feeling line of your body.
From your throat all the way down to your pelvic bowl.
So starting at your throat,
Feel into your throat.
Just noticing any sensations there.
And ask yourself gently,
How am I feeling?
And as you feel into your throat,
Feel the flow of your breath.
Now feeling into the centre of your chest,
Around your heart.
Again noticing any sensations here.
And as you feel into the heart space,
Feel the flow of your breath.
Now feeling into the solar plexus or your upper belly.
And now your lower belly,
So down,
Around and behind your navel.
And now feeling right down into your lower pelvic bowl,
That pelvic basin.
And just resting your attention along the whole feeling line of your body now.
Keep the feelings company with a caring and compassionate curiosity.
Just simply being aware.
And as you notice the sensations along the feeling line of your body,
Feel the flow of your breath.
Open your awareness to the whole body now.
Notice whatever sensations are coming into your awareness at this particular moment.
Perhaps the awareness of the space in front of your eyes.
Perhaps the feeling of the breath.
If any thoughts come to your awareness,
Just let them come when they do and go when they're ready.
Almost like white clouds moving across a blue sky.
Watch the thoughts coming and going.
And notice the background of stillness like the blue sky.
The background across which the thoughts travel.
It's the silent presence,
Your true self.
Just being aware of that still and silent presence,
Effortlessly aware,
Present,
Watching and listening.
Now simply rest in that sense of stillness for a few moments now.
The aware mind just noticing.
Just being aware.
If you notice your attention wandering or becoming caught up in a stream of thought,
Open your awareness.
Simply bring your attention back to the next breath.
Feel the flow of your breath.
Notice the sounds,
Notice the feet on the floor and the feeling line of your body.
As you rest your attention in the space in front of your eyes.
And notice that still and silent presence.
Just watching.
Just being aware.
Just being aware.
And now as we come towards the end of this mindfulness based stillness meditation.
You may like to consciously dedicate the value or the virtue of this meditation.
You might like to send some kind thoughts.
So as you're breathing in,
Saying silently in your mind,
May I be well and happy.
And as you breathe out,
May others be well and happy.
Filling yourself with that intention and picturing yourself on your in-breath and a group or an individual on your out-breath.
Breathing in,
May I be well and happy.
Breathing out,
May others be well and happy.
Now allow your breathing to become a little stronger.
Start to reactivate and re-energise your body.
Perhaps take a deeper breath or two.
You might like to wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes.
You're welcome to have a stretch.
And when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes and go on your way.
Thank you.
Namaste.
