Celebrating The Wandering Mind: Neuro-Affirming Practice
Do you feel like you’re "bad" at meditation because your mind refuses to stay still? This practice is designed to turn that "failure" into a celebration. Guided by Jamie Brown—a mindfulness teacher with over 25 years of personal practice and a background in clinical research—this session centers on your comfort and autonomy. Instead of forcing focus, we celebrate the "wander" as a moment of pure awareness. You are invited to find your own unique "anchor," whether that is a sound, a physical sensation, or a visual object. Everything in this practice is invitational. Please feel free to change, adapt, or modify the instructions to suit you. If something feels uncomfortable, you do not have to do it. You may find that a particular mindfulness tool serves you one day but not another—or perhaps not at all—and that is perfectly okay. This is a trauma-sensitive, shame-free space to explore how to work with your unique brain rather than against it.
Transcript
Taking your time to arrive wherever you find yourself today.
Taking a few moments to see if there's anything you could do to be five or ten percent more comfortable.
Maybe placing the feet flat on the ground if you're seated.
Maybe allowing the shoulder blades to slide down the back.
Perhaps noticing if there's any tension in the jaw.
Is it possible to allow a releasing of this?
Even if just a little bit.
Knowing it matters how you feel.
Whenever you're ready.
Beginning to notice whichever parts of your body are making connection with the earth.
If you're seated perhaps this is the feet.
The sit bones.
Noticing that sense of contact.
You might like to bring a little movement in here.
Perhaps moving the feet or rocking the body slightly to increase that sensation.
If that's useful for you.
Whatever part of the body is making contact with the earth,
Noticing.
This sensation may be very slight or more easy to notice.
Perhaps there's numbness.
This too is an experience.
Noticing whatever's there for you today in this body.
And whenever you're ready.
Beginning to release awareness of the body on the air.
To wherever you'd like to rest your awareness today.
And this might be the breath.
The sense of the body moving.
This might be a noticing of the sounds around you.
Perhaps there's something in front of you.
Maybe a candle.
Maybe it's something out the window.
Tree.
Something in nature.
You'd like to look at and notice with the eyes.
Maybe there's something in your hand.
You'd like to explore.
Or even a cat curled in your lap or a dog.
Noticing texture of the fur.
Perhaps you'd like to notice the body on the air.
Knowing you can bring movement to the body as you notice this.
And in this short practice,
I invite you to spend a few moments resting your awareness wherever you've chosen.
Sound,
Breath,
Body sensations,
What you can see.
Perhaps there's another thing,
Another anchor you'd like to rest awareness on.
Simply noticing.
Knowing there's no right or wrong way to do this.
Noticing whatever's there for you right now.
Or when you notice the mind has wandered off.
Celebrating this noticing.
This is a moment of mindfulness.
The mind will wander off.
You can notice where it's gone.
And then gently and kindly in your own time,
Guiding your noticing,
Your awareness,
Back to whatever you've chosen as your anchor,
Your support.
Whatever you've chosen to rest your awareness on today.
And if there's discomfort in the body or in the thoughts,
Knowing you can move your awareness to notice this for a moment,
If you'd like.
Some people like to imagine they're breathing into the part of the body that feels discomfort.
You may like to explore the idea.
Noticing sensation,
Noticing a discomforting thought.
Acknowledging it,
Seeing if it's possible to allow discomfort to be there without pushing it away.
It's part of your experience.
One of the many different parts of experience in this moment.
It's already there.
You may as well notice.
And then when you're ready,
If you'd like to,
You can release this noticing of this discomfort and return back to whatever you've decided to rest your awareness on.
Breath,
Sound,
The body,
Whatever you chose.
Perhaps sight.
You might like to keep a gentle,
Heart awareness on the discomfort or let it go.
Whatever feels right for you today.
We'll have a couple more moments of noticing,
Being with,
Awareness of this this moment,
Each moment.
And as we come towards the end of this practice,
You may like to begin to release begin to let go of what you've been noticing and once more noticing the points of the body that rest on the air.
Perhaps taking a deep breath in and out.
And once more,
Taking a long,
Slow breath in.
Perhaps breathing out with a sigh.
Now whenever you're ready,
Bringing some movement back to the body.
If it's been still,
Noticing if there's any movements,
Any stretching your body might like.
Opening the eyes if they will close.
And stepping back into your day.
Thank you.
Meet your Teacher
